“They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.” “We’re building a wall. He’s Mexican!”. Donald Trump.
1965. Born in Michoacán, Mexico. 1969. Born in East Los Angeles. Both grew in different circumstances, immersing themselves in the Mexican and American culture. The beauty of combining two diverse cultures into one. Something that anyone would be fortunate to have. Mexico in itself, a mini world. The complex states have cultures incomparable to the rest. Jalisco is known for the classical Mariachi genre and Pozole. Michoacán, known for their plato de carnitas plate of cut up pork meat. A group of humans who work hard to ensure a better life for the future generations.
18 years old. “We walked in the desert for a couple of days until we reached a van. Us and 25 others together. I remember a lady with high heels running in the desert. I gave her my extra pair of shoes that were hanging from my shoulders.”A new generation of Mexicans migrating to America. It was an arduous and treacherous journey very few had the luxury of missing out on. For many seeking a better life, this journey for the American Dream was a must.
The United States, known for its growing diversity and the infamous American Dream. The cities, the opportunities, the chance of a better life. Would these statements hold any truth? “The streets were tiny. Towns small. Not that many people in the pueblos. Not like here. Totally different. Cities are enormous.” The culture shock of entering a new country, not knowing anything of its sorts. Different laws, languages, customs, people. Imagine walking into a whole different universe, so different then you are used to. The hope in you, ready to change your life for the better. Smack! Reality
Born in the United States. Also immersed in the Mexican and American culture. A Chicana. First college graduate in her family. The beauty of cultures is that they are so diverse, filled with a variety of customs, foods, music, clothes, slang, etc. Los Chicanos, a whole new generation of Mexicans in America. “I traveled on the bus to go to school my entire life.” University California State University, Los Angeles. Graduated with a bachelors and masters degree. A new era of Mexicans. The hard work of her parents and generations before her to reach this tremendous milestone. The privilege to be able to go to school and learn. The hard work that it took to break stereotypes and boundaries. A new legacy was created for this family. A new standard for the future generations to come.
“Go back to your country.” How original. Who owns this country? The supposed Founding Fathers. People who believed that only white males that own properties could vote. “Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature.” Benjamin Franklin. Freedom. A man who also owned slaves. A man who advocated for the enslaving of a human being. Freedom.
Who owns this country? Christopher Columbus? Took advantage of a whole group of people. Raped and killed. Brought diseases. Who owns this country?
The union of these two cultures emerged a new generation of Mexican Americans. The second college graduate in the family. A very important moment in STEM. A Chicano joining the mix of intelligent, bright scientists ready to make a change. A new generation of scholars. A person with hardworking traits stemming from generations and generations of Mexicans. Acquired many internships and published articles. Ready to change the status quo.
Mexicans can be drugs dealers and commit crimes, but not all fall under these circumstances. Mexicans can be a lot of negative things. But the majority of them are not. The majority of them are the hardest working individuals you will ever meet. Incredibly proud of their culture no matter what this country has in store. Immigrants. The social changers of this country. Minorities. Those who dare to change the status quo of this country. The diversity of ethinic groups. What makes America so beautiful. The youth. The ones that hold the power to change the world.
The Gen Z comes along. A new culture of Mexicans. Keeping the Chicano heritage alive. Has the privilege to be engulfed in the beauty that is the American Dream. Due to generations of hardworking groups of people, this individual has the opportunity to make the world theirs.
As you can clearly see Mexicans are not like what they are perceived on the news. The news doesn’t show the hard working individuals who stand in the heat for hours selling flowers. They do not show the hard working Mexicans breaking stereotypes in STEM. They don’t capture the beautiful culture of folklorico and Dia de
Los Muertos. Day of the Dead. The diversity of their music and food. To them they see drug dealers. We are anything but. An ethnicity united with the common trait of being hardworking. I am proud to be a Chicana.
17 comments:
Hi Amorette,
Thank you for this passionate and powerful piece! The negative perception that all must stray from is that "all grapes are bad," and generalization of people based on their ethnicity or race can be humorous to some but ultimately harmful and painful to those who are immersed within these ethnicity or race, particularly for People of Color, even extending to the LGBTQ+ Community. I don't know if you remember that video of a Caucasian toddler and African American toddler rushing towards each other for a heartfelt hug, from instagram, "No one is born to hate" the caption says. My question to you is, how can we reduce the hate?
