In this project we are speaking to people representing a diversity of experiences and backgrounds in gender identity, physical ability, whether they are Indigenous, native born, a refugee or an immigrant without legal status\u2014to ask what it means to be an “American.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_video src=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5gwCZeKQ1U0″ admin_label=”YouTube Video” _builder_version=”4.9.10″][\/et_pb_video][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text: Video Teaser” _builder_version=”4.9.10″ text_text_color=”#ffffff” text_font_size=”16px”]<\/p>\n
\u200b\u200bSofi Gonzalez has competed in karate for 16 years. She\u2019s been kicked and punched \u2013 and has bled more times than she can count. But as a dual citizen, the toughest part of competing hasn\u2019t been the injuries, as Jackie Ibarra reports. It’s picking which country to fight for.<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ custom_padding=”6px||3px|||”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ custom_padding=”3px||6px|||”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”HERO IMAGE OPTION 1: Background image: DELETE IF NOT NEEDED” _builder_version=”4.9.10″ background_enable_color=”off” background_image=”https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2021\/09\/Jackie_Lauren_Animated.gif” background_blend=”multiply” custom_margin=”-2px|||||” custom_padding=”12%||39.4%|||”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.9.10″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ custom_padding=”6px||3px|||”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ custom_padding=”3px||6px|||”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Illustrator credit” _builder_version=”4.9.10″]<\/p>\n
Illustration by Lauren Iba\u00f1ez<\/em><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.5.1″ custom_padding=”7px||35px|||”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.5.1″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.5.1″][et_pb_post_title date=”off” comments=”off” featured_image=”off” admin_label=”Post Title” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ title_level=”h3″ title_font=”Oswald||||||||” title_font_size=”42px” title_letter_spacing=”2px” title_line_height=”1.2em” meta_text_color=”#04a3e3″ meta_font_size=”18px”][\/et_pb_post_title][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_5,2_5″ _builder_version=”4.5.1″ custom_padding=”||12px|||”][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.5.1″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text 1″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em”]<\/p>\n
When Sofi Gonzalez stepped into the ring at the 2019 Pan American Games, she <\/span>almost<\/span><\/i> looked like every other martial arts fighter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nShe had sparring gear strapped on, a mouthpiece in and a belt tightened around her waist. But instead of a matching uniform, Gonzalez hopped out in a Team Mexico jersey and Team USA bottoms \u2014 representing both of her countries\u2019 colors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI just remember getting my name called to one of our fighting divisions, and I couldn’t make a decision. So I put on the USA pants and a Mexico top,\u201d Gonzalez said. \u201cAnd I remember this girl from Tennessee, she yelled at me and she was like, \u2018Sofi, that don’t match,\u2019 [and] I was like, \u2018I know,\u2019 But I felt comfortable doing it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIn a way, Gonzalez\u2019s uniform did match.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.5.1″][et_pb_audio audio=”https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2021\/09\/JACKIE-FINAL-MASTER.mp3″ title=”Split between two countries” artist_name=”Jackie Ibarra” album_name=”Next Generation Radio | Texas Newsroom |September 2021″ admin_label=”Story Audio” _builder_version=”4.9.10″ background_color=”#002868″][\/et_pb_audio][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”3px|||||”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text 2″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em”]<\/p>\n
As a citizen of both the United States and Mexico, Gonzalez belongs to both teams and both countries. That hasn\u2019t always been easy. Her life has been about blending — literally and figuratively — blending uniforms, cultures and identities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIn that blending, it can be hard to figure out what it means to be an American.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cSometimes people that have that dual citizenship that feel like they pretty much belong to both places, you might as well feel like you don’t belong anywhere,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\nGonzalez moved to California from Mexico City with her mom in 2012. At 17, she was about to start her senior year of high school in a foreign country with almost no family or friends.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember being in Mexico, I would be out with friends almost every day. It was friends, karate and homework. That was it. That was my life and it was great,\u201d Gonzalez said. \u201cAnd then I come here and I don’t know anyone.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nShe understood English, but because she wasn\u2019t fluent she didn\u2019t really want to talk to anybody.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nComing to California meant leaving everything behind \u2014 friends, family members and the karate school she\u2019d attended since she was 11.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cIt was really heartbreaking. A lot of times, you know, just comparing those two and seeing the difference, like \u2013 Oh, my life in Mexico City and now my life here. Even though I’ll have a lot of opportunities, at what cost, you know?\u201d she said. \u201cMost of my family is away, and it felt lonely.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nGonzalez became a dual citizen three months after moving to the U.S. Although she was officially an American on paper, she didn\u2019t feel like one. When holidays like Thanksgiving or the Fourth of July rolled around, she felt uneasy.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cIt\u2019s been very nice of [my friends here] to let me celebrate with them,\u201d she said, \u201cbut at the same time, I don’t have the same feeling as if I were celebrating Independence Day, quince de Septiembre<\/em>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nBut when she moved to Texas, everything changed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAt 18, Gonzalez came to train under Luis Jimenez. Her sensei taught her how to teach kids karate and how to run a dojo. He introduced her to the tournament circuit and encouraged her to compete with Team USA.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2021\/09\/210920-JACKIE-06.jpg” alt=”\u00d2The American dream is not my Indigenous dream. It’s so different than that,\u00d3 Jolie Varela said. \u00d2As an Indigenous woman, I would like to see our ceremonies restored, our traditions restored, our homelands restored, and our land back. When people come from other places and they come in the name of this American dream or in pursuit of this American dream, I don’t think they realize how that American dream erases Indigenous people, and further infringes upon our rights as Native people.\u00d3 (Photo by Jarrette Werk)” title_text=”210920-JACKIE-06″ align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”Image 1″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 1″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Sofi Gonzalez sits in her dojo, Martial Arts of Austin, where she trains in different styles of karate. Gonzalez says she considers herself a \u201csun up to sun down martial artist.\u201d<\/span> (Photo by Jackie Ibarra)<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2021\/09\/210920-JACKIE-03.jpg” alt=”\u00d2The American dream is not my Indigenous dream. It’s so different than that,\u00d3 Jolie Varela said. \u00d2As an Indigenous woman, I would like to see our ceremonies restored, our traditions restored, our homelands restored, and our land back. When people come from other places and they come in the name of this American dream or in pursuit of this American dream, I don’t think they realize how that American dream erases Indigenous people, and further infringes upon our rights as Native people.\u00d3 (Photo by Jarrette Werk)” title_text=”210920-JACKIE-03″ align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”Image 2″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 2″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″]<\/p>\n
