Whites, Latinos and Racism.

Introduction: The Identity, Power and Difference class was one of the most wonderful experiences in Iliff because we had the opportunity to talk about many topics that deeply relate to me. My teachers, classmates, the content of the class, my own experience worked together to make this class a valuable experience and helped me to clarify my thinking and future perspective. I say this because one of my goals is to write a book discussing racism, diversity and inclusiveness in the context of the United Methodist Church.

I am Latino and as a Latino I would like to analyze all the themes we had in class from a Latino perspective. I believe that the United States is in a transition time. According to the census, and the demographics of the United States, the Latinos are the biggest minority in the United States, with a population close to 53 million, without the Latinos that didn’t want to be counted. I think for 2020, the Latino population could reach 65 millions. I remember the movie “A day without a Mexican” and all the struggles and problems created because all Mexicans disappeared in the same time. It is a movie, just a movie, but what would happen if it became true?   

This class’ experience talking about identity, racism, power, oppression, marginalization, whiteness, dominant group, differences, and discuss what we can do, was a wonderful experience because we saw the different perspectives of people different that me, different in language, skin color and background.  

1. Latinos looking for a community at the United States. If I begin this essay talking about my identity I would say: “I am a Latino man and Methodist”. Yeah I know I could say more describing myself, as Mexican, Christian, middle class, heterosexual, etc. I define myself according my beliefs, social location, cultural background and my own perspectives. But I know that others have their own concept about my identity because they see our differences, language, skin color, etc. Instead of all these things, I am happy identifying myself in that way and I am proud to be a Latino.

Since long time ago (centuries!), the Latinos have been here in this land, before it was the United States. We have been creating our own communities and bringing our culture to the place where we are living. Culture is part of the Latino community. I know, we have Latinos that only speak English, but in their blood there are our roots, culture and identity. The new generations of Latinos speak Spanish, and many are bilingual or trilingual because they speak English, Spanish and Spanglish or Chicano (a mix between Spanish and English).

Since the Latinos arrived to this country we found that this land was in the hands of few people, as teachers mentioned in class: “in 1970, the 10% of population of this country had the 40% of properties, and in 2004, the 10% of population had the 70% of properties.” Today, for the economy we could say that the poor are poorer and the rich richer. Latinos for decades have been considered poor in this country and we have not had access to education, training, due to a lack in language skills, education and legal status. Despite all these things, Latinos have been here in this country and we will continue look for better opportunities and open doors, or at least an open window to show who we are.

2. United States, a story filled with racism. One point that attracted my attention during the class, inclusive before the class days, were the videos called "The House We Live In" because those videos opened my eyes to one point I have known but for my own peace, forgot the racism problems lived in this country since a long time ago.

Since the east coast was colonized, this land has been stained with blood; much blood spilled for racial prejudices. We have had other types of conflicts involving the slaves (the civil war), religion, social status, or ideologies. But the worse has been all the racial problems we have encountered with the discrimination of people for their skin color or language or manners.

These last years our United Methodist Church have tried to pay or compensate all the damage done to the native American tribes by the early colonizers and settlers. Our church made this act of justice, in name of our country; but it only showed the damage done few centuries ago that still hurt the lives of our Native American brothers and sisters.

We can talk deeply the content of the videos "The House We Live In" and highlight all the damage done to our Asian Americans and African Americans. Also, we can talk about Martin Luther King and the struggle for the rights of black people. In this topic I recognize that I myself have problems describing the struggles of the African American people, I am not sure how things can better for them, but they suffered for their skin color, they were discriminated and marginalized in the last century. I remember many videos and books talking about Martin Luther King and the riots and demonstrations in relation to the “black power”. And today, I believe that Latinos will have the same claim because one day will have the keys in our own hands.

3. Whites in the first class. Talking again about the videos of "The House We Live In", I had any questions that weren’t answered: Why the White people were emphasizing their whiteness and using it to support racism against the African American people, if they have been in this country since it was settled? Why African Americans were included in the US Army but weren’t accepted as part of the White society? Why society gave a big value to the White people properties and least value to the African American properties? The Latinos have been treated in the same way!

