“i think it’s good to claim your ethnic identity and your racial identity. but it’s also the source of all the wars and all the violence, all these borders and walls people erect. i’m tired of borders and i’m tired of walls … I don’t believe that we’re better than people in india or we’re different from people in ethiopia. one billion people go to bed hungry every night … there are droughts in ethiopia, kenya, and eastern africa .. people are dying every day. and then people talk about being proud to be american, mexican, or indian. we have grown beyond that. we are specks from this cosmic ocean, the soul, or whatever. we’re not better than people from africa or people from russia. if something happens to the people in india or africa - and they’re starving to death and dying - then that’s happening to us, too.”
- gloria e. andzaldua.
i’ve never taken a chicano studies class at ucla … which is surprising because i’ve taken a number of asian american classes. and if you think about it, i SHOULD be taking chicano studies - not because i’m mexican american, but because a lot of these classes touch upon the history and importance of all latinos in the US.
i’m a sociology major and as such i’ve seen my share of inspiring classes and professors, but this class - latinos in contemporary us - is, BY FAR, the most eye opening class i’ve had.
my assignment (which is due in about 4 hours) is to analyze my social location - my race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or whatever makes me, me. to be honest, i had thought that it wouldn’t be hard, but after reading article after article about the debate of mexican american whiteness, i’ve realized that there’s a lot more to a social location than what it seems.
the discrimination against hispanics is insane - are we white or not? most people would say no, but there are hot debates about whether or not hispanics, or more specifically mexican americans, can be considered white. why? because on the census bureau, hispanics/latinos/spanish are all clumped together. funny, huh? next time, look and see if there are distinct bubbles for hispanic countries. there aren’t. why? because they are considered an ethnic group, nOT a different racial category.
history says that at one point, mexican americans were forced to choose between white or black, and as such, many said white. court rulings even stated that yes, they are white. but are they really? no. they’re off-white - forever stained with the fact that they are NOT truly “white” - they are mexican american.
i’m at a loss for words over the confusion in this country. even as the most diverse country in the world, we still have racial ethnic groups fighting for justice. the fruit of our labor comes from hispanics, more importantly, from central americans. i bet you didn’t know that, did you?
take time to research the hispanics in our country. mexican americans are mexican americans. mexicans are mexicans. central americans are central american - with each to his or her own country.
stop all this discrimination. it’s ridiculous.
i always wonder at why things are they way they are or why certain people turn from friend to foe. but that’s a waste of time really … since the main reason why things are they way they are? is just purely because that’s how it should be.
i’ve always been a believer in everything happens for a reason and this time, it’s no different. i believe that everyone has their time and place in this world - that people are meant to do certain things or meet certain people. the argument may be that bad timing prevents us from doing what we want most or being with the people we like or love. but if i’ve learned anything from my life it’s that everything happens for a reason.
there’s a reason we meet people when we do and there’s a reason we fail at certain things. if everything were easy and given to us on a plate, what’s the point? how would we define happiness or true love? how would we explain what it feels like to be accomplished? how would we determine if someone’s motivated or even if we can achieve determination?
our world is one of hurt, pain, and loss yet what most of us fail to realize is that in that same world lie love and happiness. is that the beginning of faith? am i turning into someone that believes in something intangible … something that powers us that no one can truly prove? perhaps. i’m not saying i am religious nor am i saying that i’m an atheist - i’m saying that i’m beginning to find my own type of faith - something to help me understand my own life.