Gonzalez wears her Team Mexico pants. She says she doesn\u2019t get to wear the uniform often but would love to compete in red, green and white colors more. <\/span>(Photo by Jackie Ibarra)<\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text 4a” _builder_version=”4.9.10″ text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em”]<\/p>\n
Gonzalez wasn\u2019t expecting to spar in a team fighting division, let alone with Team USA. But she did fight, and it was the first time she felt included in the U.S.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started feeling proud because when I came here, I didn’t even want to accept being an American. I was holding on to my Mexican customs and my culture,\u201d she said. \u201cAt that time, I was not accepting my new citizenship.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nIt was on the podium with her teammates, the American anthem blaring and an American flag wrapped around her, that she finally \u201cfelt part of something for the first time in a long time.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nSince winning a gold medal with the U.S. in 2016, Gonzalez has built a strong relationship with Team USA and has represented the country ever since.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBut every year when her sensei, who runs Team Mexico, asks her to compete with them she says no.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_5,3_5,1_5″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”1_5″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_testimonial author=” Sofi Gonzalez ” portrait_url=”https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2021\/09\/210920-JACKIE-06_square.jpg” portrait_width=”180px” portrait_height=”180px” _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” body_text_align=”center” body_text_color=”#002868″ body_font_size=”27px” background_color=”rgba(199,209,227,0.29)”]<\/p>\n
“Sometimes people that have that dual citizenship that feel like they pretty much belong to both places, you might as well feel like you don’t belong anywhere.”<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_testimonial][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_5″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text 4a” _builder_version=”4.9.10″ text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em”]<\/p>\n
\u201cI have friends on Team Mexico that have been wanting to come for competitions, and they are not granted the opportunity to even come visit the country,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd me having that opportunity \u2013 it does make me feel a little tiny bit guilty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her USA teammates joke that she can always join the other team.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cIt makes me think that \u2013 Oh, if I were to go to Team Mexico instead of Team USA this year, would they feel betrayed?\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nHer friends in Mexico give her a hard time, too.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cThey’ll try to play around with me … [like] \u2018Oh, look at this American girl,\u2019 and when I go over there, \u201cOh, do you know what tacos are or just Taco Bell?\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cAnd they just do it to play around with me. And I joke around with them, too. But at the same time, like, really, really deep inside, it does bother me a little bit.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nThroughout the years, Gonzalez has been pushed and pulled by both sides of the border to answer a loaded question: What are you?<\/p>\n
So in 2019, she took matters \u2013 and uniforms \u2013 into her own hands and decided to show she was both.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI felt a lot of satisfaction knowing that having both teams on my side, it meant that no matter where I go, I will have people in my corner,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2021\/09\/210920-JACKIE-04.jpg” title_text=”210920-JACKIE-04″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 5″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″]<\/p>\n
Gonzalez poses in front of punching bags in her mixed uniform, highlighting her blended identity as a Mexican-American martial artist. (Photo by Jackie Ibarra)<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.7.7″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text 4a” _builder_version=”4.9.10″ text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em”]<\/p>\n
Tournaments continue to be like family reunions for Gonzalez.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIn one place, she\u2019s able to see and cheer for both of her teams, both sides of her family. But when it comes time for Mexico and the U.S. to face off, she gets stuck.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI’ll just stand in the middle, like not in the ring, but outside of the ring, right in the middle and just cheer for both,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I’ll just watch and stay quiet because I don’t want to make it seem like I’m only on one side.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nGonzalez still isn\u2019t quite sure she knows what it means to be American yet. For now, she knows it involves a lot of blending.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nSometimes it\u2019s mixing colors on a world stage. Other times it\u2019s blending languages and cultures in the United States.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cMy accent is not something that I want to lose\u00a0 and I try to educate people as much as I can on \u2026 Mexican holidays or Mexican food,\u201d Gonzalez said. \u201cI try to share my culture as much as I can \u2026 so I don’t lose it. I feel like it’s just like an artist. If an artist doesn’t paint for a long time after 10 years, if they grab the brush again \u2026\u00a0 they won’t feel comfortable with it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/span>Other times she says it\u2019s blending what she\u2019s learned from her sensei to pay it forward to children. Gonzalez is a teacher with Kickstart Kids, a nonprofit program founded by Chuck Norris to bring martial arts into public schools around Texas.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAs a teacher, Gonzalez has been able to pass down her passion and knowledge to the newest generation of martial artists.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI think that’s the biggest thing that I can do for this country,\u201d she said. \u201cJust helping change kids’ lives and helping make them good citizens.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What does it mean to be an American? We are finding, coaching and training public media\u2019s next generation. This #nprnextgenradio project is created in Texas, where six talented reporters are participating in a week-long state-of-the-art training program. In this project we are speaking to people representing a diversity of experiences and backgrounds in gender identity, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":455,"featured_media":332,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"coauthors":[14],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/157"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/455"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=157"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/157\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}