Category: Latino Heritage Month

I am very excited that the challenge is over and I made it. I know that I wasn’t always on time, but I was able to get all 30 days done. I did not think that it would be as hard as it turned out to be.  When I came up with the topics it was all from the top of my head. I really thought it would be cool to write everyday about the topics that had to with Latino culture.

What ended it up happening was each topic became harder than the last. I was good until about day 13 and then I hit a wall. I do not see many Afro Latinos every day and that bothered me. I also had to re word some of that blog post because I realized that I was making it seem that I was the only Afro Latino in Syracuse and that wasn’t what I was trying to convey.

Since that day, this challenge began to get harder to write with the different topics. When I first started this blog I thought to myself that there was no way that I would be able to write about being Latino everyday. This challenged proved me wrong. There are topics that I touched upon that I am sure I could have created a whole other blog post from. I also learned that I need to do more research on Ecuador.

I also realized two things halfway through this process. The first was that I should have considered Columbus Day as a post. I would have loved to go in on that subject. While I did touch upon it during day 16, I should have aligned my posts with the actually days of the month. Which brings me to the second thing I realized…there are 31 days in this month! I had to shake my head when I realized that, but I think a 31 day blog challenge just does not sound as sexy…lol

Well during this time..I was asked to speak at Utica College this Saturday 10/6. I am very honored to be doing this and I plan on talking about this very challenge. I am still in the middle of writing it and I plan on posting what I say as a blog post this weekend. I am hoping to also get this speech recorded, so I can do a podcast if I can.

I want to thank all those who contributed to this challenge and all those who followed me through this. I did receive a lot of compliments and words of encouragement. I am not sure if I will do this again, but I am grateful for the experience…

One thing I do not like to get into is politics. The best candidate does not always win and the worst candidate does not always lose.  What really gets me about what we consider to be democracy is that the issues that have the most lobbyists are the ones that seems to be handled better. One would think that in this day and age that a law such as SB 1070 in Arizona would never be passed, but because of the federal government’s lack of policy on immigration, we are stuck in a situation of mistrust and racial profiling in one of the states of the union.

Unfortunately, there are so many issues to deal with that is hard to focus on any one thing outside of immigration. Many Latinos have become successful enough that they may not see the same issues as the rest of do. However,  there was a point in the past where Latinos were very much into political movements within this country.

When I spoke about the Latino Identity over the last few weeks, I purposely neglected to mention that the term Latino is also a political identity that many sub origins identify with. Chicanos may be used more by those Mexican Americans who refuse to be racialized by the vast majority. They deal with many issues of assimilation and immigration. Militant Puerto Ricans choose to use their origin as a political identity when dealing with issues of colonization of Puerto Rico by the United States. Political organizations like the Young Lords popped up in New York City in the late 1960’s during same time as the Black Power movement.

It is shame that no one seems to be shutting down college campus anymore because these issues are just as important now as they ever were. I will just talk about Syracuse and how this community cannot seem to come together over basic issues such as education, healthcare, and unemployment.

I remember being in a meeting that was called by the Spanish Action League (La Liga) that had members of Governor Patterson’s administration to talk about what they can do to help Latinos in Syracuse. This was when he first came into power and needed support to get some legislation across. What I witnessed we various Latino leaders all at the same table talk about issues that each sector had. Education was an issue because there were not enough ESL classes for adults and children seem to be forced to be the caretakers at times thus sparking minimal school attendance. Healthcare was an issue because Spanish speaking families did not want to go to hospitals that did not have translators (La Liga does train and provide them) or doctors that spoke Spanish. Employment was an issue because there is not enough work to go around and most Latinos that move here from other countries cannot see to correctly adjust the different ways of job searching.

I am sitting there listening to this and I asked all of them bluntly…”Why do you not all realize that all these issues are connected? You are all fighting for a piece of a pie and not helping each other because you all feel that your one issue is more important than the rest. If we could get more funding to educate people then they will be able to get a job with benefits that will then allow them to have healthcare. The problem is cyclical”

You know what I got when I said this? A blank stare. This is why I do not do politics and why people are not ready for me.