We have growth in a whiteness society where White people have been superior people only for their skin color. They have received privileges in many ways. They have received unearned benefits that raise from the effect those social structures and systems are defined in such a way that defines the norm. They are the best! Whites have been the dominant culture and have dominated everyone around them, inside the country and outside.

White people have built this country and have been in charge of the most important places and position of this country. In fact Barack Obama is the first US President that was not white, but it has been the exception to the rule. The main roles and important position are in hands of White people. These White people have created the laws and built the society. The social structures and justice system, everything was created for the White people; that is the reason because they are the privileged class of this society.

4. Latinos, the lower class. We are living in a country with large diversity, we have many different people around us, people from different countries, people with different skin colors, different languages, different genders, and different ages, etc. and all these difference enrich our community; despite this diversity, we have one thing in common: the whiteness dominance. African Americans, Asians, Latinos, etc., all we see how the Whites are in the main positions and roles of our society. Only they have the power to decide because they are the dominant group, and are superior to other racial groups. They have created the Capitalism and the others suffer consequences of it: greed, consumerism, advertising plus media, ignorance, denial, racism, abuses in many areas, inequality, exploitation of workers, anxiety, dehumanization, bad habits, genocides, slavery, destruction and other types of oppressions. 

The sadness of this situation is that in all the differences established by the Whites, the Latinos are in the lowest position of this social status. Latinos are in the worse situation for many reasons: Many of Latinos doesn’t have papers, legal papers as Social Security numbers or legal residence, many of them don’t know the language and speak only Spanish, or don’t have the opportunities of the Whites, and consequently live in this country with many disadvantages because they just arrived from their countries. The truth is, Latinos represent the lowest position in the American society.

Other disadvantage against Latinos is their background. The countries in Latin America, Mexico included, are living in the poverty, so many people from these countries comes to the United States looking for a better life. The fact to be here in this country is a better life! Many of the Latinos are happy if they send money to their families that are living in their home country, while they are living here at this country, don’t matter the conditions how they are living here. They don’t have more dreams, or would like something different, just that!  They don’t have more dreams or covet something else. Inclusive, any of them have a low self-esteem and live avoiding people, hidden, in private places with bad conditions, in secure places where the “migra” could not catch them! And, I forgot to say they have the lowest salaries and the worse jobs, those jobs that no one wants!

5. Whiteness oppression. White people have showed their dominance in different ways and forms. As the dominant group they are defining the differences, the laws, the culture where the other people have to live, they have the control of everything. They establish the rules of the game and only they are in charge of everything. When some one else, different than them or that don’t belong to their social status wants to go in the power or to their places, they find the door closed or find a large list of requirements or complicated processes and many of them give up their attempt.

The whiteness prototype is a white Christian male and heterosexual. This man is considered the ideal figure for our society, a Christian society! If there are people outside of all these characteristics, they are not viewed in a positive way, don’t matter if they are men, or Christians, or heterosexual, or White. Also, the economy and the political situations have been established according the benefits of Whites. Also, I mentioned Christians, because this country was founded for Christians and the first president was Christian. This is the culture established by whiteness. Obviously, Today Barack Obama is the exception!

Women, homosexuals, non-Christians, and people from other races are considered less fortunate people. I want to include something else here, people that don’t speak English. Yes, language is part of the whiteness oppression! So, if we take all these negative characteristics and find the worst in the whiteness system, this person would be: a woman, non-white, lesbian, non-Christian, and speaking a different language! This woman could be a Latina, or an African American woman. White women have to fight against the machismo of the White men when they are looking for a better job. In all these situations, the Latinos are considered the worst minority here in the United States.

6. Recognizing and naming oppression. Latinos and other ethnic minorities have suffered the abuses and consequences of the white’s mistakes. Mainly as Latinos, we have suffered violence, exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, and cultural imperialism.

