The Emmy winning actress, Gina Rodriguez, part of the critically acclaimed “Jane the Virgin,” sat down with HuffPost Live for an interview about the success of her show in early October. While there, she was asked to address the backlash she received for an Instagram post in which fans noticed her lack of fluency in Spanish. This led to an enlightening discussion about identity in terms of the diverse Latino culture and what it means for the growing Latino American population of today.

The actress grew up in a Puerto Rican-American home where her parents decided to raise her and her sisters with English as their first and only language. This decision was based on her parents fear of their daughters developing a heavy accent for which they were bullied their entire lives. The question here then is: what makes someone part of the Latino experience in America? Is it their language? Their food? Their traditions? The answer really lies in an individual experience of all those aspects of culture.

Does speaking Spanish make the Latino experience richer? Ms. Rodriguez seems to think it doesn’t have to necessarily, but was her parents’ decision to assimilate their daughters into the American culture, in a way, a perpetuation of shame about their roots? When there is more second and third generation Latinos than ever before who do not experience their culture through their native tongue, is there a growing sense of a forgotten history? There is something about experiencing the Latino culture through its language that non-speakers cannot relate to. An experience of the world through a new language is a new experience of that world.

As Ms. Rodriguez explains, the umbrella of Latinos in America is made up of so many different countries, skin tones, and traditions. However, the one thing that does unite us is our native language. So, does being fluent in Spanish, for Latinos, create a better sense of respect toward our roots and another layer of pride? It most certainly can. Does not being fluent in Spanish and assimilating into a new culture perpetuate a feeling of shame about our ancestors? It can but it doesn’t have to. What comes from being raised in a Latino-American home is a blend of colors, words, foods and traditions unique to each home.

But the most important message comes from one of Ms. Rodriguez’s final statements on the topic, “I am not defined by anybody’s definition of Latina. I don’t actually sit in a definition. I walk in my world, happily and confidently.” Live and experience you’re culture the way you want to experience it. Define yourself the way you want to do so. Don’t judge others for their views and their upbringings but for their character. Being part of such a diverse community creates a beautiful sense of belonging and we should be supporting one another for our achievements, not bringing each other down.