María Elena Salinas is American and Mexican Proud

My family was a reflection of the millions of other working-class families in Southern California. I was born in Los Angeles and my parents were from Mexico, but we returned to Mexico until I was 8. Even though the United States was my country, it was a bit foreign to me at first because I didn’t speak the language. I started working when I was 14 to help them pay the rent and pay for my school. One thing that was very ingrained in me was pride in my cultural heritage. My mother taught us to love the country where we were born and the country of our heritage. So we celebrated and embraced both cultures and holidays, like the Fourth of July and Mexican Independence Day, Thanksgiving and Las Posadas. That's why I feel I'm part of that generation of bilingual-bicultural Hispanics in the U.S., who are very proud of their roots.

So even though I’m as American as anyone else, I've never felt 100% American, because of that duality—a sort of identity crisis that makes you wonder, what am I?

My daughters’ father is of Cuban descent, and they embrace the culture of both of their parents. But in their generation, they don't necessarily feel Mexican or Cuban. They feel Hispanic and speak Spanglish, just like I do.

In the 37 years I worked as an anchor at Univision, I’ve seen the growth in numbers and political and economic influence of the Latino community. I’m proud of who I am and what my community has accomplished. I’m not an import from Latin America. I'm homegrown. I grew up in this country and have always felt that I was informing a community that I was a part of. I’m very aware of the challenges our community faces and the contributions they made to this country. That's important.

AARP Membership— $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal

Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine.

Join Now

The key to gaining the Latino community’s trust is to be honest, engaged and involved. You can't fool people. The lens does not fool people. I've been out there in the trenches. You can’t just say you care; you have to show them you care about the issues that affect them and that your reporting is providing perspective on their issues.