Editor, Daily Nexus,

How could I have committed such a grave sin in calling another student “Mexican” when she is from El Salvador? Well, that is exactly what I did today and I feel embarrassed and ashamed for doing what is considered a violation! Why? Because I automatically assumed that this student in my writing class was Mexican like me just because her skin was brown and she had a Spanish last name. I would like to offer a sincere apology to this student because I perpetuated racism in the worst way that is especially unacceptable by another Latino person.

My point here is that not everyone with brown skin is from Mexico! I can only imagine that those students from El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Brazil, etc. are sick and tired of being mistaken for a person of Mexican descent. I don’t blame some of these students for having any animosity toward the incorrect racial labeling. I only hope by writing this is that the student I offended may truly forgive me for my sudden assumption instead of making the effort to know something unique about her.

On a different note, I want to say that despite my faux pas, I am in agreement with others that there needs to be solidarity among many in the Latino community. With Cinco De Mayo around the corner, I believe that it is important for myself and others to recognize those that hail from other Latino backgrounds. All too often, they get overshadowed by the one Latino race that is already over-commercialized with Corona bottle commercials and Baja Fresh.