Oct 23 2009
Latino In America - Recognize!!
I watched Latino In America, hosted by Soledad O’Brien, a level headed, mixed race, beautiful young lady, the other night on CNN and for some reason it saddened me. Latinos have been in this country for a while now and while I rooted for Sonya Sotomayor as she breezed through her confirmation hearings, as I watched this programming I realized the depth of my ambivalence about being born in America and my ambivalence comes from not truly having a “heritage” that all other races have. I also recognized that America is not conducive to “family” the way other nations are.
While some blacks may try to claim Africa as their heritage, I have never lived in Africa, I do not speak the language, cook the food or share their day to day struggles – my struggles are American struggles, soul food, which is the most detrimental to your health, was the leftovers from the tables of the “master” and the only culture that we, as a people have is that culture that we have made up or been passed on to us by those who hated us.
I watched as the discussion, on Latinos In America, took a turn towards assimilation and how as the children of these Latinos attempt to assimilate here in America, the family has a tendency to break-down with the parents pulling in the direction of their customs but the children wanting to become “true” Americans.
I also noted that, without calling any names, one Latino lead on CNN seems to get some perverse pleasure out of cleverly elevating Latinos at the expense of blacks, more often than I feel comfortable watching. Now I have sensed this aggression for some time but I was so glad Wednesday when a guest speaker pointed out to this Latino that there were black Latinos in America as well. People are so fickle sometimes as they cling to being accepted by people who may accept them anyway but may not accept them regardless.
Speaking from the experience of being black in America and the lack of respect for my forefathers and their families, I see the breakdown of immigrant families as a destructive nuance of American culture.
My Russian associate tells me how his, born in America six year old, makes comical comments about his accent. While we both laugh at the things she says, being in America is already straining the sense of “custom” within this family.
Even with this strain so obvious, there will be times that this child will grow up and possibly come back to her roots where I, being born in America over generations of mixing, have no true roots to return to, my features are not like those of Africans and on some levels as I watched Latinos in America, this thought broke my heart.
Not only did it break my heart but for the briefest of moments I felt resentment and the thought crossed my mind that America is in my debt. I quickly pulled that resentment back as well as the thought of the debt and grudgingly accepted that, it is what it is and the debt that is owed is too late for me to collect on but as for my children and my grandchildren, America needs to recognize just how ugly their actions were towards blacks and change their ways.
I guess my lack of heritage has always been a motivating factor that leads me to fantasize so much about living outside of the United States – at least then I could pretend easier of a connection with a heritage if I was away from the states. However, with the world as it is United States is probably the best place to be when you are as broke as me.
Latinos are the fastest growing nationality in the United States. I can not begrudge them for who they are and some of the food they have brought to my awareness I enjoy eating. The Latin beat in music is appealing to my ears and I understand that even though the “doors” are opened to many in America, American people are not as accepting on all levels as the diversity of people continues to branch out and so on some levels, the struggles of Latinos have been mines to bear as well.
My advice to Latinos is that you keep what is yours, your heritage, your culture and stay unified because as I have experienced being black in America over the years, with the games that were played on our forefathers and in our continued struggle for significance and to some degree acceptance, blacks are on no level unified and that is our biggest downfall. Hang in there Latinos and welcome aboard!!
And that’s the way I see it!!!!
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