Jessica Alba Ensures Honor Grows Up Bilingual

Courtesy Siempre Mujer

She’s a third-generation American who only “know the basics” of the Spanish language, but Jessica Alba says she’s every bit Latina as her ancestors.

“God knows that I wish I was raised bilingual. But it wasn’t to be,” reveals Jessica — who explains that her heritage is “in my blood whether I speak Spanish or not” — in the February/March issue of Siempre Mujer.

After being criticized in the media for her comments on the issue, Jessica notes, “I tried to explain to them that in this country I’m considered Latina and, thus, I consider myself Latina as well.” She adds, “I didn’t want to misrepresent Latinos and I didn’t know how to defend myself. But I went to my room and I cried all night.”

Now that she’s a mom, Jessica, 28, is doing everything in her power to avoid having her 19-month-old daughter Honor Marie face a similar fate.

“I just hired a professor that specializes in Hispanic studies to teach me and Honor.”

The Spanish language isn’t the only gift she’s hoping to pass down to her daughter. Raised in a household filled with “strong and decisive” women — who still often voice their thoughts on her lifestyle –  Jessica hopes Honor will grow to appreciate their opinions.

“[I want Honor to learn to] respect her elders,” she shares. “And to ask for their blessing regardless of their age.”

And if she could change one thing about herself? Despite recently saying she embraces her body after baby, the Valentine’s Day star laughs, “Well, maybe some stretch marks!”

Honor is Jessica’s first child with husband Cash Warren. Valentine’s Day is in theaters Feb. 12th.

Source: Siempre Mujer

– Anya

Comments

Yeah, Perez Hilton gives her all kinds of trouble with something she said. He calls her “Don’t call me Latina Alba”. Anyone know what she actually said?

- Mary on January 29th, 2010

I grew up speaking both English and German and I totally advocate bringing children up bilingual! Children tend to be a bit smarter if they are raised in a bilingual household. They also tend to grasp cultural differences a lot easier.

- jessicawilliams on January 29th, 2010

I wouldn’t say smarter #2 but whenever possible I think it is an asset for their future to be able to communicate in more than one language.Plus,for many people language is a vehicle to transmit our cultures and family histories.

I can relate on the issue of misrepresenting latino culture and struggling to establish an identity.Seems like Jessica got it figured it our for herlsef.If that’s the case,good for her!

- eva on January 29th, 2010

I think it is great for children to be bilingual from a young age. Learning a language later on is much harder!

- Erika on January 29th, 2010

Actually children who grow up bilingual do show as being smarter. Not because they speak a second language, but because of how learning both of those languages affect the brain.

- a teacher somewhere on January 29th, 2010

Just google ‘jessica alba controversy” and you’ll read all about it! Who knows what’s true/what was said

- P. on January 29th, 2010

I know exactly what she’s talking about. Too latina for some, not enough for other’s.

- Leah on January 29th, 2010

Jessica pretty much disparaged her Mexican cousins and lifestyles. There’s no way what she said could have been taken out of context. I really lost a lot of respect for her after reading that inteview. I’m glad she’s opened her mind.

- J-Lin on January 29th, 2010

I have always deeply respected and appreciated anyone that speaks more than one language. My understanding is that it is similiar to playing an instrument, it is using an area of your brain that is under utlitilzed. I don’t agree that people will be smarter however certain things like memory might be better. Nice of Jessica to embrace her Latina roots and it is very smart of her to have Honor start young. I have never understood why families who speak more than one language do not share that gift with their children, it’s truly a waste. Why pay for something that is totally FREE! Plus it’s really important to be able to communicate with all your family!

- Meela on January 29th, 2010

“I just hired a professor that specializes in Hispanic studies to teach me and Honor.”

Sounds like her English is a little rusty too. It should be “Honor and I.”

- Silly Mama on January 29th, 2010

Sorry Silly Mama, but she is correct. It is “me and Honor”

- ecl on January 29th, 2010

No #10 it’s Honor and me because if you take “Honor” out of the sentence, “I just hired a professor that specializes in Hispanic studies to teach I” makes absolutely no sense. That’s the rule to figuring when to use “I” vs. “me”.

