God made you in His image—with beautiful dark skin, gorgeous dark wavy hair, and luminous dark eyes. He did not make a mistake. You guys have a great podcast and amazing success ahead of you. That success will become even greater when you fully appreciate and embrace the beautiful Indigenous blood running through your veins, which God gave you by design.
When you wish for lighter eyes or disparage having “too much Oaxaqueño blood,” remember who taught you that lighter is better. Hollywood, news media, and advertisers routinely exclude brown, Indigenous-looking Latino men from being heroes, leaders, journalists, scientists, technology users, travelers, and customers with purchasing power. Men who look like you are instead erased or repeatedly depicted as criminals, victims, and people who serve everyone else.
That dehumanizing representation helped create the climate in which taxpayer-funded ICE raids and detention could be inflicted on Latino communities. Those tax dollars also come from Latinos—including undocumented immigrants who pay taxes and contribute to the economy. Visit LatinoDonorCollaborative.org and see the trillions of dollars Latinos generate.
Never give anyone the power of making you wish you looked like them. Your Indigenous features carry beauty, strength, survival, and centuries of history. Pride in who you are is your armor—and it teaches younger brown Latino men to love themselves too. Your future selves will thank you for fully loving what God gave you.