One of the things that had sparked this whole idea of this challenge has been thought of me looking into my family tree. During one of my trips to NYC, my aunt had brought this idea that perhaps I should look into our ancestry and see what I find. I think we all reach a certain point in our lives in which we should stop and look at where we are in this world.

Mi tia, from my dad’s side, had informed me that there are several family members who live in NYC and in Puerto Rico I have never met before. These would be family members related to my late abuela. She rolled out names that I have never heard before and yet she hasn’t heard from these same family members in years. Then she pulled out an old picture of a man that kind of looked like me. It turns out to be my great grandfather.

When comparing the picture of my dad and my great grandfather, I could not help but look at the resemblance and just be in awe. This grandfather was from the paternal side of the family, which I even know less about. I came to the conclusion that at some point soon I need to start this quest to learn about my own personal past. I can spew out knowledge about different countries and talk about Tainos, but I have no clue about where my family has been. This quest is becoming more important to me since I am really not sure I will ever have kids of my own.

My mother’s side of the family has already started a tree of sorts. I did happen to glance at it during the holiday season last year. Many of my aunts tell stories of my grandparents and their lives in Brooklyn from a long time ago along the family they came with. However, there is no official record that I can see that ties all this together. So, I can only imagine the type of road map to the past I can create with all the people in my past that connect.

I dedicate this blog to the only Pulitzer Prize winner I have ever met, Juno Diaz. I have written a blog about him before and what still amazes me about him is that he has left a mark on me as a writer. I was not fortunate enough to take his class when he did teach at Syracuse University and I feel that if perhaps that had happened, I would have made a literary connection then sooner.

He has written two novels, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and Drown. Both books are absolutely fabulous in imagery and how he was able to take life of Latinos and put it on paper. His words are flawless and I read them as if he and I were having a conversation. What I like is that he started off as a short story writer and then moved on to novels.

Juno Diaz won the Pulitzer Prize for his second novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. It is because of this book that we brought him to Syracuse University in 2008. It was a really big thing because here we are trying to bringing up someone big for Latino Heritage Month and because he taught here, he was willing to come and speak with very few problems.

He spoke in front of a packed house in the new Newhouse 3 building. In fact, he was insistent that he did not speak, he wanted to have a discussion on the book. Juno read 2 passages from the book and he had me floored. The fact that one of his passages was describing a sexual act within the book in front of an audience filled with students and faculty, and he read it it like it was Shakespeare, showed me that I should no longer care what people think about me and what I write. It was indeed a magical moment for me.

Juno Diaz has set the bar for me; he is where I want to be. He will be my inspiration to take my talent to the next level while keeping it real. Having dinner with that man proved to me that success can continue to keep a person humble. Juno talks like he writes which makes his literary work so masterful.

I am not sure why I had trouble with this topic. Maybe because I did not want to speak about people I have already spoken about. I picked Eva Mendes because I feel that she is becoming a bigger name in Hollywood. I think that her body of work is indicative of where she going within the movie industry.

Yes, she is gorgeous and that gives her an edge in a society that is very much sex craved. Most of the industry is always looking for that Latina with sex appeal and she certainly has that. However, what I have come to really like about Eva Mendes is that she has personality. I appreciate that she can be sexy and goofy at the same time. She seems to have great comedic timing.

She started her film career in 1998, but I did not notice her until 2001 with her role in Training Day, which was a great movie that landed Denzel Washington his Oscar Award. However, her starring role in the movie Hitch, opposite Will smith, is what really brought her to the forefront.  This Florida born, Cuban actress, also appeared in movies like Ghost Rider and The Spirit.

I think that she is on the short list of Latina actresses that have made an impact, but have not really landed that one big role that defines them. I am hoping that she will be the one to do this.

First, I need to say that it took me longer than I want to find a picture with anyone within my family. I spend a lot of time speaking about my dad on this blog and on Twitter, but I never speak much about my brother nor my nephew. This picture was taken in May of 2007 at my nephew’s first communion. I will first say that you will have trouble finding a better picture of three good looking males this side of the Bronx!

