Time to Realize Latino Stories Are American Stories
If you want to write something, film something, sing something, produce whatever content possible for an American audience, then you must also produce content for and about Latinos.
Not to be wise-ass Latinas, with all due respect to Justice Sonia Sotomayor, but our nation has 51 million Latinos, from Pico Rivera to Puerto Rico. Half the country's new residents are Latinos, one of four children under 5, the largest minority in 20 states.
If you're not telling their story, you're not telling the American story.
That was what we wanted to accomplish with our book “Latino in America,” published by Penguin to complement our documentary of the same name, airing on CNN Oct. 21 at 9 p.m. EDT. The book builds on the documentary's reporting to give a personal perspective to write Latinos into the American story where they are often missing.
Just 6 percent of people working in TV news and 4 percent of the newspaper reporters in this country are Latinos. So it's not surprising that there is a lot of segregated news content out there, things that run only in Spanish or only target Latinos, and there is an emphasis on Latinos mired in conflict, even though that is not the way many of us live our lives.
There are some stereotypical expectations of someone with a name like Maria de la Soledad and her team (Rose Arce is co-author of the book “Latino in America” and one of several producers on the documentary).
Some folks expect us to tell the same Latino stories flavored with some authenticity. Instead we've told the stories of people with roots in 21 different countries whose Latino experience is about what happens once they've arrived.
We look at them as the Americans they are; 71% of them are U.S.-born. Our Latinos are more like America Ferrera in “Ugly Betty” rather than being cast as sidekicks like Lupe Ontiveros, who has played a maid in hundreds of movies including “As Good as It Gets.” Lupe, ironically, is one of the loudest voices on why we need to give voice to the Latino mainstream and dispense with the stereotypes and immigration conflict storylines.
You can do this, too. Shed this idea that someone is a minority in America just because they are of Hispanic descent.
We asked Eva Longoria what being Latino in America meant to her and she said: "We're ninth-generation Americans. We didn't just cross over. We're on the same land that we got in our Spanish land grant from our ancestors. We were Mexico and then the border moved and we were Texas, and then the border moved again, and we were America without ever moving."
Once you do that, Latino stories have universal impact. It's not just a Latino story that Latino teens are among those facing substandard, overcrowded schools in Los Angeles, or experiencing frightening rates of suicide attempts or pregnancies or bigotry. Nor is it only interesting to Latinos to see how Latino sport, food, music and work and family ethics are enriching U.S. culture.
Everyone has a stake in this story because it's the story of tomorrow's America. That is a story that needs to be told.
Comments
Al Bermudez Pereira Says
C. B. Jackson, you hit the nail right on the head.
It was no different in the early 1900s, at Ellis Island during the arrival of the Polish, Swedish, Russian Jews, French, German, Irish, Italian, Czechoslovakian and Hungarian immigrants. America profited from their slave labor as well.
The only difference with those immigrants during the 1900s, and today’s immigrants; there was no public picketing or protesting their arrival, and no protesting the possibility of losing their jobs to lower labor wages as we see today. Even though there were much less factories, corporations and jobs available during the early 1900s.
Many Americans like to complain, but love to profit from those immigrants. When that doesn’t work, other methods of profiting are implemented. Using our freedom of information tactics we search our local town clerks, municipal buildings, banks and local newspapers in hopes of finding someone whose home may be in foreclosure as a result of losing a love one, lost of employment, inability to make mortgage payments, taxes, poor wages or victims of a poor economy.
I’ve personally witness many South American Latinos, Italians and Mexican immigrant workers involved in upscale construction projects who successfully completed work assignments with time to spare and who were not paid. Not paid by contractors or employers simply because they were people who did not possess a green card.
Respectfully Subitted,
Al Bermudez Pereira, 2009
Ruins of a Society and the Honorable
C.B. Jackson Says
Hhmmm..... All this talk about illegal residents.....
Why don't many of those speaking such things take a close look at the REAL U.S. history!! Many of these protesters are ancesters of the settlers from Europe! Meaning, in fact, that these 'European' residents living here are direct decendents of Criminals!! Plus, they lied and swindled much of this land from the first and original residents! Now, many of these 'real Americans' want to deny all others from entering 'their' Country?? Why?? Why can't they have a chance to achieve "The American Dream" like everyone else??
It utterly amazes me how small-minded and selfish some people can be at times.........
Suzette Says
I optimistically anticipated a positive outlook about Latinos living in this country at the screening of "Latino in America". I expected the documentary to start off giving us basic information sprinkled with a bit of history. After all, we’ve heard plenty in the media about the plight of Latinos, the immigration debate, and all the bad stats about Latino students not graduating or making it to college.
After the hour-long program ended, I was disappointed with the stories the reporting team selected; they focused on the sad reality many Latinos are still facing, some from countries other than Mexico, and what general condition the largest minority in this country is stuck in. The places, names and families depicted are typical and found in many cities across the USA, this much is true. What were sorely missing were the contrasting success stories about how Latinos are making it in the USA, legally or not.
