Mi nombre es Belinda Acosta. Nací en Lincoln, Nebraska. Soy la orgullosa hija de un inmigrante mexicano y una Tejana, pero mis primeros antepasados son los huicholes de lo que ahora se conoce como la sierra central de México.
My name is Belinda Acosta. I was born in Lincoln, Nebraska. I am the proud daughter of a Mexican immigrant and a Tejana, but my first-people ancestors are the Huichol from what is now known as the central highlands of Mexico.
I lived for many years in Austin, Texas, where I gained a full understanding of my Chicana identity–meaning that I am a U.S. born, Mexican American who embraces indigenous roots that run deep throughout Mexico. This has been an enlightening journey, as many U.S. born Latinos are taught to be ashamed of their indigeneity and to deny it even exists. Unlike the first nation people of what is now the U.S., the indigenous of Mexico do not have any treaty agreements with the U.S. or Mexico. This further distorts and effaces the history of the hundreds, if not thousands of indigenous cultures throughout Mexico, Central and South America, many of which survive into the present.
Since my return to Lincoln in 2012, I have been fortunate to meet members of Lincoln’s American Indian community, many of whom recognized my indigeneity and saw me as a sister rather than an outsider, though with a very distinct history. It is with sincere pleasure and a profound honor that I join the SIFN board of directors in 2023. I will do my best to contribute to and learn from this community of progressive thinkers.