Whites have violated our lives in a systematic way. Latinos and Latinas, our language, our manners and culture have been violated many times for the whiteness. We have had to move all our traditions and give the first place to the system established by the Whites, and obviously, this system enables, tolerates and perpetuates the violence that Latinos are suffering under that system.

  Many Latinos suffer exploitation in their jobs because their employers pay them less than the minimum salary. The Latino employees because they don’t know the language and their rights, they accept the payment. The worst of this situation is that Latinos continue working in that condition because many of them are threatened that they will be deported for immigration if they say anything about it to someone else.

As we see in class, marginalization is not to be hated it just excludes a person or a group that we don’t want in our own level or status. According to this meaning, Latinos have been marginalized in the system created for the White people. Latinos have been avoided, and now we are outside of the system, out of sight and out of mind. The best roles and position are for the Whites and the Latinos are working as housekeepers, plumbers, bricklayers, washing dishes and other jobs that Whites avoid.

As I mentioned before, Latinos are the biggest minority of this country, so, we are a minority! This system or democracy created by the whiteness, in words give us a place but in fact, pushes us to the last place. As Latinos we don’t have power, the system has stolen our identity and have taken away our liberty of talking. We don’t have political power. As Latinos we have been powerlessness and working in silence.

Withouts doubt, Latinos have been living in a cultural imperialism under the dictatorship of the whites. In other words, we have been slaves to the system. We don’t have chains as our African American brothers had centuries ago, our situaion is worse because the chains are in our minds. Many Latinos lives out the statement: “ I cannot do it”, or lives in the misery of their convenience, or numb to the pain with which we live. It is time for Latino people wake up and open our mouths!

7. What can we do? For the Latino people, It is time to recognize our oppression and give it a name. We have been very polite in the system where we are living. I think today is the time to awaken from our lethargy and passivity. The first thing we need to do is recognize our situation, recognize our conditions, and see our poverty; because is a literal poverty, a real poverty that reflect our thoughts and minds, the poverty we have inner of us. In my country we have a very popular saying: “The worst blind is the one who does not want to see!” And that is the condition of my people, the Latinos.

I remember a practice we had in class where everyone shared experiences, problems or past situations that have hindered our abilities to be happy or to be free. At least we spoke our problems or situation that stopped us walking in the past. This act brought a healing to our lives. For any of us, we talked about things that no one knew about our lives, but those things were still inside of us hurting our lives. In my personal situation, that helped me to start a better relationship with all of my classmates. Personally believe the Latinos need to start to talking, just stell about the situations we are living in our jobs, or with our employers, or with our landlords; but this beginning in itself will bring a healing that we need as a Latino community.

As Latinos we need to join together and fight for a common cause, and we need to be together as one. We have to do something and listening the stories of others, it is the beginning. We need to break the paradigms against Latinos. We need to take risk and show up, breaking the silence. We need to be constructive and show that we can do it!

Alan Johnson says in his book Privilege, Power and Difference “The more you pay attention to privilege and oppression, the most you’ll see opportunities to do something about them. You don’t have to mount an expedition to find those opportunities; they’re all over the place, beginning in your self” (p. 157). Personally I felt very impacted for these words because when we see this racism we are receiving the responsibility to do something. Many people see the problems but don’t want to be part of the solution, or don’t want more problems or are living in other dimension farther than our reality as Latino people. We need to do something as Latinos and each of us we need to start in the place where we are living.

Conclusion: I don’t know what will be my grade fro this class, either I don’t know if I was just dreaming. Maybe, for you or for many people, I am asking too much! But I have a dream, as Martin Luther King Jr. said it many times: “I have a dream, that one day my children will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by their character” (I think is not a literal quotation). So, in the same way, I have the same dream, but applied this time to my Latino people. God has blessed me and I have a position in my Annual Conference. I am one of the two Ordained ministers of the new Great Plains Annual Conference and my desire is to fight in favor of the Latino community. As Mary Daly mentioned in her books “I don’t want to be quiet anymore!”. I recognize my place and accountability and I belief it’s the time to open our mouths!