This is my very first article here on Odyssey so I will introduce myself. My name is Aaliyah, born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. I am African American and Puerto Rican. Some of you may be thinking "Oh, you don't look Puerto Rican". How are we supposed to look? You see, society has very untruthful and cruel expectations about how people are supposed to look. Well I am here to tell you that 100% of society's view on things are not true in my opinion. In my life I have come across a lot of hate or a lot of misunderstanding because of who I am. I never really realized how much things bothered me until I got to college. I consider myself as Afro-Latina but others consider me as just a black girl trying to be "Spanish." Well I will take this moment to inform people that I could never act what I am NOT. People from Spain are Spanish so no .. I am not Spanish, I am HISPANIC. People like me who are constantly judged by their appearance know the ignorance we go through almost all the time.

1. The "I don't believe you" Line.

The constant "I don't believe you" is common. People seem to think these days that being classified as something other than Black or White isn't a thing. When I was younger I blocked out the fact that I was Puerto Rican completely. Accepting the fact that people didn’t consider me as anything else but African American was something I thought I had to accept. It started to be the only thing I claimed. No one should be pushed to feel this way. We should all be able to have a connection to who we really are if we choose to claim it. To approach the line "I don't believe you", what is there to believe? Who are you to tell me who I am? I am the ONLY person who gets to decide who I want to be.

2. Suddenly Becoming More Attractive Because You're Mixed Or Light Skinned.

I don't know about you but people suddenly find me more attractive when they find out I am Puerto Rican. It is crazy that the black community wants unity when they don't even respect their women. Why do I suddenly become more attractive when I say that I am Afro-Latina? Would I be ugly if I had darker skin and didn't have anything to do with the Hispanic community? Why are black women compared to White women and Hispanic women everyday? Why are we judged for the texture of our hair and how we choose to live our lives? You tell Afro-Latina's to pick sides, well there is no sides. I love my hair that gets puffy when it rains. I love the fact that I don't have the silky, down to my butt hair that society thinks ALL Hispanic women have. Sorry to break it to you but black is beautiful and we all come in different shades. See what is right in front of you. Hispanic women come in all different shades as well.

3. Do You Speak Spanish? If You Do Talk To Me In Spanish Because It's Hot

Believe it or not but not all Mexicans, Dominicans, Puerto Ricans etc. speak Spanish. It is different for me on both sides because in the Black community I'm considered as "sexy" because I am Hispanic and even more sexy if I can speak Spanish. In the Hispanic community I am looked down upon because I don't know as much Spanish that is expected for me to know. Let me take another opportunity to inform you again. I was not taught Spanish as a child but I am learning and know a pretty good amount from the time I began learning to now. Although, it is really not your place to judge me. What I classify myself as is not for you amusement, so no I will not speak Spanish just to prove a point.

I know that I can’t be the only person that has ever been put down because they don’t meet society’s idea of who they are supposed to be. SCREW SOCIETY! Embrace yourself. Be the “new face” of your religion, culture etc. If you never learned your family’s native language, learn it (if you want). If you never been to the place your family is from, go. Do things for YOU. Don’t do them for anyone else. Always be true to yourself.