As a Hispanic young man, I have witnessed
many racial remarks and expressions.
Many people think
I am Anglo-Saxon because I am light complected.
I have not only
noticed racial
slurs from Angle's, but also from Hispanics.
People tend to open up in front
of me, because
some of them think I am Anglo-Saxon and do not know Spanish. I can
recall the first
day of summer school, my first day of work, and the time that Anglos' stare
at my girlfriend
wondering why I left their race for a hispanic girl.
My first day of summer school was a day I
will never forget. As I walked into my
class the
students just looked up at me and stared as if I was a portrait. In a polite
manner, the
teacher told me to sit next to those girls at the corner. At first they were quiet
and then the
whispers began. "Oye
chulo," they began to call me. I didn't know what to
do, so I did what
any guy with a great girlfriend would do, played dumb. Then they began
telling each
other that I was probably rich and conceited.
Their remarks about my clothing
and the color of
my eyes and hair, surprised me. I was
not upset because they were
Hispanic. I am sure that I would have been mad if an
Anglo-saxon girl would have talked
bad about a
hispanic guy or girl.
Another time hispanics thought I was
Anglo-saxon, was when my best friend's dad
got me a job at
his company. The first day he showed me
around and majority of the
workers were
hispanic; once again they all looked at me again. My first encounter with
my racist
co-workers was during lunch. As I sat
down to eat my sandwich, the guy I got
to know asked me
if I wanted to try some Mexican food.
That's when I gave him this
expression that
must have stunned him, because he asked me what was wrong. I told him,
"What, do
you think I've never eaten Mexican food or what?"
He replied, "Sorry, I didn't think
know white people knew anything about
Mexican food
other than tacos."
"I am not white, I am a mexican just
like you!" I exclaimed. From that
day forth I
was treated just
like one of the guys. It is strange that
hispanics are always fighting for
equality and an
end to discrimination. Ironically, they
are the one's that are being racist.
The only time I can recall being treated
wrong by Anglo-Saxons, was the time I
went out to the
mall with my girlfriend. At first, it
was only the teenage girls looking at
her wrong. Finally, an older couple walked by and said
loudly, "What white girl isn't
good enough for
him?" I got so upset, that I said,
"Maybe Hispanics girls just have a
bigger heart than
you white h__'s!" They just kept on
walking. My girlfriend broke out
into a rage of
tears. I comforted her the best way I
knew how. I told her that they were
just ignorant
people, who can not see past the color of one's skin.
As I recall all the many times that I have
heard racial remarks, towards both
Hispanics and
Anglo-Saxons, I realize that most remarks have been made by Hispanics. I
believe that
Hispanics along with other minorities hold a grudge against anglos, because of
the horrible
things they did to them years ago. Just
like they now have no alternative but
to except us
(Hispanics), we too should put our bad memories behind us.
Houston Texas
85%
Houston Community
College
3/97
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