What to do About the State of Racism?

By Dr. Henry Flores, NewsTaco

Recently, I have been travelling around the country and speaking to and with groups of academics on the state of Latino politics in the USA.  Actually, Latino politics exists only in the United States.  Regardless, some of my senior colleagues, those who entered university or college teaching in the 1970s and early 1980s have lamented that there doesn’t appear to be ganas among the younger generation of scholars.  The research and writing they are doing is formulaic, predictable, traditional, and not comprehensive.

I pointed out that some of this is driven by the fact that they need to show their Anglo taskmasters that they can perform “traditional” research.  You see those of us who conduct research into Latino politics are seen as marginal players and doing research in areas that are not mainstream according to the traditionalists.  We can use good research techniques, have good data, and write marvelously yet we are considered marginal.  Some of our trade journals will not even publish our research because of the marginality, “the specialized nature,” of our shorlarship.

Now, this may not be important to you but it is an indicator of a greater problem in Latino politics.  One complaint I have heard of the great majority of the current generation of Latino politicians is that they don’t seem to be standing up for issues and policies that our community really need.  When they do speak up they end up championing the perceptions of those who wish to tear us down, for example Cruz and Rubio.  Those who would be our champions  won’t speak up or they pursue a not too adventurous way of speaking that never addresses our issues appropriately.

Asi, what is the difference between the current generation and ours?  Our generation was characterized as la generacíon de la movimiento, the movement generation.  We challenged the system, authorities, “the man,” with direct action.  We demonstrated, sat in, occupied, boycotted and in general made the majority culture wake up and pay attention to what we wanted.  If traditionalists wouldn’t publish our articles, photos, art or music we created our own venues until the institutionalists realized we, and what we said, had value.  We awakened the consciousness of some enlightened Anglos who helped us pass laws and get established in our careers.

These  first steps required a great deal of activism and courage and were exemplified by the works of Valdez and Moreno in Theatre, Jimenez, Moreno, and Baez in Music, Chavez, Corona, Huerta and Tenayuca in the labor movement, Galarza academia, Tijerina in the land reclamation movement and Gutierrez in politics.  Some of these great men and women performed works and acts that were beyond their time but that made statements to the greater culture that “we” were alive and wanted to be counted and included in the greater society.  We made a difference, we did not wish to remain an invisible people, and that we were willing and could contribute to this great society.

Greater society listened and begrudgingly recognized us and what we were doing.  You go almost anywhere in this country and you see our culture on display in almost every venue of American life.  Our families gave birth to scientists, mathematicians, astronauts, great soldiers, politicians, academics, actors, musicians, artist, and doctors.

Recently, however, I am seeing a racial backlash in America that is moving to create barriers to our participation in this great country.  Ugly, sometimes violent people are creating barriers to our continued participation.  These “uglies,” racists are ugly as far as I’m concerned, are trying to pass laws that will stop immigration from Latin America, inhibit our use of our native language, keep us from exercising our franchise, remove us from educational institutions, and deny us heath care.

Bueno, I expect this type of behavior on the part of “los feos” what I didn’t expect was complete silence and resignation from the activists and politicians of the younger generations of Latinos.  What I am hearing in the face of the growing racial howling by “los feos” is an embarrassing silence.  I feel that the younger generation has lost their way, mesmerized by the bright lights of society, they are afraid to speak up because they are afraid that they will lose acceptance by the traditionalists in their career fields, or they don’t know how and what to do or say.

This latter situation is not the case because some young Latinos are speaking out but only some.  I really feel that we, all of us, young and old must become more active, vocal and direct in confronting the “ugly tide of racism” that appears to be washing over our country at this time.  If not we will never progress or be completely accepted in this country.  Simply, we will be drowned under waves of racism, intolerance, bigotry, prejudice and hate.