Coming from a mixed race household, my identity always felt nebulous and difficult to define. Whenever I had to fill out a form stating what my race and ethnicity were, I always paused, unsure of how to answer. For me, these two descriptors are intertwined. And yet, I answered each differently because of the limited choices before me.

My father was born in New York to 3rd generation German parents. While my mother was a 1st generation immigrant from Mexico with indigenous roots. I grew up in a suburb of Los Angeles, speaking both Spanish and English. My mom was proud of her Mexican heritage, although she emphasized practicing Catholic rituals in our household much more than she did Mexican traditions. For example, going to Easter mass was a must, but creating an ofrenda for Día de Los Muertos was not on her checklist. So when it came to filling out those forms, I felt like my best option was to mark "Hispanic" for race and "White" for ethnicity, and in so doing, give equal emphasis to both sides of myself. Although at the same time, neither descriptor felt entirely correct.

Our society's names for different types of identities have thankfully broadened in the last decade, giving people like me something more definitive to latch onto. I remember when I first learned the term "mestiza" in 2019. It was in an article about Frida Kahlo, who was born to a German father and a Spanish mother who also had indigenous roots. Therefore Kahlo identified as a mestizo (or the feminine mestiza) - a Latin American term for people who are mixed race, especially those who have both European and Spanish indigenous ancestors.

Finally! I thought. This is what I am. I just never had a term for it before. Mestizo however, is not an option on race and ethnicity forms. At least not in the United States.  Although recently I have started to come across "Mixed Race" as an option. I felt such relief when I first noticed this choice appear. After decades of feeling unseen in a society that did not recognize biracial identities, I was finally offered a legitimate place that I could visibly exist on these forms. Now at last I can answer this question accurately to who I am.