- Abbe on January 29th, 2010

Actually, Jessica is correct. You wouldn’t say “they are teaching I” you would say “they are teaching me” so it would be “me & Honor”.

I think it’s great that Jessica is learning more about her heritage. It’s always sounded like her father and grandfather passed some self hating onto Jessica and she wants to instill pride into her child.

- Mary-Helen on January 29th, 2010

Either way, sounds great to me! I wonder if Honor will show off her new Spanish words on Regis and Kelly next Wednesday.

- Tom on January 29th, 2010

Much of Jessica’s attitude about her latina culture was not wanting to be recognized soley based on her heritage. So when she was breaking out into the industry she wanted people to see her as Jessica and not that “hot latina girl!” From what I understand she made a point at making sure that people did not refer to her as a Latina and that’s where the majority of the controversy began.

I think it’s great when children are bilingual so I can’t knock Jessica for wanting to teach Honor another language. But I can say that my cousin who married a Puerto rican man who comes from a spanish speaking family. They had every intent on their child being bilingual. But their child who is now 6 prefers to not have anything to do with the spanish language. Of course when she’s with her fathers side of the family she understands what their saying but she will not speak back to them in spanish. So you can teach your kids whatever you want it doesn’t mean they’ll be accepting of it as they age. Hopefully though Honor will atleast get to know her family history and she’ll be given the choice of embracing both cultures.

- JMO on January 29th, 2010

I stand corrected! It’s been a long day.

- Silly Mama on January 29th, 2010

Mary, she pretty much said that growing up her grandfather, I believe, forbid Spanish as a way for them to fit it in the states. He wanted them to be treated the same way. She said she didn’t grow up with that being her culture because of it but later said that she did intend for her child to know that part of them. There is still some traditions that they celebrate and she wants to keep that.

Personally I think people cry too much over matters that don’t concern them. So if she didn’t want to be considered one thing? It’s still her issue to deal with. Perez of all people should not be listened to. He such a sore person!

- Moore on January 29th, 2010

If we’re being 100% grammatically correct, it would be “Honor and me”…you always put the subject other than yourself first…coming from someone with an English degree haha

BUT, either way I think the controversy is, honestly, a little silly and anyways…aren’t we all aware that Perez Hilton likes to make mountains of molehills and vice versa??

- Melanie on January 29th, 2010

Jessica is American! when you visit Germany (or any other country) and ask someone what nationality they are, no one starts naming what their ancestors were! they say “I am German!”
Only in America do we say “Oh I am Irish, German and Italian” ….when in fact we may have heritage from those places and we may look like we are from there but we are American!

- Heather on January 29th, 2010

I totally feel for her. By ethnicity, I’m Hispanic, but I wasn’t raised Hispanic culturally. I don’t consider myself a “Latina” even though, based on my looks and last name, people would label me as one. My ancestors were from Spain and moved to this country in the 1700′s. I’m American and would be totally reamed in the press for not being “Latina enough.” I hate that she was ostracized for her honest comments regarding her cultural identification. You can’t force someone to identify with a culture they were not raised to be regardless of their ethnicity.

- AmericanGirl on January 29th, 2010

Something about her just rubs me the wrong way! She seems to be one of those people that changes to suit her audience…look at the source of the magazine this article is from…

- cris on January 29th, 2010

thanks Melanie, that was driving me crazy too. should be Honor and me

- Reader on January 29th, 2010

Heather, I think that’s because in, say, Germany, most people’s ancestors happened to be German. Most people in the U.S., however, have ancestors that came from different countries.

Anyway, good for Jessica!

