Tag: Latinos

Categories
communist u.s.-mexico border Uncategorized United States

“YOU ARE A COMMUNIST!”

“You are a communist!” This is what a white, middle-age woman driver said to me from her SUV, as she rolled down her window, stopping alongside my car at a light, not far from my home. Wearing a Trump cap, she had noticed my home-made “bumper sticker” that says: DUMP TRUMP—SAVE AMERICA. This prompted her to speak to me through her open window. I have had the sticker on my car for about two years.

In her mind I am a communist because I want Trump dumped in November. He is anti-America. In her little mind anyone who is anti-Trump is a communist, apparently. I doubt she could define communism. (If anyone is a communist, she is because she supports a president who does not defend our country against Russia!) We got into a brief shouting match and then went our way (I will avoid shouting matches from now on because there is no gain from them. I have always thought that, but it escaped me that day, somehow).

So, what does this mean? One, it means that national politics is heating up and people are beginning to pay more attention. This is common in all presidential elections, but 2020 is like no other. Absolutely like no other.

The other lesson I draw from this little 10 second incident is that some Trump supporters, like this lady (many?), are know-nothings who easily swallow words and thoughts from propagandists like Rush Limbaugh and Laura Graham. A seed of fear and anxiety fuels their embrace for a liar and a manipulator like Trump. What is it? How could we have elected a man like that to begin with!

Bottom line: we are at a crossroads in America. The upcoming election is a critical moment for us as a nation.

I’m Hispanic and I can say that Hispanic issues regarding immigration are completely secondary to the survival of America. You cannot have fair and intelligent immigration policies without fair and intelligent American leaders. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris represent that kind of American. Right now, people like them predominate the Democratic Party. Let’s support them!

 

REGISTER NOW!        BE READY TO VOTE!

THE REPUBLICAN PARTY MUST BE BROUGHT DOWN AS

AN ENABLER OF DONALD TRUMP WHO IS

ANTI-AMERICAN & ANTI-DEMOCRACY!

(DUMP TRUMP!    SAVE AMERICA!)

Categories
Book Reviews Caribbean Latin America

Christophe, the King of Haiti / The Kingdom of this World, a book review

Carpentier, Alejo. El reino de este mundo (Santiago, Chile: Editorial Universitaria, 1969). (See English below) El reino del que trata este libro de 142 páginas es el del “rey” de Haiti, Henri Christophe, que llegó a su fin en 1820 en la isla de Española.

Nacido en Suiza, pero criado en Cuba, el autor probablemente se dio cuenta en su juventud de la historia pesarosa del país vecino. Así es que nos asegura en la introducción, que en 1943 tuvo “la suerte” de hacer una visita a Haití donde encontró “las ruinas, tan poéticas de Sans Souci, la mole imponente” que legó Christophe a sus desharrapados compatriotas, refiriéndose al edificio colosal y masivo que sus vasallos tuvieron que erigir y que trae turistas hasta hoy en día.

Sans Souci

Considerado como uno de los más destacados escritores de América Latina del siglo XX, Carpintier hace un lado su estilo magistral rebuscado, el que resalta en la introducción de este libro, y, menos mal, no escribe el texto propio de la novela de una manera rebuscada, pues se ajusta al nivel de un esclavo negro llamado Ti Noël cuya suerte nos revela el mundo del rey Christophe.  A través de su precaria existencia el lector descubre, sin tener que aguantar términos pedantescos, de la manera en que Christophe ejerció su despotismo sobre sus súbditos desheredados, opresión que debió desaparecer después de las insignes luchas por la igualdad libradas por el célebre Toussaint L’Overture cuyo nombre curiosamente no aparece en este libro.