The barrios, local Latino leaders looking out for human rights, marches, even the raid at the Panda Express in Tucson, AZ where eleven employees were taken into custody, are nothing new.
A fresh take on this long-standing issue would have been to highlight the positive stories and successful lives of common Latinos (no, Mr. George Lopez, this does not include you at this point since most Latinos are inspired by celebrities like you and their success).
There are Latino kids in college, maybe even in a Ivy League or two; entrepreneurship among Latinos has to be found somewhere other than LA. What about a short tale about parents who are desperately trying to give their children a better life and the sacrifices they are making to achieve this? The traditional way of living the American dream is with hard work, and Latinos are not afraid of it. Show this!
I hope CNN and Miss O’Brien did not misuse an opportunity to start changing the perception of Latinos as uneducated, gang members and welfare abusers.
It is said that one must lead by example, so I urge you to make follow up documentaries about how Latinos are leading their compatriots by example. There are many out there.
don blas Says
To Lb:
It is easy to forget why 67% of immigrants are Mexican, please remember: Proximity and because Texas, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Colorado were part of Mexico and those left behind in 1848 when the border changed (USA took the land) was the first massive contingent of Mexican nationals to live in the US territory. Also a large population of Mexicans provides the labor for agriculture, building, landscaping, hospitality, janitorial and many other trades and services. In addition there are important groups of professionals and entrepreneurs that energize the economy.
Al Bermudez Pereira Says
Lb, you remind me of a Noah's Ark Story I once wrote:
While attending a Central Florida University, and having a class discussion of illegal immigration, a student originally from Los Angeles now residing in Florida, stood up from his chair and courageously stated, “We need to build a Noah's Ark, gather all these Mexicans, who are taking our jobs and sending money back to Mexico, and ship them back to their damn country!”
Quite naturally, being of Latino descent, the statement disappointed me. When it was my turn to speak I had to reply accordingly, “take all the Mexicans, put them on a Noah's Ark, and ship them back to their damn country? And how do you propose we remove 12 million plus Mexican people who are working and spending their money at your local Wal-Mart stores, or supermarkets without having a catastrophic affect on our US, economy? What do we do, replace the 12 million immigrants with 12 million Americans who don't want perform hard labor in the first place?” Many of these Mexicans who come here are in their teens, illegal or otherwise. The majority of them come here with good intentions to work and seek the same freedom in which all of our ancestors sought before us, and monetarily provide what little they can to their love ones back home. Not to stabilize Mexico's economy; we leave that to the American families and business corporations who on average spends approximately $10,000 to vacation in Cancun, Mexico, on a daily basis; all year round. Consider this fact, in Mexico there is presently an enormous immigration problem that seems to be rapidly increasing with no signs of slowing down. The United States Embassy has recently estimated these immigrants to be in the hundreds of thousands, while other sources put those numbers now in the million.
Hundreds of these immigrants are becoming undocumented workers, refusing to assimilate, and insisting on retaining their homeland citizenship. Very few, if any, are being deported back to where they came from. Many of these immigrants are keeping their native way of life, their language and their culture. In one small Mexican town of Ajijic, there is estimated to be over 8,000 of these immigrants and in this small town, a banner displayed in public for these immigrants reads, “Bienvenido a su nueva casa,” (Welcome to your new home.) Who are these immigrants flocking to Mexico in the hundreds of thousands, ‘Americans.’ That's right; Americans have been flocking to Mexico for many years now; from retirees, to baby boomers, teenage kids and corporations. Although some Mexican natives don't like this idea; there are no public protests, killings or racial beatings taking place against Americans. In one local town libraries are now accommodating thousand of English books, an English language newspaper company sits in the heart of Mexico and many Americans can be seen speaking politics at local donut shops. Americans products are also being sold in local supermarkets; English movie theaters are now available, Americans are flying their flags, singing the Star Spangled Banner, celebrating the Fourth of July, rooting for their American sports teams and illegal immigrants in America are now illegal Gringos in Mexico. We in America are so focused on the most ridiculous issues that we lose sense and sight of what's important, what's really going on around us and what's happening to our own American people. Politian’s in congress are being given CEO positions throughout our nation in health care industries and others being promoted to medical directors by many American Hospitals because they have the gut and lack of remorse to turn away qualifying patients who are terminally ill or have some preexisting condition.
What a bureaucracy isn't it, a bureaucracy in whom all underprivileged Americans who will seek future health care will inevitability be subjected to. Which brings me back to the previous ignorant statement made by the college student and former Los Angeles resident; concerning Noah's Ark. Lets briefly go back in history for a moment, and allow me to point out 3 rudimentary principles of significance, that has forever changed our lives and the course of this great nation's history.
