One of the tragedies of our democratic experiment is the lack of voices from us "Americans" who have suffered the most. What do I mean by this? Usually a black person is asked about black-on-black crime. If it's an issue revolving around immigration, a Latino is questioned. If its something regarding fishing rights, an Indian is consulted. The logic behind this makes sense; these issues to a large degree directly involve African Americans, Latinos and Natives, respectively.
But do you ever see a person of color being asked to speak about Iraq, the environment or even The Da Vinci Code? If we are ever asked to speak about these kinds of issues, the media and others in power will turn to folks who many would consider sell outs in their respective communities because of how they conform to white norms and abandon their roots of color.
As Malcolm X once put it, they became "house slaves." Point being, people of color are not included in mainstream dialog. Instead, we are continually confined to our "verbal reservations" if you will, where our words and positions on issues can't be threatening or controversial.
Accentuate the negative
We are only asked to speak on issues that highlight the problems in our lives, not the successes. Don't get me wrong; we've got plenty to say about plenty of issues. But we must also be included in larger discussions. Acknowledgement of our accomplishments should also be recognized, if not by mainstream society then at least by ourselves.
In my previous article I wrote about the realities and difficulties people deal with in regards to the immigration phenomenon. The responses to it were interesting to say the least. One could go on and on debating the issue and I invite anyone and everyone to do so.
However, without taking away from that debate, I feel it is important to recognize the hard work and accomplishments people of color have made in the midst of all the chaos and suffering caused by this country and its twisted attitudes against our people.
This month we saw the faces of immigrants and their children sharing times of joy because they were graduating from high school and college. At El Centro de la Raza we hosted a graduation ceremony and reception for students of the Proyecto Saber program. These are high school students, many of whom are the first in their family to graduate from high school. Long-time organizer, activist and poet Elisa Miranda was the keynote speaker.
Rather than her giving the students a boring and drawn-out speech filled with clichés, Miranda read from the heart. She shared a poem that spoke justice to the struggle a young Latina has to go through to move forward in today's society. These are the same difficulties that our students today so readily identify with.
In today's society it can often times be dangerous just going out into public if you're a person of color. Imagine trying to make it through the whole public school system and then go onto a university. Not only that, but in some cases going beyond that and into professional or graduate school.
This is not an easy task and certainly not one to be taken lightly. But it is also not one that students face alone. The students of Proyecto Saber at El Centro's reception, as well as other students finishing their respective grades and degrees, have a community of support behind them. Their success is our success.
Joy and pride
The end of the school year is a time of joy and pride for many families in our community, many of which reside right here on Beacon Hill and in the South End. We at El Centro de la Raza would like to congratulate the recent graduates and their families for their many accomplishments and obstacles they have overcome.
Each of them has set an example which others should strive for. In the future it shouldn't be as hard as it was for them to get to this point, but it must also be acknowledged that in order for them to have reached the level of success that they have they had to work harder than most and sacrificed more than all.
Anyone who tells them otherwise doesn't know what they are talking about. Their success and their failures are those of their entire community. Graduates, you won't suffer alone and you don't succeed alone. We are with you through everything.
More than words
This is about more than simply accumulating credits and being handed a diploma. This is about defiance. Graduation is a political statement whether people like it or not, especially now with Latinos "under the microscope."
El Centro de la Raza's message to the youth of Beacon Hill and to those that come across our lives has been that you must use your voice. Elisa Miranda is a profound example of such power. Our young people have the potential to change the world, but we just need them to be loud and proud.
Enrique Gonzalez is a resident of the Skyway neighborhood in South Seattle and works at El Centro de la Raza.
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