My brother currently lives in the Bronx with his son and wife. I go visit them as often as I can when I am in New York City. As a matter of fact, last time I was down there was for my nephew’s birthday in July. We went to Six Flags: Great Adventure and we had a blast. This is the other part of the family that I seems to not talk about so much on this blog. There was a time I was going to dedicate an entry to my brother, but it just never came to fruition.

The significance of this picture is that there are many differences between my brother and I and I feel that my nephew (and godson) is the one thing that brings us together. Do not get me wrong, I do not have a bad relationship with mi hermano, we just look at life differently. He is seven years older than me and while I always looked up to him, there as always a sense that he was too old for me to really connect with him in my youth.

My nephew is currently 10 years old and I remember how small he was when I saw him for the first time. He has gotten so big that is takes me by surprise every time I see him. He is definitely one of the biggest reasons for me to return to NYC. I miss him very much and I am not willing to miss out on him growing up anymore. This picture serves as a reminder that I still have work to do.

This is a debate that I am on the fence about. There are so many ways to look at this issue. Puerto Rico and statehood is something that I am not sure I will see in my lifetime but the question is why not? This idea that Puerto Rico should a state, or remain a commonwealth, or be independent can create a long debate amongst Puerto Ricans both native and American born.

I think that people focus on the fact that taxes will have to be paid by residents of the island,which is considered bad thing to many people since that is something they may not want to do. Of course this may mean that the standard of living cost will rise as well. The interest rate for the United States is much higher then that of Puerto Rico and somehow that gap will become a big problem. So economics play a great role in this debate.

However, I think the fact that Statehood would allow Puerto Rico representation within Congress and the Senate is a bigger deal to me. While someone currently sits in Congress as the Resident Commissioner, that person has no vote. Sure, this elected official can serve on committees and do the things that other members of the House or Representatives can do, this person cannot cast a ballot for any issues that may effect Puerto Rico. Being a state would afford Puerto Rico with the same rights and leverage as any other state within the union.

On the other hand, the big issue of English being the official language of the United States can be a deal breaker. The United States has no official language and many politicians are looking to change that. If that does happen and Puerto Rico gained statehood, they would have to abide by this. Clearly this is an issue to many people who are native to the island. Of course, we can argue semantics and say that the commonwealth status allows for so much tourism into Puerto Rico from the US that most places do speak English.

Currently, Puerto Rico has the best of both worlds. They can have an international team in any sport during world play. They can have their own entrance into the Miss Universe Pageant (which is a big deal). Those two things alone help with the sense of pride for island residents. The best part for them is that they get the benefits of being a US citizen without having to pay taxes.

There has been a call for Puerto Rico Independence over the years because if you think about it, they have been under some kind of rule since the time of Columbus (whether it is Spain or the US). This is something that I am not so sure about. While I completely understand the point of letting Puerto Rico be free in this world, I would hate it if it became a poor island that was run by corrupt politicians.

My view on this is that commonwealth status may be best for all parties involved. But, what do I know, I do not live there. Perhaps if I did, I could come up different perspective. Hmm…that is not a bad idea either.

I have never cared for the word Hispanic. I have always felt that this word did not feel right. When I thought of Hispanics, I thought about people that look more like my dad than me. A better example would be people like Lou Diamond Phillips or Julio Iglesias. Whatever the case, I felt that because of my darker shade I was looked at as more black than Hispanic.

The word Latinos means something entirely different to me. A few weeks ago, a fellow blogger asked me what the definition of Latino was to me. I replied to her that I feel the Latino means someone of Spanish decent who lives within the Americas. I feel that this meaning compasses more of what we truly are, people who linked by a common ancestry that can be traced to the time of colonialism.

Hispanic to me falls more into the European side of this argument. I feel that it more exemplifies the traits of someone from Spain. While I am not trying to change definitions of words, I think that it is very important that whatever you call us it needs to hold true to everything that we are.

I prefer Latino because I think that describes my ethnicity beyond just Puerto Rican and Ecuadorian. I think it the word represents the deep and rich culture that we all share without making a particular distinction between the different people in Latin American, the Caribbean, and the United States. I also prefer Latino because unlike Hispanic, it can be genderized (i.e. Latina). The term Hispanic is problematic for many reasons and although it is widely used throughout the Southwest, Latino is a word that can have an assigned gender like most words in the Spanish vocabulary. Being that Spanish is the language we should all be speaking, this is very important nuance. Also, words like Afro-Hispanic or Hispanegro just do not sound right.