1. Juan Diego:
During the dawn on December 9, 1531, in Tenochtitlan, now known as Mexico City, a native named Juan Diego was walking across a hill called Tepeyac when he suddenly heard birds bellowing gleeful music in the distance. He then heard a voice calling him, and as he wondered to himself what was happening to him, he saw a beautiful woman. She instructed Juan Diego to tell the Bishop, Juan de Zumárraga, to build a church on that very spot where she stood and she went on to say,
“I will demonstrate and I will exhibit. I will give all my love, my compassion, my help and my protection to the people. I am your merciful mother, the merciful mother of all of you who live united in this land, and of all mankind, of all those who love me, of those who cry to me, of those who seek me, of those who have confidence in me.
Here I will hear their weeping, their sorrow and will remedy and alleviate all their multiple sufferings, necessities and misfortunes.”
(Demostraré y exhibiré. Daré todo mi amor, mi compasión, mi ayuda y mi protección a las personas. Soy su madre misericordiosa, la madre misericordiosa de todos ustedes que viven unido en esta tierra, y de toda humanidad, de todo los que me adoran, de los que lloran por mí, de los que me buscan, de los que tienen la confianza en mí. Aquí oiré su llorar, su pena y haré remedio y aliviaré todos sus múltiples sufrimientos, las necesidades y las desgracias).
Soon realizing that the lady was indeed the Virgin Mary, he responded and did what she implored of him. After being rejected by the bishop, Juan Diego, ready to give up on his task, was approached again by the Virgin Mary. She reassured him that he alone was to be her messenger. Juan Diego again visited the bishop, but after a second refusal by the prelate, he was instructed to attain proof of Mary's visitations. On the third visit from the Holy Mother, Juan Diego surprisingly found roses on the Tepeyac hill in spite of the December frost-covered landscape. He picked the roses and placed them inside his tilma, (cloak) as proof of her presence and she rearranged the roses carefully inside the folded tilma that Juan Diego wore and told him not to open it before anyone but the bishop. Juan Diego returned to the bishop and opened his cloak. The precious image of Virgin Mary then appeared impressed on the tough cloth. The bishop, who had now experienced the glory of which Juan Diego had spoken, built the church. Within six years of the apparition, over six million Aztecs converted to the Christian faith.
2. Father Francisco Lopez de Mendoza Grajales:
The Mission of Nombre de Dios traces its origins to the founding of the City of St. Augustine in Florida, America’s oldest city, in 1565. In a diary, Father Francisco Lopez de Mendoza Grajales, recorded the September 8, 1565, landing of Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles, Captain General of the Indies Fleet and Adelantado of Florida at the village of Seloy:
“On Saturday the 8th, the General landed with many banners spread, to the sounds of trumpets and the salutes of artillery. As I had gone ashore the evening before, I took a Cross and went to meet him, singing the hymn, Te Deum Laudamus (Latin for We Praise You God). The General, followed by all who accompanied him, marched up to the cross, knelt, and kissed it. A large number of Timucuan Indians watched these proceedings and imitated all that they saw done.”
Pedro Menendez then named the site Nombre de Dios (Name of God) and set Father Francisco Lopez in charge of the Mission. Father Lopez thus became the first pastor of St. Augustine, the first parish priest in this land and where the first mass ever held in the United States. It was at this sacred spot that the Spanish settlers would begin the devotion to Our Lady of La Leche that continues into the present, 443 years later.
3. Juan Ponce de León:
A Spanish Conquistador and first appointed Governor of Puerto Rico by the Spanish Crown. Juan Ponce de León while searching for the isle of Bimini landed in US soil during the Easter Season somewhere in the peninsula between Cape Canaveral and the St. Johns River. Impressed with its natural floral beauty he named it La Florida, (The Flowery) in honor of his discovery of the land in April 2, 1513. (Mission of Nombre de Dios/Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche, 2009)
Almost 500 years later, the 4th state of this great nation is still named Florida and La Florida by most Hispanics. But lets not forget; the many known Indians tribes like the Ais, Apalachee, Calusa, Timucua, Seminole, Red Stick Indians, Tocobago, and the Tainos Indians of South America, Mexico, Hispaniola, Cuba and Puerto Rico, who already inhabited US soil for thousands of years before any European settlement. It has been said Christopher Columbus accompanied Juan Ponce de León to La Florida on his second or third voyage, and not the other way around as many are led to believe. But regardless of what the truth is and what the actual historical facts are; you still think we should build that Noah's Ark for our Mexican countrymen, because if you do, then I can think of several American CEOs in private corporations, Politian’s in Congress and certain ignorant American individuals like yourself we need to fill this Noah's Ark with.
Respectfully Submitted,
Al Bermudez Pereira 2009
Ruins of a Society and the Honorable
lb Says
I'll buy this crap when the Latino "community" helps get rid of everyone who's here in violation of immigration law. Until then, a huge percentage of Latinos in America are just criminals sucking up tax money.