- CelebBabyLover on January 30th, 2010

I don’t know what the controversy was, but I understand the issue of being biracial. I consider myself Latina, although I’m not fluent in Portuguese (my mother immigrated from Brasil). However, culturally I was otherwise raised Brasilian. I was teased by my White friends for trying to be “different” (I look like my “full” Brasilian family but can “pass” for White, so they thought I should) and rejected in college by my Latina peers for 1) not being fluent in Portuguese and 2) not being fluent in Spanish; because they all were from Spanish speaking backgrounds. I’ve felt like I don’t quite fit anywhere.

I’m trying to teach my son to be bilingual. I’ve got Portuguese textbooks to practice with and I’ve bought a bunch of Spanish and Portuguese children’s books to him. Whatever anybody else says, I know my culture and I want him to as well.

- marfmom on January 30th, 2010

CelebBabyLover- I see your point, but in many cases it has been 100+ years since many Americans were born anywhere but America, so I think that they are American rather than anything else.
I was born in Canada but live in England and I consider myself English because that is where I live now and where I am raising my family.

- Louise on January 30th, 2010

@nr. 23. Actually that’s not true. Plenty of people in Germany (like in all the other countries in Europe) are from other countries in Europe. I live in Holland and my grandfather was born in Germany and my mothers family originally comes from Belgium and France.

- noelle on January 30th, 2010

My husband is Puerto Rican by birth but was adopted as a baby by his parents who speak only English. Everyday people try to speak to him in Spanish since we live in a culturally diverse area. He has to explain all the time that he doesn’t know Spanish. But just like Jessica we decided to have our kids learn Spanish at young age. So now when he goes out with them and people talk to him, the kids will answer.

- melania on January 30th, 2010

i speak and understand both Arabic and English so is that considered Bilingual? most ppl i know are like that .

- Blackrose on January 30th, 2010

I am German but have ancestry from Italy, but I don’t call myself Italian or identify with being Italian since I don’t speak the language and have never lived there. I totally get where Jessica is coming from and think it’s rather sad that she is judged because she identifies with being American rather than Latina.
To those suggesting that bilingual people are smarter – as a cognitive psychologist I must disappoint you!
Research shows that bilingual people, even though they speak two languages, often speak both languages generally poorer as someone who only grows up speaking one language, as bilinguals spend on average less time speaking each language each day than a monolingual. This difference may not be apparent in daily life but has been shown on language tests.
However, bilinguals do have an advantage over monolinguals. Bilinguals have to constantly switch from one language to another the executive function of “attention switching” is strengthened, and thus bilinguals may on average be able to switch their attention on tasks with less switching cost than people who grow up only speaking one language. Besides, bilinguals have the advantage of being able to communicate with a broader audience.

- Ann on January 30th, 2010

i was also raised bilingually, german and english and i can’t describe how much of an asset it has been. my kids are probably not quite as bilingual as i am but they do speak two languages, and can converse without any problems in both. and i hope they will learn more. but don’t underestimate it, it can be very difficult to raise kids bilingually.

- JM on January 30th, 2010

Blackrose – I think being able to speak/understand more than one language is more common in other countries. In the US (where Jessica was born and raised) it is not as common.

- kris on January 30th, 2010

Kris, I agree. I’ve always found it much more common for individuals to speak multiple languages in other countries.

As for Jessica, I wish her luck in her learning.

I was born in El Salvador to a Salvadoran father and Ecuadorian mother. When I was six months old, we left the country for Miami. Growing up, I was raised bilingually and, considering a large portion of my family speaks primarily Spanish, decided to teach my sons the same. The usage of Spanish varies from place to place for them. For example, at school or with friends, they speak English while at home, it tends to be split 50/50. When around my family, it’s predominantly Spanish.

- Liliana on January 30th, 2010

I find it interesting that she still doesn’t own up to her Mexican ancestry! Either she’s proud of it or she’s not – I don’t really understand her conflict. However it is nice that she’s teaching and learning spanish and “hispanic studies” with her daughter. Besides, isn’t her husband Cash half-hispanic himself? Seems like a non-brainer!

