SAN ANTONIO, Tx. – First Lady Jill Biden came under fire after making a speech Monday in San Antonio, Texas, in which she compared the Latino community to “breakfast tacos.”
Biden made the remarks during a speech at the annual conference of UnidosUS in which she was praising civil rights icon Raul Yzaguirre.
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“Raul helped build this organization with the understanding that the diversity of this community -- as distinct as the bodegas of the Bronx, as beautiful as the blossoms of Miami, and as unique as the breakfast tacos here in San Antonio -- is your strength,” Biden said.
Biden also raised eyebrows when she mispronounced the word “bodegas.”
According to the New York Post, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists slammed the first lady’s remarks after the speech, saying in a statement, “We are not tacos.”
“Using breakfast tacos to try to demonstrate the uniqueness of Latinos in San Antonio demonstrates a lack of cultural knowledge and sensitivity to the diversity of Latinos in the region,” the association wrote. “NAHJ encourages Dr. Biden and her speech writing team to take the time in the future to better understand the complexities of our people and communities. We are not tacos.
“Our heritage as Latinos is shaped by a variety of diasporas, cultures and food traditions, and should not be reduced to a stereotype.”
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, had a more subtle response, simply changing his profile photo on Twitter to that of a taco.
“#NewProfilePic,” he wrote alongside the image.
#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/QsYqCaNOoP
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) July 12, 2022
According to US Census data, about 65% of the population in San Antonio identifies as Hispanic or Latino.