Best,
Zhenwei
Your writing is so powerful! The world, and this country especially, has never been kind to its minorities and the immigrants who've made this nation so successful. America was built on the shoulders of hard working immigrants fighting for their family and fighting for the American dream. As the granddaughter of immigrants I really appreciated your perspective on the journey immigrants take, and the preservation of our families culture. No group is one thing. No group fits into the ignorantly created boxes society tries to put them in. I really enjoyed your personal reflection, it was beautiful. Thank you for sharing your story. - Nicole Lillie
Words cannot even begin to describe how much I love this. As a first generation student with parents born in Mexico, the circumstances that we often face are difficult. Many people see us in a very different lens, and the way you captured the exact type of issues we often endure was spot on. I love the way you used rhetorical questions to demonstrate the cruelty we often have to face as minorities. Overall great job!
I really loved this writing and how meaningful it is. The use of personal experiences from others made it so powerful. This piece really showed the realities of how minorities tend to be unappreciated and treated horribly by those who hate to accept us. I loved how you put multiple perspectives which really emphasizes how immigrants work incredibly hard for a better future for themselves and their families.
William Smith III:
Excellent Job Amorette! I enjoyed reading this and I liked your viewpoints. You kept it emotionally charged, but did not let that take away the positivity expressed in this letter, a push for a positive outlook on those who are suffering, rather than just a hate letter for something unfair! You didn't just feel bad for someone, but you looked at an example of overcoming overwhelming odds!
Just to be helpful, the ideas presented about not thinking about groups of people in terms of absolutes must be applied to the founders of America who also faced great odds, like not having nearly the military resources in the Revolutionary War, or having to cross an uncharted ocean where death could be lurking at every corner. This shows that not only the immigrants had to face daunting challenges, but so did these leaders you are discussing, as they most certainly did not have it easy either. This would even further your point as you push people not to simply just cut latin americans a break, but to attack the fundamental idea of stereotypes. The mentality of stereotypes is truly a survival tactic to quickly identify threats before it is too late. However, we become even stronger when we think of things as intervals, and not as absolutes! Including this as well.
There are times where only far spaced intervals in absolutes are present. For example, there is a school shooter, you run, hide, or fight. However, there are more graduate intervals, like what is the best way to check immigrants for speed and security, or how bad really are the founding fathers.
Bottom line is that we need to look at all folks as individuals, and also look at their thought patterns respectfully as individuals as well. Just as Mexicans aren't ALL GOOD, they are not ALL BAD, and just as the founding fathers of America weren't ALL GOOD, they weren't ALL BAD. This is not a movie, but is is real life, where complexity and shades of grey exist, this is why we need more than just 2 parties.
I feel that this will change with the change in our presidency. As Biden said, "we may be opponents, but we are not enemies" we must agree that one thing is absolute, Natural Rights, like life. liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. The intervals come in when it comes to how we execute this.
We must consider all our aspects, as Biden said "don't compare me to the almighty, but to the opposition" America is a great country overall, regardless of our mistakes. This is why people come here, because usually, it is better than what they had, otherwise, they wouldn't have came here, for example, in Haiti, people were being set on fire in car tires, or in North Korea, elementary school children are forced to watch executions multiple times a year to keep them in check. We must stay patriotic, and build on the system, to improve it, not undercut it at its base.
I am not sure how good of a job I did there, but I just wish to say that you did an excellent job with your writing, and it was another eye opener for me. We need to express our opinions for the greater good! Congrats on your hard work! Keep pushing for positive change!
FINALLY!! I never really see people express their roots the way you just did. ALL of my family were immigrants from mexico and I love that you make sure everyone reading this knows we're different and we're proud! The way you hit every single point here amazes me. I would get this tattooed on my forehead if I could!!!
Wow, your writing is so powerful. I appreciate you so much for writing this. My entire family immigrated from Mexico and as a first generation child, it's so gut wrenching to hear such words come from the supposed "leader" of this country. The rhetorical question, "Who owns this country?" is so powerful because no one really own this country. Immigrants built this country. It's so amazing to see our generation fight for our people and culture. Thank you so much again for writing this, everything you said embodies exactly how many of us feel. Que viva Mexico!!!
Hi Amorette! This piece was so incredibly powerful and really underscored the struggles of Mexican immigrants in both the past and present. I think beginning with a quote from the current administration was very effective in setting the tone for your essay, it adds a level of intensity that only helps to support your arguments and emphasizes the present-day reality of this piece. Also, I really liked how you continued the development from one generation to Gen Z. I think your ending added an element of hope that contrasts with the severity of the rest of your essay. Overall, this was incredibly beautiful and intensely emotional. Absolutely amazing in all aspects.