- Chicki on January 30th, 2010

I do agree that there is some element of Spanish heritage looked upon in a negative light in Jessica’s past (meaning through her family) based off of her comments. Very sad. I hope that Honor does grow up to appreciate her diverse ancestry, including Jessica’s mother’s French and Danish side and Cash Warren’s side as well. I am not sure of the ancestry of Cash’s mother, but I do know that his father is African American actor Michael Warren, making him half African American and Honor 1/4.

- Bretagne on January 30th, 2010

@ JMO

I agree with you. There are many people I know who are in the same position as your cousin’s daughter, myself included :p.In fact, it’s more than you think. Many of us are at least familiar with the language even though we don’t speak it. And yes, in other countries people tend to speak English and another language only because most of them are studying in English medium schools! So their teachers most English while they speak their language outside of school. My family is from Southern India and I fully understand the language spoken there, but I don’t speak it for the most part, though I can a little bit. I only use it when talking to grandparents or those who don’t know English. It’s not I”m against it or anything, it’s just that being raised in the States, I’m more used to speaking English and feel more comfortable with it, but that does NOT mean I don’t know my cultural heritage and background…I know it really well, been to India a few times, and I enjoy it alot..it’s truly amazing. I hope Jessica doesn’t put too much pressure on Honor on this when she gets older, I mean, if she really wants her to be a complete Latino and know the language really well, she should be raising her in a Spanish speaking country, not in the US, for all I know as Honor grows up, things will be different because majority of the people she’s growing up with will be speaking English only! Where you are raised also depends, but you cannot always expect them to like people from other countries if they are not raised there! Just my two cents.

- J.J. on January 30th, 2010

#33 I agree….when Honor is school-age, I can imagine her going to a private school or even if she goes to a public school, her school district (don’t they live in Beverly Hills) will be one of the top school districts in CA, meaning she will be surrounded by affluent kids who most likely will be speaking English…also, it’s kinda annoying that she emphasizes she wants her kid to be bilingual…well, u don’t really hear Matthew and Camilla blab about rasing Levi to be bilingual…can’t stand this woman

- Ally on January 30th, 2010

I don’t understand why people would originally label her as an up and coming Latina star. Yes, that’s a part of her heritage but only on her father’s side. Her mother is French and Danish.

This is not a criticism of Jessica; just the media. I highly doubt you’d see her on the cover of a French or Danish magazine.

Like her, my dad is Mexican while my mom is Irish. Perhaps it’s just me but I’ve never considered myself Latina.

- Ashleigh on January 30th, 2010

@Ally
But what is wrong with her teaching her child Spanish? People don’t realise the advantages of growing up bilingual or learning different languages at a young age. If one day Honor decides to study, travel or work ABROAD (yes, because there are *other* countries besides the US), it would be priceless for her to know fluent Spanish – one of the most important languages in the modern world (not not mention making it easier for her to later learn other Romance languages such as Portuguese, French, or Italian). I admit it’s a cultural thing, but it baffles me how anyone could see this as *negative*.

In the case of Levi, I’d find it very strange and short-sighted if he did not grow up speaking Portuguese considering that’s the language half his family speaks. I think it could be awkward not being able to freely communicate with your grandparents.

- Plum on January 30th, 2010

@Silly Mama: You know the saying “People who live in glass homes…?” -
Sounds like your English is a little rusty too. It should be “Honor and ME!”

- Maya on January 30th, 2010

Why do people come out as so proud to be Latin,but you never really hear people bragging about being Irish,Grman,Italian,etc.? I remember when the huge ‘Latin explosion’ happened it seems everybody and their cousin started braggin about being Latin when they’d never mentioned it before (i.e. Christina Aguilera).

I think it’s rediculous to think you have to defend yourself and your heritige by learning the language. If you want to learn it for knowledge or because you plan to travel that’s one thing. To feel you aren’t ‘as Latin because you don’t know Spanish’ is insane. I’m Irish,German and Dutch…should I HAVE to learn German and Dutch?

- J on January 30th, 2010

^Fully agree w/ what J. said.

- J.J. on January 30th, 2010

I disagree with J. Heidi Klum is very proud of being German and is teaching her children her native tongue.