Carpintier deja ver su anhelo por descubrir “lo maravilloso” en la historia de los pueblos latinoamericanos para contraponer a géneros similares europeos. Así es que ve en la historia de Haití figuras protagónicas como la de Christophe (y Mackandal, líder revolucionario vudista) que tienen la capacidad de asombrar a través del tiempo por sus hazanas extraordinarias.  [January 2020]

The Kingdom of this World, is available in English. The kingdom that this 142-page book is about is that of the “king” of Haiti, Henri Christophe, who came to an end in 1820 on the island of Española.

Born in Switzerland, but raised in Cuba, the author probably discovered the sorrowful history of the country next door when he was a young man. He assures us in the introduction, that he was “lucky” to pay a visit to Haiti in 1943 where he found “the poetic ruins of Sans Souci, the imposing mass” that Christophe bequeathed to his ragged subjects, referring to the massive colossal edifice that they had to erect, a structure that attracts tourists to this day.

Considered as one of the most outstanding writers in Latin America in the 20th century, Carpintier sets aside his elaborate writing style, evident in the Introduction, and, thank goodness, writes the body of the novel less pedantically, adjusting it more realistically to his main character, a black slave named Ti Noël. His pitiful life draws the curtain for the reader on the world of King Christophe. Chronicling his precarious existence, we learn the way in which Christophe applied his despotism over his unprivileged subjects, an oppression that should have disappeared thanks to Toussaint L’Overture’s well-known fight for equality, but curiously this hero’s name is absent.

Carpintier exposes his desire to discover “the marvelous” in the history of Latin American peoples in contrast with similar European genres. So, he features protagonists like Christophe (and Mackandal, a voodoo revolutionary) in the history of Haiti as characters whose extraordinary feats enjoy the capacity to amaze over time.

Categories
History of Mexico u.s.-mexico border

WHICH PRESIDENT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? TAKE A LOOK AT THESE WORDS.

“The president decapitates everything he doesn’t understand, condemns that architects charge for their knowledge when “anyone” can build a house, reproaches the many years engineers study because, according to him, wise people know how to make better roads, he affirms that the economy is not a complex thing, and that doctors should not charge for their specialized knowledge. The president hates technology, dislikes science and detests verifiable knowledge; he prefers the lyrical, the improvised, the visceral.”

“El presidente decapita todo lo que no entiende, condena que los arquitectos cobren por su conocimiento cuando “cualquiera” puede construir una casa, reprocha los anos de estudio de los ingenieros porque, según el, el pueblo sabio sabe hacer mejores caminos, considera que la economía no es algo complejo y que los médicos no deberían de cobrar lo que cobran por sus especialidades. El presidente aborrece la técnica y aborrece la ciencia y aborrece el conocimiento comprobable, lo suyo es mas bien lo lirico, lo improvisado, lo visceral.”

ANSWER: These are the words and thoughts attributed to President of Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (a.k.a. AMLO) by Luis Cardenas, an opinion writer in El Universal, June 11, 2020, a Mexico City newspaper. I’ve been saying there are a lot of parallels between President Donald Trump and AMLO. Here’s someone else saying the same thing.

Categories
Book Reviews Uncategorized

AMERICAN LIBERATOR: SIMON BOLIVAR, A BOOK REVIEW

Arana, Marie. Bolivar: American Liberator (NY: Simon & Schuster, 2013). Arana took on a major job in writing this one-volume biography of Simón Bolivar, a truly amazing man. He unyoked northern South America (Venezuela, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador) from Spain in the early 1800s, bringing the kind of independence to these countries that we celebrate in the United States on July 4th. It is a shame that Americans know little about him. By the way, the people of Latin America, from Mexico to Argentina, also call themselves “Americans.” They began doing so in the late 1700s, like we did in the United States. (They chafe at our appropriating the word as we do).