-Arabella
As a mexican immigrant, I really enjoyed the way you captured our heritage so beautifully. I have known you for the longest time, so I am well aware of the way you can express your thoughts in a way that is so moving and impactful. This was so nice to read, especially as a past folklorico dancer and a previous resident of Jalisco:). Bringing up the stereotype of dangerous mexicans who "rape" and "deal drugs" was a strong point. More importantly, bringing up the fact that not all of us are like this is crucial. You delivered this excellently, and writing like this allows our voices and stories to be heard. Stereotyping certain ethnicities and races only brings harm to our communities, as it further segregates us and places a dangerous title to the hardworking and intelligent people we have in our bloodline. You did amazing:)))<333
Now this, this is amazing. As a proud son of an immigrant from Michoacán as well, and the other family bloodline from Nayarit, this is just what the entire world needs to hear. Everything from talking about the people who are out there hustling to make ends meet, our street vendors, and all of our food and culture is more than what these people think we are as simply "drug dealers and rapists." This was one of the few pieces of literature I've read that really resonated with me a lot. I'm so proud to be a part of this amazing culture and community. Excellent job!
Jesse Ortiz
This was very well written! I loved it and personally connected to it! You did a wonderful job showing the beauty in our culture! -Angela Carnalla
Amorette (aka PACCA)
Reading this a second time was just as interesting as reading the first. I enjoyed everything about this piece, from the different quotes and accounts you used, to the way you structured it with your mom, dad, brother, and finally you. As someone that initially grew up in a VERY white community with rare occurrences of those with other cultures, I often times was ashamed of my Japanese heritage and remember refusing to eat the lunch my mother made for me in front of everyone who had their corn dogs or pb and j's solely because it was different. I think it's a really important moment in your life when you realize just how important your roots and culture are, especially when majority groups will label your culture with all sorts of negative designations and then just run with it. Our cultures are what make us unique, and honestly, they're kind of a flex. We got flavor. Nice writing. I expect nothing short of excellence from you.
Amorette!
Right away, I new I was going to read your piece. The title drew me in, and I stayed within your first few words. This piece resonates so deeply with my family and myself, and I could not have made better claims. Everything you wrote down was what I imaging when I read your title. Thank you for empowering me and allowing me to realize how proud I should be of my culture.
This essay was truly beautiful! I loved your representation of the diversifying characteristics of what it means to be Latinx in America. Especially now, as you said, the youngest and newest generation of the Latinx communities are not the stereotyped street vendors and agricultural laborers. Latinx persons have spread out among the most intellectual fields of work and study, yet you still recognize how these roots of traditional Hispanic culture are still integral to Latinx identity. I appreciate that you allowed me to reflect on the immigrant struggles of my parents, my mother from Guadalajara and my father from Manila, which above all are indicative of what it means to be an American. It is to fight for something better, for something that we deserve, perhaps not for us, but for those ahead of us. My parents endlessly toiled so that I could have the privilege of even believing that I could go to a university, and those ideals are something that as a Latinx person and first generation immigrant, I am unbelievably proud of. Thank you.
Hi Amorette! Your piece was extremely beautiful and captivating as a fellow Mexican. I enjoyed the descriptions of the different cultures in Mexico, and the diversity of it as well. I also appreciated the clearing of misunderstanding for the labeling of Mexicans/Hispanics as horrible references. You were able to captivate what many of us feel, as it was powerful. Amazing piece.
- Dianna Villasenor
Hi Amorrette!
This was really enjoyable to read as my parents are Mexican immigrants. Living in America as a first generation American has often made me feel divided between the two cultures. "In America" comes with a new way of living, of thinking, and more times than not I find myself struggling to connect to my roots due to the vast differences America and Mexico have. Yet, the way you captured the music, food, dance, the struggle that is migrating to a whole different country has made me all the more proud to be apart of such beautiful culture.
Your writing is so powerful that even I, a white American-born girl without living immigrant family members, can feel the power and passion flowing through every word. I love how you ended the piece by expressing your pride. I also love how you debunked numerous flawed and outdated phrases/excuses in the third paragraph. This piece of writing was refreshing and should be read by Americans everywhere.
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