- The Writer on January 30th, 2010

Whether u r American, German, Irish, Canadian,etc, u should learn another language including sign language. It’s a beautiful thing 2 b able 2 communicate w/ others, in any/all languages!

- Hilda on January 30th, 2010

Um, Maya, SillyMama admitted she was wrong. Perhaps you should read through all the posts.

- Ashleigh on January 30th, 2010

It’s ironic that people bring up Perez Hilton’s criticism of Jessica, when he doesn’t even use his real Hispanic name ! Who’s the one trying to be something he’s not?

I feel sorry for Jessica because she can’t say anything that pleases people. Her father was born here, her grandfather was born here, she was born here. As a third-generation American, why does she have to say she’s Mexican?

No one gives Cameron Diaz this kind of grief.

- DiamondGirl on January 30th, 2010

this woman clearly has amnesia…she’s back pedaling everything she has said before…she said she wants to do spanish movies? ha she can’t even act in english movies and why would she think she will be successful in spanish movies? also, if she says she doesn’t take herself too seriously, why is she walking around with that sour face of hers all the time

- Ally on January 30th, 2010

She just really, really rubs me the wrong way. UGH.

- christina on January 30th, 2010

after reading many of the comments above, she should be commended for doing something to improve both of their lives.

- Something About Baby on January 30th, 2010

Plum- I agree completely! In fact, I actually think Honor’s very lucky that she is being taught a second language.

- CelebBabyLover on January 31st, 2010

My hubby is Norwegian so our kids are learning Norwegian as well, as that is what he speaks to them.
He learned English from a very young age, like all Norwegians, and is very fluent. It is so much easier to pick up another language when you are a child than try when you are an adult.

- Louise on January 31st, 2010

I am British living in Israel – we have a 3 year old daughter who is being raised bilingual – Hebrew and English – so far, so good she can flip between both languages. She needs English to communicate with my parents/ family as they don’t speak Hebrew. Raising bilingual kids is challenging but is a bonus for all concerned and well done to Jessica for raising her daughter in this way.

- anna on January 31st, 2010

i have a strong feeling that in a couple of years, Honor will only be speaking English…
Jessica s probably going to learn how to say “my name is Jessica” in spanish and than she’ll give up.
I’m french, my first word was in…English because both my parents teach english and speak it better than french. Form age 1 to age 4 my english was probably better than my french, and than i started preeschool, spent my days only with french speaking kids.

- h on January 31st, 2010

I get where Jessica is coming from. I’m half ethnic (asian) and proud of my roots but i wasn’t raised in that and cannot speak my grandparent’s language (though people expect me to!) and i too, would be afraid of misrepresenting a culture that i lack so much of. I will definately try to pass on some of my family’s culture when i have children, but i may find it difficult simply because i wasn’t raised surrounded by it.
I think Honor is lucky to be being taught a second language, I think its wonderful to be able to speak another language.

- Bb on January 31st, 2010

I actually liked this article from her…sometimes I can get the wrong vibe to from her but she seems very sweet and earnest in this interview.

- juliet holly on January 31st, 2010

Honor, like many Americans is a mash up of many ethnicities and cultures and I think it’s great that Jessica is teaching her another language that just happens to be a part of her heritage (the same could be said if Honor were learning French or Danish too.)

@Diamondgirl – I completely agree about the Cameron Diaz (1/2 Cuban) comment. You can also throw Alexis Bledel ( 1/2 Argentinian 1/2 Mexican whose first language is Spanish), Joanna Garcia (Cuban), Cristina Aguilera (1/2 Ecuadorian), and Wonder Woman herself Linda Carter (1/2 Mexican) in there. None of these women are given any grief about their heritage the way Jessica is, and unfortunately it comes down to colorism. She lookes like what we feel a Latina should look like, and the others are pale with blue eyes. We just really need to stop trying to put people in our comfortable little boxes cause it just makes it harder on everyone in the end.

