Latino-American Enough?

Last night Jose and I attended the pre-screening for CNN's Soledad O'Brien's "Latinos in America" here in New York City. Jose was invited by the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (ALPFA). The group hosted the event in one of the World Financial Buildings and Merrill Lynch offices. I was really excited to attend and noticed the screening room full of black, brown, and white Latinos. A rainbow of Latino people and I thought to myself, "this is what New York is all about". An array of different people, every single day in the streets of New York. It was also good to see how many professional Latinos are in the business of Finance.
The screening showed little tidbits of the documentary that will be aired this Wednesday and Thursday at 9pm (Eastern time) on CNN. We saw enough to ponder over, had our hearts tugged and even shed a few tears about the many stories and many experiences Latinos have endured in America. But not all stories are sad. There are stories of Latinos who have assimilated, Latinos who are 3 or 4 generation American and their views on Latino issues and even a story about a community that is 92% Mexican-American. Watching this group was like watching a community in the most suburban of all suburbs-All American.
At the end of the screening, we had an open discussion on a broad topic, "Did the documentary resonate with us sitting in the audience? What are the obstacles that have stood in our way as ________-American or immigrants? How do we assimilate? Should we have to? And so on.
People's answers varied from a Cuban-American who works for Mayor Bloomberg that discussed education being a priority for his "strong" family to a South American girl who arrived 8 years ago, now works for a reputable Wall Street firm but was told by her boss to keep her mouth shut during a meeting because of her accent. Have we come a long way? Whose job is it to point out to ignorant people like the boss that an accent is just an accent?
I could feel that Jose was feeling a bit frustrated. I was too! Frustrated because we were not all going to be able to speak about our personal experiences and if heard, what now? Frustrated because we couldn't solve all the problems being discussed. Frustrated because there still seems to be a divide even within the Latino community on what should be done. There was a point brought up by another South American stating that we are not united as Latinos. We don't have a community. We segregate ourselves into Mexican, Puerto Rican, Dominican communities and if we didn't see ourselves as one, no one else will. But others questioned if there was a need for us to be a community of Latinos? Couldn't we just be American?
Ah, my favorite question. To this day, 3 of my best friends and I remember a huge, passionate discussion we had in Las Vegas over dinner right before going out for my bachlorette party. We were sitting in a gorgeous restaurant, I was wearing a sparkling tiara and my friends were wearing pink boas, we were the center of attention at the restaurant but not because of the sash across my chest that screamed "PARTY!" but because we were having this debate over what it meant to be an American. Four best friends, 3 born and raised in Chicago, 1 born in Mexico but immigrated at the age of 8, butting heads because not all considered themselves American. Screaming, crying and full on outrage transcending from a stunning group of girls that should have been throwing back tequila shots and dancing on table tops. The topic is delicate. But should be discussed.
Jose and I didn't share with the group but discussed on the way home what we would have said. We are in agreement that education is the number one factor in helping Latino students, all students, succeed. A strong, supportive family that doesn't think teachers are idiots or complain that Juanito has 3 hours of homework tonight, is a close second, if not a tie with factor number one to allow a student to succeed. Exposure, not being afraid to leave your community and learn about the ways of others, be it White-Americans, Black culture, Asian, you name it, is also important. Allowing our kids to taste, feel, see and experience all cultures in America, a country found by immigrants. We have to pump out our children to the rest of the world. To show what it is to be a Mexican-American, it's not much different than being plainly American. These bridges are fundamentals that all children should have and adults support. Nothing is lost by allowing yourself to experience the unknown-that algebra problem your eighth-grader brings home, reading the novel your Freshman is reading in English class, or visiting your child in Spain while abroad during college. It starts small and then you don't even think about it, living in many worlds and keeping your feet planted firmly on your own Latino roots.
xoxo,
Betty
P.s. Set your DVR's and watch CNN Wednesday and Thursday!!!