Arana tells us that Bolivar was indefatigable in convincing a rabble of peasants and slaves to fight for their “freedom” and “liberty.” He persuaded them that this merited their being uprooted, leaving their families and, in many cases, dying or being killed. This is the biggest lesson to be gained from Bolivar’s life and from this biography: his unrelenting pursuit of independence and republicanism in the face of astonishing odds. Along these lines, too, Arana skillfully describes the astounding trek that he and his bedraggled warriors underwent in crossing the Andes mountains from east to west in order to surprise Spanish troops in Bogotá, and later Lima, and thus guarantee their expulsion from the continent, better than Hannibal and Alexander the Great. George Washington’s exploits, heroic as they might have been, don’t compare given the distances and geographic challenges.

Bolivar’s overwhelming disillusionment over the inability of his compatriots to adopt democratic republicanism is handled quite well by the author. She knowingly deals with the ironic triumph of caudillismo (strong man politics) and cites Bolivar’s own ironic recognition that he was the best example of caudillo rule. His famous phrase, “I plowed the sea,” refers to his failure to establish democratic republics; it fits in Arana’s narrative perfectly along with his famous “Letter from Panama” in which he sees into Latin America’s political future.

The details of Bolivar’s struggles are based on the voluminous letters and speeches he left behind, plus the ample history books written about his life and times. He is, of course, the George Washington of the countries mentioned. It is an easy to read book, for history buffs and scholars as well.

Categories
Humanities Washington Talks United States

MR. TRUMP IS TOXIC TO AMERICA AS WE KNOW IT

I’ve been saying in the past that Mr. Trump is UNFIT as our president. With the headlines of the past few weeks, his UNFITNESS has become more visible than ever, and more dangerous.

Today’s New York Times (see below) includes an opinion piece by a former COMMANDER OF THE UNITED STATES SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND, William H. McRaven, who says what I’ve been saying, but in an eloquent but frightening way. Read the key parts of his column below.

Think about what you read! It’s pretty damned important for us Americans!

“…As I stood on the parade field at Fort Bragg, one retired four-star general, grabbed my arm, shook me and shouted, “I don’t like the Democrats, but Trump is destroying the Republic!”

“Those words echoed with me throughout the week. It is easy to destroy an organization if you have no appreciation for what makes that organization great. We are not the most powerful nation in the world because of our aircraft carriers, our economy, or our seat at the United Nations Security Council. We are the most powerful nation in the world because we try to be the good guys. We are the most powerful nation in the world because our ideals of universal freedom and equality have been backed up by our belief that we were champions of justice, the protectors of the less fortunate.

“But, if we don’t care about our values, if we don’t care about duty and honor, if we don’t help the weak and stand up against oppression and injustice — what will happen to the Kurds, the Iraqis, the Afghans, the Syrians, the Rohingyas, the South Sudanese and the millions of people under the boot of tyranny or left abandoned by their failing states?

“If our promises are meaningless, how will our allies ever trust us? If we can’t have faith in our nation’s principles, why would the men and women of this nation join the military? And if they don’t join, who will protect us? If we are not the champions of the good and the right, then who will follow us? And if no one follows us — where will the world end up?

“President Trump seems to believe that these qualities are unimportant or show weakness. He is wrong. These are the virtues that have sustained this nation for the past 243 years. If we hope to continue to lead the world and inspire a new generation of young men and women to our cause, then we must embrace these values now more than ever.

“And if this president doesn’t understand their importance, if this president doesn’t demonstrate the leadership that America needs, both domestically and abroad, then it is time for a new person in the Oval Office — Republican, Democrat or independent — the sooner, the better. The fate of our Republic depends upon it.”

Categories
Humanities Washington Talks Mexico Talks and other events Trump u.s.-mexico border Uncategorized United States

THEY LOOK LIKE ME….NEXT TIME IT MIGHT BE YOU OR ME

They look like me. In the victims and survivors of the Ohio and El Paso shootings, today, August 5, 2019, I saw people who look like me, or my relatives or my friends. The El Paso shooter was attacking “Hispanic immigrants.”