- d on January 31st, 2010

Jessica is given grief because of several remarks she made in the past. There’s a reason why she was previously called Jessica “Don’t Call Me Latina” Alba. Now, her highlighting her ethnic roots seems disgenious and like she is trying to overcompensate.

Just a couple of years ago, she was talking about how her Mexican father told George Lopez that he doesn’t speak “Mexican” when Lopez was speaking to him in Spanish. To now proclaim the importance of being bilingual after getting tons of negative coverage for denying her roots does not seem very genuine.

- Annie on January 31st, 2010

“Research shows that bilingual people, even though they speak two languages, often speak both languages generally poorer as someone who only grows up speaking one language, as bilinguals spend on average less time speaking each language each day than a monolingual.”

My understanding is that this is completely wrong. Bilingual individuals generally have better cognitive development and language skills than their monolingual counterparts. Are you referring to studies that compare language skills by a certain age? Ultimately, bilingual students do better.

- Annie on January 31st, 2010

@H.

That’s exactly my point! Even though Honor may know Spanish…etc, she’ll probably just speak English for the most part…this occurs w/ alot of kids, who can speak another language, but refuse to use it. It’s mainly because of the society they are influenced by. Forgot to mention my younger cousin spoke my family’s language very very fluently when she went to India last time, but when she returned to the States, she wouldn’t speak an ounce of it! It’s mainly due the environment she’s surrounded by, where mainly everyone uses English. I’m glad Jessica is trying to get Honor to know about her heritage, but I feel she is trying to make her fully Latino, and I know it can’t be possible if she’s going to raise her in the US…even though it may not happen, I can guarantee that Honor will at least know her roots and know the customs of her culture, even if she does not speak Spanish..etc.

- J.J. on January 31st, 2010

Definitely Perez Hilton’s doing. And yes, he makes mountains out of molehills.

- All Women Stalker on January 31st, 2010

I am Irish-born and since having my kids, I have made an effort to re-learn all the little gaelic phrases that my grandparents would use with us around the house (such as “duin an doras”, which means shut the door and “codladh samh” which means sweet dreams). Having children has made me want to reconnect with my heritage and a language which is slowly dying.

I thought the whole “I am not a latina” thng was more about JA not wanting to be pigeon holed into roles. So many male african-americn actors complain about the challenges in finding roles other than being part of a gang.

- Catey on January 31st, 2010

I don’t really hate Jessica Alba or anything. I think she’s really pretty and that’s kinda it. She is constantly contradicting herself to fit her audience. One minute in Self magazine, she says she likes her scratch marks and then in the next magazine interview, she talks about wanting to remove them. I have three ELLE magazines featuring her where she completely downplayed (if not refused) discussing her Latin heritage and now look at her. She’s on the cover of a Latin magazine talking about being Mexican because she eats Mexican food. She mentions how the only American dish she used to eat growing up was spaghetti. I eat Mexican food Jessica. Does that make me a Latina too? There is more to being Mexican than just eating the food. I know she wasn’t brought up speaking the language but that doesn’t mean she has to brush it off like it’s not apart of her. It just seems like a marketing strategy to me since her Hollywood career is at stale mate right now. She’s looking for other options and Spanish language films is it.

And as for the bilingual discussion. I am an African American who taught herself to read, write and speak Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese. And I can greet people in over 20 languages. My point is that if you want to learn, you can whether your parents teach you or not. There are currently 337 languages that are spoken in America. So choose one.

- pammiej85 on January 31st, 2010

If none of the primary caregivers communicates with the child in Spanish, she will not grow up bilingual. It is very hard work to have your child grow up bilingual. You have to be consistent in speaking both languages to the child day in day out.

- Anna on January 31st, 2010

Sorry marfmom, but what does Portuguese has to do with Spanish? According to the US Census Bureau a Hispanic is one from a Spanish-speaking country, and a Latino/a from a Latin American country, but since both terms are now widely used as synonyms most Brazilians just “choose” if you want to be labeled as one, since Brazil is a Portuguese-peaking country. So what’s the point of putting both languages in the same sack and trying do be identified now as something in practical terms you’re not, you’re not supposed to speak Spanish…I guess.

