from calloused hands, the pain felt from swollen legs and feet after a long hard day of work... and the happy hearts of grandparents and parents who never considered themselves a "minority." A school counselor once asked me why I was opposed to seeking college scholarships earmarked for minorities. My answer: "There's nothing minor about me."

Maybe the majority of current "Hispanic" residents descended from those who entered the United States in the late 20th and early 21st centuries need or want such tags of selfhood. In which case, Toyota will probably run out of stickers.

Madrids have been part of the American melting pot for a long time. I know who I am, where I've gone wrong, what I've done right. I also know how to keep moving forward without the need to be pigeonholed by labels, or someone else's idea of what I should be proud of. I don't require a free window sticker from a car manufacturer to validate my self-worth. My pride comes from within. No label, of any kind, will ever change that.

Be proud of your ethnicity. It is, after all, from whence you came. But don't get sucked into believing it's all you can ever be. Genuine pride in one's ancestry requires both acknowledging and understanding its legacy--and then creating your own.

Many years ago, Dad was working in the meat department at a market in San Marino, an old-money suburb of Los Angeles. One of his regular customers came in to complain about a cut of meat. Attempting to insult my father, she told him he should "go back to Mexico." He laughed, then told her he wasn't from Mexico, he was an American.

She continued to harangue my father, until he finally said with quiet dignity, "I can take you to my great-great-grandfather's grave. Can you take me to yours?" Of course, she replied with annoyance.

"Without leaving the United States of America?" he added. Embarrassed, she smiled and left. Yet she continued to shop there, and treated Dad with a newfound respect that he not only earned, but deserved. Dad pride--now, that's something to be proud of. And I don't think Toyota has a bumper sticker for that.