Well, that’s me, folks, even if I might feel safe because I’m not an immigrant. The psychos out there don’t know the difference between a Hispanic immigrant and one who is not an immigrant (most Americans can’t distinguish between a different-looking immigrant and an American born one). So, I say to my relatives and my friends, we can’t get too comfortable in our middle class homes and middle class cars, going to our middle class jobs. Why?

Because here is one more bit of proof that we must be forever vigilant. We run a great risk in dismissing these things because, who knows, the next time, it might be you or me.

We can’t be shocked. Mentally unstable people abound on our streets. Guns abound too; our gun laws encourage their being everywhere—even military type guns. And, we now have a racist president who openly attacks Americans of color.

So, there you have it. The psychos will pick up a gun or a knife and go after someone who looks like you or me because our simple-minded president mentioned it as an American problem. They’ll think they’re helping him out, like the El Paso shooter. It’s happened before.

What can we do?

1) Let’s be vigilant and avoid losing ourselves in the banality of our lives;

2) Let’s pay more attention to our leaders and what they do or don’t do,

3) And, keep score.

3) Our turn will come when we vote, when we fill out a ballot and give our support to a government leader who is not what we have today. Save our democracy, save our nation and save ourselves.

 

Categories
u.s.-mexico border Uncategorized United States

PERHAPS WE OUGHT TO BRING DOWN THE STATUE OF LIBERTY!

This sorrowful photograph of Alberto Martinez Ramirez and his daughter, Angie Valeria, who drowned recently trying to cross the Rio Grande to enter the United States, published by the New York Times, triggered renewed sympathy for the migrants but criticism by others. 

Dad and daughter drowned
The New York Times, June 26, 2019

The critics viewed the photograph as “thoroughly humiliating [and] (disrespectful)…too…[for] transmit[ting] a message, perhaps convey pain and trauma, [to] make us feel shame and sadness, and thereby ignite change.” (See “’These Are Not Easy Images to Use,’” The New York Times, July 1, 2019, page A2).

Indeed, it ought to ignite change!!! How dare they! Hear ye, ye!

To condemn the photos as “disrespectful” is head-in-the sand nonsense!!! We need to change our country’s immigration policies to prevent the human crises that have been mounting at our southern border. If our reporters didn’t remind us of what is transpiring there, we would never care! Most of us Americans are too far from our own immigration experience, generations away, and we would care little if we weren’t reminded!

So, I congratulate the New York Times editors. I can believe they took a lot of pain and engaged in studied determination to publish this sad photo. And, they did right.

Our immigration policies do indeed require intelligent and humanitarian reform but all we seem to care about right now is to build walls and scare people away from the border by terrorizing them with gestapo tactics. How truly sad this is happening in America! Yes, we need to be reminded of all this! Perhaps these critics, along with our benighted president, should call to bring down the Statue of Liberty! What’s it up for, then???

Statue of Liberty
“Give me your tired and your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be freed…” (Emma Lazarus)
Categories
History of Mexico Humanities Washington Talks We Became Mexican American, a book

Announcing a Centennial Event in our Family

Our family, the Gil Family, immigrated to the United States a hundred years ago! We occupy a place in one of the earliest recorded waves of Mexican immigrants arriving in the United States, those who were pushed out by the Mexican Revolution of 1910 and drawn into California by an economic boom. April 2019 marks a centennial.

Writing by hand, in her late 80’s, my mother (Grandma Lupe) recorded that she and her mother (Great Grandma Carlota) and brother (Uncle Miguel) walked away from the hacienda where they had lived as peasants, near Mascota, Jalisco, on or about April 15, 1919. Mom was 14, Grandma Carlota 39, and our Tio (uncle) 17. They aimed to join our other uncle, Tio Pascual, who had bolted on his own five years earlier, and found himself in Fresno, California; he was 19. After they came together, they moved to San Fernando.