It confused me because my ancestors (including parents) are Portuguese (and I speak European Portuguese) and we, like Italians, are a “white minority group”, and living in Europe now it is a fact that there’s just German, French, Italian, English, not the “ancestors-Nationality” thing (and in Europe there are ancestors from everywhere, who came mostly after the decolonization process). I guess it is different when your ancestors afre from European countries (maybe with the exception of Spain).

- Anna on February 1st, 2010

I’d like to point out to Ms. Alba that her daughter is also of African-American decent and it would be of great interest to her daughter to learn her African-American heritage as well. I’m just saying since she wants to return to “roots” and all. Don’t just pick which background will get you on the cover of a magazine. For those that may not know her husband and the father of her child is of African-American decent. Thanks.

- mommashane on February 1st, 2010

People complain when she doesn’t mention her Latina background and now people complain about when she wants her daughter to understand them. Some people are never satisfied

- Lee on February 1st, 2010

mommashane- Maybe she’s leaving that up to Cash to share with Honor if he wants to (I mean whatever African language his ancestors spoke, that is).

- CelebBabyLover on February 2nd, 2010

It’s interesting that no one ever mentions Cash Warren’s ethnicity. He is part African American. Why not teach her about ALL of her heritage?

- ivyrose on February 2nd, 2010

My point was that she is 1/4 of many racial backgrounds, and as someone that is African American I’m just a little tired of my race and background being treated as inferior. Her daughter is no more latina than she is black and she should respect that part of her racial identity. And by the way celebbabylover you should caution your words even in joking as it would be an honor for African Americans to know of our native language but you see years ago we were stripped of that and enslaved for 400+ years, and its no laughing matter.

- mommashane on February 2nd, 2010

mommashane, I’m African-American and I believe you are going overboard. She said nothing about ignoring all of her history. You are getting upset for no reason at all

- Lee on February 2nd, 2010

I really don’t understand why everybody is judging her instead of living their own lives. If you don’t agree with what she is doing, don’t do it. It doesn’t mean you need to comment so much on her life, because the truth of the matter is that it is HER life.

to mommashane–

I really never even comment on this things, much less reply to something that a specific idividual has said, but I felt like I should comment on what you said. You said that you are tired of your race and ethnic background being treated as unfair and that you were stripped of your right to learn the African language that your ancestors spoke, and I honestly feel sad that you think that somebody else is insulting you with the comment they made. I’m sure it would be nice to be able to know your heritage, but what upsets me is that you think that as an African-American woman you believe that you were stripped more than a Caucasian woman in today’s society, and I just don’t feel the same. As a Caucasian woman of many different backgrounds I feel that I haven’t been given any more opportunities to learn about my heritages than you, or any other person of many different backgrounds living in the United States has been giving. Africa is a large continent, with many languages, and regardless of the languages your ancestors spoke, the chances that you would know even one of those languages today is slim to none, and I am really sorry that you feel that that was stripped of you solely through slave trade. It is a horrible part of history that happened in many countries around the world and to many different cultures, but I feel that it shouldn’t be the sole excuse for a loss of heritage. I speak Spanish, which is oddly not one of my “ancestrial languages”.

I really hope you can see my point in this and understand that while it is an option that you never had, that option wasn’t giving to many because of their American ancestry. That is part of what makes us Americans.

- Sylvia on February 3rd, 2010

Lee- I agree. And mommashane, just to clear things up, I was not trying to be disrespectful towards Africans and African Americans. I honestly don’t know what the native African language (or languages) is (are) called, which is why I said what I did.

- CelebBabyLover on February 3rd, 2010

I am raising my daughter in a bilingual home and believe me, I teach Spanish in high school and I can see where some of my students have been exposed to ohter sounds and some have not at all. Their parents always tell me that they wish they would have been able to expose their children to Spanish or other Romance languages sooner. I am giving this asset to my daughter and it will be up to her to use it.

- marifer on June 13th, 2010