So while the word Latino has the ability to encompass all countries and people within this dynamic, it has the ability to separate based on gender and color. Latino is also a racialized identity that presents a series of social issues. Many Latinos are fighting for the right to not be categorized as “non white” for fear that being considered less than that would forfeit their perceived privileged. Theses would be the groups of people that would be identified as “White Hispanics”. This is a struggle that many White Hispanics fight for to maintain their social status. These are also the Latinos that popular culture identifies with.

Latino is a powerful word that describes a powerful set of people. Next time someone says wants to know the difference between Hispanic and Latino, before to refer them to my definition.

This is something that I have had many conversations with my dad. I consider myself to essentially be Latino. My dad considers himself American. I can understand his argument. He was born in American thus making him American. I was in the Navy and served his country. Of course he holds true to his roots. As I have explained in my post over the last month, my dad is very much into our culture. I learn most things from him.

I consider myself Latino. I feel that I represent my people no matter where I go. I think that this best describes me. Yet, I often wonder how my identity is looked at when I leave this country. I am almost certain that what my passport says is more important than any ethnicity I identify with. In the eyes of the world, I am indeed an American.

This isn’t a point of what I am proud of being more. I think that being a citizen of the United States despite its deep rooted issues is something that we all my take advantage of. We do not live under tyranny or a dictatorship. We all have the basic ability to live life to the fullest. To me being Latino just adds flavor to what being an American is.

I also have a great sense of nationality. I never thought that I would root so hard for an American swimmer during last year’s Summer Olympics, but Michael Phelps did a lot for me in my thought process of nationalism. I think that being able to stand by your country in sports is a great sign of pride. The funny thing is that when Puerto Rico beat Team USA in 2004 in Olympic basketball, I was rooting for PR all the way. I think at times like that I find myself in a bind because in my mind, we win so much that a small team needs to shine every so often. There was also the World Cup this past summer that made me very excited to be an American.

So when it comes down to it, I am more American than anything else. I am more familiar with the culture of this country even though the real culture is borrow from others.

Over the last twenty one days, I may have mentioned (just a little) that I have been to 3 Latin American Countries. Although I am not sure that I can call Puerto Rico a country, I would assume for sake of argument that this will slide. I have been to the Dominican Republic and Mexico (twice). I have written about being in DR and in PR, but never about Mexico.

While my first trip to Mexico was to Cancun, I think it still counts! I had so much fun considering this was the first vacation that I paid out of my own money. I noticed many thing different things in just being in another country. One thing that struck me was the lack of traffic laws…or what I consider to be traffic laws in Cancun. Many locals drove so fast and if you crossed the street, prepare to run.

While most of the places in Cancun were really touristy, there was one place that I went to that I really enjoyed. There is a small island called Isla Mujeres that I enjoyed so much because it seemed so untouched by commercialism. You could rent a motorbike and drive the length of the island in about 40 minutes.  I remember the army base and a few locals just living their lives.

I went there in 1999 and I can recall tours to the pyramids being offered and turning them down due to my lack of intelligence since all I wanted to do was party.  Thank god that over the years I have gained a sense of self and identity.

Which leads me to my trip to island of Cozumel. I only spent a day on this island as a part of the cruise I was on in 2007. This time I made sure that if I am going to make a trip to Mexico, I was going to see some pyramids or at least some ruins. For those who do not know, Cozumel is an island with the Yucatan Peninsula and is considered Mexican territory.

This is beautiful island with a rich history. There are Mayan ruins located in several points of the island, but the place that I went to is called the San Gervasio Ruins. This was a vast place that had shelters and places of worship. I was very much taken back by the sheer amount of ruins that this place had. You can really tell that the Mayans had a sense of culture. The picture on the left I took myself.

While I do feel that I have been to Mexico twice in 2 different locations, I feel that I need to see more. I would like to really go to certain places like Mexico City and Oaxaca. I feel that these place will always show a connection and common ancestry that we all seem to share.