While I’m estimating the actual date they stepped away once and for all, we do know that Mom wrote, with her trembling hand, that on March 19, 1919, they trekked from the Hacienda Santa Rosa to Talpa (a nearby village that venerates a local version of Jesus’s Mary) to say goodbye to Mom’s aunt. After that, they walked away from the hacienda “in April” of that same year. Mom wrote:

“We left before dawn. We passed the village of El Cimarrón while it was still dark and, as we climbed away from it, the glimmer of the morning light began to grow. We all stopped to look back, to take our last look at Santa Rosa as if we wanted to stamp on our memory that  piece of earth that saw our birth, that we’d never forget, and that we grieved to leave behind.” (p. 47)

Take a second look at Mom’s writing above. Not bad for someone who attended only two years of school but kept on writing anyway, in her own way.

 

 

Categories
Book Reviews Humanities Washington Talks Talks and other events We Became Mexican American, a book

Video of Carlos Gil discussing his Humanities Washington talk

In the link below you’ll find a short video clip of me explaining what my Humanities Washington talk (“From Mexican to Mexican-American: A Family Immigrant Story”) offers to the listener. My talks, featured throughout 2019, have already started and, so far, it’s been delightful. See a separate posting for dates and places.

Carlos Gil

 

Categories
Book Reviews Humanities Washington Talks Talks and other events u.s.-mexico border United States We Became Mexican American, a book

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ON MEXICAN IMMIGRATION

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ON MEXICAN IMMIGRATION TO THE U.S.

 

For the talk, “From Mexican to Mexican-American:

A Family Immigration Story”

By Carlos B.Gil,  Ph.D.

 Humanities Washington Speaker 2019

 

Acuña, Rodolfo.Occupied America (1988). Contentious text.

Becoming American: Personal Essays by First Generation Immigrant Women (2000).

Brown, Theresa Cardinal and Jeff Mason, “Immigration Trends and the Immigration Debate,” Bi Partisan Policy Center, August 2017. https://bipartisanpolicy.org/library/immigration-trends-and-the-immigration-debate/

De la Garza, Rodolfo O. Et al. Latino Voices: Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban Perspectives on American Politics (1992).

Foley, Neil. Mexicans in the Making of America (2014).

Galarza, Ernesto. Barrio Boy: The Story of a Boy’s Acculturation (1971).

Gamboa, Erasmo. Bracero Railroad Workers: The Forgotten World War II Story of Mexican Workers in the U.S. West (2016).

Gamboa, Erasmo. Mexican Labor and World War II: Braceros in the Pacific Northwest, 1942-1947 (1990).

Gamio, Manuel. Mexican Immigration to the United States (1939).

García, Mario T. Mexican Americans: Leadership, Ideology and Identity, 1930–1960 (1989).

Gil, Carlos B. We Became Mexican American: How Our Immigrant Family Survived to Pursue the American Dream (2012, 2014).

Griswold del Castillo and Arnoldo de León. North to Aztlán: A History of Mexican Americans in the United States (1997).

Hart, Elva Treviño Barefoot Heart, Stories of a Migrant Child (1999). Autobiography, south Texas.

Limón, José. José Limón: An Unfinished Memoir (1998?). Late Chicano/Mexican American choreographer.

McWilliams, Carey. North from Mexico: The Spanish Speaking People of the United States (1948 ed.) Old classic.

Ramón, Cristobal and Tim O’Shea. “Immigrants and Public Benefits: What Does the Research Say?” Bi Partisan Policy Center, November 2018. https://bipartisanpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Immigrants-and-Public-Benefits-What-Does-the-Research-Say.pdf

Ruiz, Vicki L. From Out of the Shadows: Mexican Women in Twentieth-Century America (1998).

Sanchez, George J. Becoming Mexican American:Ethnicity, Culture, and Identity in Chicano Los Angeles (1993).

Suárez-Orozco, Marcelo M. And Mariela M. Páez. Latinos: Remaking America (2002).

Young, Biloine W. A Dream for Gilberto: An Immigrant’s Family’s Struggle to Become American (1999). Colombian Americans.