LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. — South Florida is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs through Oct. 15.
"It is important because it gives us a sense of belonging and gives us celebrating our culture," said Guillermo Carrasco, the board chair of the Guatemalan Maya Center in Lake Worth Beach.
At first glance, people think Brenda Mosquera and her twin sister, Tatiana, are African American. Brenda said people react to finding out she is Afro-Latina.
"Their first reaction, they are like, 'But I thought you were American. Or you're from Jamaica or the Congo, Nigeria, India. But never from Colombia,'" Brenda said.
"We sometimes feel, like, weird about that. Like we are from Colombia, and they don't believe it. And I'm like, 'Yeah, I am from Colombia. Believe it please, I am from there.' So my dad he's from Choco, Colombia my mom is from Cali, Colombia."
Tatiana said it's frequent to receive questions about their ethnicity.
"At my school, on the street, every time that I go to a restaurant. They ask you where are you from. 'Oh, you speak Spanish. Oh, you're also Latina and you look like that,'" Tatiana said. "In my experience, I think that travel really makes you realize this is not the only thing that you are going to see. Travel gives you experience to know more people."
Sharing their story that Latinos come in all shapes and skin tones.
I asked the sisters if their parents want them to marry a man from Colombia.
"I'm curious who do your parents wish you should marry?" I asked Brenda.
"That 's a good question. That was the hardest question. My mom is like, 'Brenda, as long as you feel comfortable and love that guy respects you, it's OK,'" Brenda answered.
