SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month continues as we introduce you to a movement of Hispanics, reclaiming their culture through language. "No Sabo kids," is a grammatically incorrect way to say, "I don't know" kids, making fun of Hispanics and Latinos who don't speak Spanish.
As a Mexican-American, Eddie Sotelo is trying to embrace part of his culture, even if it means putting himself on blast for having trouble keeping up with Spanish language song lyrics.
"I do speak Spanish. I just don't speak it well," said Sotelo.
As Latinos, Eddie and his uncle Edgar felt like it was important to serve their community. The pair host the "Shoboy Show," airing on radio stations across the country and serving a growing population of bilingual Hispanics. Edgar says the show is like a family house party.
"In those house parties, in Latin culture, you'll see that as Latinos, sometimes some conversations will be happening in English, others in Spanish, other Spanglish," said Edgar.
It's a reality in many Hispanic households, being raised by Spanish-speaking parents but not speaking the language fluently. That's the case for Eddie and he's making it known, all while poking fun at his situation.
"The listeners were, were clowning on me, were hating on me saying, 'I can't believe this kid labeled himself as a Mexican, but he doesn't know how to speak Spanish. He's a 'no sabo.' He's a pocho. He has a nopal on his face,' which means I look Hispanic but don't know how to speak Spanish," said Eddie.
Humor has been a way for Eddie to embrace his bicultural identity and normalize not speaking fluent Spanish. This conversation can be embarrassing and even painful to some.
"This makes me teary as well. I just I adored my grandmother, and we had very superficial conversations. And I never got to have one of those real deep conversations with her. And I missed that. I missed that window," said Micaela Muro.
Muro's grandparents came from Mexico, but her dad was raised in Anaheim, an area that has a dark history with Spanish. By 1921, 26 states, including California, banned teaching Spanish in schools as part of a growing Anti-Mexican sentiment that peaked in the 1930s with the repatriation of thousands of Mexican-Americans. The Los Angeles area was especially affected.
"He was actually beat by teachers for speaking English when nobody in his home spoke English; he didn't know it when he started kindergarten. And so... he faced issues around town. He, my father, was very dark skinned and he was not allowed to do some things that lighter-skinned people are able to do," said Muro.
Because of this, Muro says her family lost their native language. Like so many in her shoes, Muro is now reclaiming her history with a goal of being a fluent Spanish speaker. Embracing her heritage, she signed up for classes at Casa de Español.
"I just know my family's very proud that I'm doing this. [I] look forward to the day where I can just hold a conversation and not have to think about what I'm saying anymore," she said.
The same goes for Chris Martinez.
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"It's something that's kind of sad, but also at the same time makes you feel like you're not alone," he said.
Raised in Arkansas, Martinez says his parents didn't find a need to teach him Spanish. As a kid, he quickly realized he looked different than his peers.
"I was very aware of the fact that I was Hispanic and not white like everyone else and everything. And so it's a little tougher for me," he said.
Then in 2020, he began reflecting more on his identity.
"There was a big shift in America as far as race and everything goes, and I started to realize that a lot of my personality was based off of just pushing down feelings of being proud of my culture, just for the sake of fitting in," said Martinez.
Last year, Martinez moved to Sacramento and decided to take action to reclaim his heritage. He started taking classes at Casa de Español.
"I'm still struggling to get through that kind of almost imposter syndrome of getting in touch with who I am," said Martinez. "I'd say now I feel more empowered to do so. And I do feel more connected to the community, the culture and everything that comes with that."
It's a goal Maria Harrington has been helping people reach since 2011 as the owner and director of Casa de Español.
"It's really important that they get the full immersive experience. Because when they go out into the world, they're not going to be able to have me there translating everything for them," said Harrington. "About 25% of our students are trying to reconnect with their heritage in some way."
Like Martinez and Muro, Harrington says she's here to help her students rediscover their cultures. It's something she says she also had to do at one point in her life.
"When I started kindergarten, one of my principals told me that if I continued to speak Spanish, that I would never be a true American. And so, I stopped speaking Spanish for many years," she said.
Because it can be an emotional process for her students, Harrington says she has a specific approach to teaching.
"You're here to learn, we're all here to learn, there's no pressure, there's no panic, and you're going to be successful -- and everyone here is going to be successful. Students start off with an A+ 4.0, and they end with an A+ 4.0," said Harrington.
Through this rediscovery process, we've seen it cause pain and also joy. What's clear is that opening the door for a new experience and cultural conversation helps.
"We can't make the experience disappear. But hopefully by seeing that it's changing and the future looks positive, that it's a way for us to heal, and I think that's happening," said Harrington.
Despite the racist past, humor will always be a part of how some reconnect with their roots.
A Pew Research Poll also found that 78% of United States Hispanics say it's not necessary to speak Spanish in order to be considered Hispanic. The ShoBoy Show airs Monday through Friday mornings on 101.9 here in Sacramento. If you want to take Spanish classes, you can visit Casa de Esapnol.
MORE HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH STORIES FROM ABC10: A food found on most Mexican tables, fresh nopales, can be hard to find in U.S. supermarkets. The Ruiz family is out to change that.
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