WHY AM I SO BROWN?,
Trinidad Sánchez, Jr.
1986 / 1993

WHY AM I SO BROWN?

A question Chicanitas sometimes ask
while others wonder: Why is the sky blue
or the grass so green?
Why am I so brown?

God made you brown, mi'ja
color bronce--color of your raza, your people
connecting you to your raices, your roots
your story/historia
as you begin moving towards your future.

God made you brown, mija
color bronce, beautiful/strong,
reminding you of the goodness
de tu mama, de tus abuelas, your grandmothers
y tus antepasados, your ancestors.

God made you brown, mi'ja
to wear as a crown for you are royalty--a princess,
la raza nueva, the people of the sun.
It is the color of Chicana women--
leaders/madres of Chicano warriors
luchando por la paz y la dignidad
de la justicia de la nación, Aztlan!

God wants to understand . . . brown
is not a color . . . it is: a state of being
a very human texture
alive and full of song, celebrating--
dancing to the new world
which is for everyone . . .

Finally mi'ja
God made you brown because
it is one of HER favorite celebrations!

Student Exercises

1. Why do you think Chicanitas (young chicano girls) ask themselves the question "Why Am I So Brown?"
2. How would you describe the narrator "speaker" of this poem who answers the question? What kind of person is this speaker, and what is her or his relationship to the asker of the question?
3. Who do you think the narrator of this poem is speaking to? One person? Many? Explain.
4. Why does the speaker of this poem combine Spanish and English in this poem? Would the poem have the same effect if it was written in just one language?
5. Do you need to understand both languages well to understand the meaning of the poem? Why do you think the poet uses both languages?