 |
|
People
|
|
 |
|
What is it with By Julio Morán What is it with Cuban women living in Los Angeles? First television producer Nely Galán tells The Miami Herald
that she does not consider herself Latina and that the majority of Latinos (in Los Angeles) are clase bajo. Then Los Angeles Times
writer Alisa Valdés-Rodríguez tells us that she does not identify with the term “Latino” or “Hispanic” because people believe it means cinnamon brown with a Spanish surname. Galán further says that L.A. Latinos have
an inferiority complex about Cubans and whine about being a minority. Meanwhile, Valdés-Rodríguez gives us a history lesson to dispel the notion of a Latino race. I generally try not to criticize other Latinos in
public, but since these two women don't consider themselves Latinas, I guess it's OK. The reason other Latinos may look down at Cuban Americans is not because we have an inferiority complex, but because many Cuban
Americans have an elitist attitude and look down on everyone else, including black Cubans. Many white Cubans cling to their Caucasoid racial description and don't want to be identified as “people of color” — a term
popular with many African Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans and Latinos — lest they also be considered minorities. Rather than attempting to coalesce and find common ground, they become divisive. The term
“Latino,” for me, a U.S.-born man whose parents were born in Mexico, is a self-identification that says not so much what my race is, but what my culture is, and that I share some common ground with people whose ancestry
is from the Caribbean and Latin America. To identify me with one the three traditional divisions of races — Caucasoid, Negroid or Mongoloid – would not be completely accurate. This doesn't mean that I agree with
Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Central Americans and Dominicans on all issues, but it does say that we have enough common issues we can speak on with one voice. But to really describe me, call me Chicano. That further
identifies me as someone who is neither fully accepted by Americans in this country or by Mexicans south of the U.S. border. For this cinnamon-brown mestizo with an Irish surname, that is very relevant. I don't ask
for permission to do things, as Nely Galán suggests in her Miami Herald interview. I don't feel anyone owes me anything. I don't whine about being Chicano. But I do take exception to anyone, especially Cuban
Americans, taking potshots at other Latinos. People of Mexican descent are very proud of their heritage and will defend it. But that doesn't mean we can't identify with and feel pride in the successes of Sammy Sosa,
Christina Aguilera, Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori and Cristina Saralegui. It doesn't mean that non-Mexican Americans can't feel the same way about actor Edward James Olmos, professional hockey player Scott Gómez
or the late César Chávez. I am not saddled with the terms with which I choose to identify myself. I love Mexican food, but I prefer my music and movies in English. I am not totally fluent in Spanish, but I like to
use Spanish phrases when I speak to other Latinos because the words are more descriptive. I have non-Latino friends, but I feel more comfortable with other Latinos, whether they are Caucasoid, Negroid or Mongoloid. Even
with some Cuban Americans. Julio Morán is executive director of the California Chicano News Media Association, based in Los Angeles. © 2000, Hispanic Link News Service. Distributed by Los Angeles Times
Syndicate |
|
||
|
||