Immigrant or Native?

It is often said that the US is a land of immigrants but the unspeakable corollary is: not all immigrants are seen as equals.  We do not treat immigrants from Cuba the same as those who came from Ireland. We do not see the Vietnamese who crossed an ocean to reach us the same as those who cross the Rio Grande. We value immigrants with key skills and create special visas for them so that they can work at some of our most prestigious academic institutions and some of the most innovative corporations.  

Likewise, it should be understood that immigrants do not see our land in the same way.   The people who traveled an ocean, escaping the ravages of war came to the US to seek refuge.  In solidarity with their plight, the US grants asylum. The scientists, students and scholars, who visit us, see the United States as a place to expand their intellectual independence and create unparalleled opportunity. Our dire shortage of scientists and our desire to be competitive compels us to say yes to these elite immigrants. We do not have a one-size fits all immigration policy because we have different immigrants.

In the wake of the immigration debate sparked by the events in Arizona, we now desperately need to understand immigrants from Mexico and the unique relationship to this land among the many people whose ancestry transcends our borders.  While it is true many come here to seek jobs, their presence here is not limited to seeking opportunity.   In 1848 when the US signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo to secure the land we now consider to be California, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah roughly 100,000 Mexicans inhabited the territory.  As the US further expanded and borders shifted in what is now Texas, families that had lived in one region for several generations suddenly found themselves defined in between the land they called home and the new land that considered them outcasts.   Many Mexican immigrants consider themselves native to these lands. Indeed, they would at least argue “we were here long before any other immigrant group”.  And because of this history, Mexicans do not feel obligated to shed themselves of their tradition or history or language.  By contrast, the Irish, Italian and Jewish immigrants in the 1940’s knew they had abandoned their homeland in order to survive and live freely and thus their acculturation happened differently.  There was no turning back.  For Mexican immigrants, there is much less of a sense of having left “home” or needing to give up their identity. These lands are not foreign and there is nothing “illegal” about being here.

While some would argue that we are well beyond 1848, history cannot be ignored.  Immigration reform is desperately needed to address the presence of an estimated 7 million people from Mexico who remain in the Southwest and who overwhelming live quietly as hard working people, contributing to local economies. But policy and legislation will fail unless we consider the identity of this vibrant community and the cultural roots tied to these lands.  Many nations have drawn borders only to fail against the deeply rooted culture associated with geography.  The US is poised to fail in its reforms again, unless a new accord is found with a people who remain loyal to our lands.     

Somehow Hispanic Magazine chose to nominate the outrageous, self-made Hollywood celebrity gossiper Perez Hilton as its 2009 Hispanic of the Year.   In a year when the nation saw Justice Sonia Sotomayor become the first Latina to serve as a United States Supreme Court justice, Hispanic Magazine should be ashamed of its lack of judgment and indifference to historical precedence.  The only good thing that can be said about this horrific choice is that, thankfully and mercifully, the rest of the media chose to ignore it.   

In explaining her decision, Marissa Rodriquez, Hispanic Magazine’s Editor wrote: Who, we asked, are the big players who make the World Wide Web go around? There is little doubt that one of the web’s biggest stars is Perez Hilton. This famous blogger of Cuban American descent is credited by many for revolutionizing celebrity news. Professional gossips are nothing new, as gossip columns have existed in newspapers and magazines since their beginnings. But Perez is at the tipping point of something new, he’s taken an old idea and created something no one else has. His is one of those blogs that sometimes bests traditional news outlets in the 24-hour news game. …While he may be known for his flamboyant personal style and snarky approach to celebrity news, there is also a serious side to Hilton. A prolific poster on his site PerezHilton.com, he doesn’t hold back an opinion, and his opinions influence millions. Yes, he is controversial. Some people even despise him. Hilton knows it. But he is also loved by millions of readers from all over the world who flock to his website daily, making the site not only a cultural phenomenon and a smashing business enterprise. (Editors Letter, December 2009 Edition of Hispanic Magazine) 

The “tipping point of something new”?

Influences millions?

A “cultural phenomenon”? 

Aside from asking the obvious question about what kind of web surfing Rodriguez engages in, her gushing admiration for Hilton as a web pioneer raises serious questions about HISPANIC MAGAZINE’s journalistic rigor.  While there are far more significant individuals to list as Latino internet pioneers, HISPANIC MAGAZINE willfully ignored a Latina who truly will influence millions through her decisions in the highest court and whose success represents a tipping point of political and economic opportunity for all of us.  As Latinos finally gain much deserved attention in the arts, sciences, law and politics—we cannot afford to be distracted with the mediocre who tantalize us with an opportunity to be sensationalized with 15 minutes of fame.  We don’t need fame. We need authentic power that comes from inspired vision and substantive leadership. In the annals of history, there will be much written about this one remarkable moment Judge Sotomayor captured for Latinos.  Too bad that chapter did not get written with our own voice under the banner of HISPANIC MAGAZINE. 

As much as O’Brien tried to blend the stories of successful Latinos with those who live in the inner-city, she didn’t bring together some of the most notable Latino scholars who are studying how much Latinos are engaging in American life and how much they contribute to our economy. She missed three incredible demographic trends that must be well understood in order to truly appreciate Latino diversity and understand the remarkable role we play in the future of America’s economic, social and political success.

First, we are a multi-ethnic community representing 22 different Spanish speaking countries and all with varying levels of acculturation and because of our nation’s shared border with Mexico, there will always be an influx of people who are not acculturated to the US culture.  These are indeed the Spanish speakers among us who reflect their own native countries the most in language and traditions. When some compare the immigrant experience of the Irish, Polish and German families of the past, it is key to understand that those families could not go home so easily. There was no internet, no easy access to long distance calls and moving here meant being cut off from their homeland in significant and profound ways.    In contrast, by the time I was just 12 years old, my immigrant family had traveled and returned to Mexico at least 7 times and each time we were reinvigorated with our cultural roots and relished the time we could be in our extended family. Even so, my parents valued education and my brothers and I all spoke English and Spanish fluently by the time we completed our first year of schooling in the US and though my parents struggled they learned English, too.

Second,  Latinos in the US have a healthy and growing middle class.  Median income for Latinos is now close to $39,000. Those of us in our 40’s and 50’s who took advantage of educational opportunity programs or veteran benefits or who simply developed a strong trade skill are not just surviving. We are living that America dream so many of O’Brien’s guests seemed unable to attain.  Our spending power as a whole is approaching $1.2Trillion in 2011. Yes, that’s Trillion with a “T”.   We have shaped the way grocery stores stock certain food items. We’ve inspired how fast food outlets feed us.  Our love of music, family, celebrations, and art is creating a business for celebrating quinceñeras, weddings, and baptisms like nothing seen before.  The fastest growing entrepreneurial group in the US is Latinas.  We remain in many ways the untapped opportunity for retailers, automakers, housing developments, and financial services—who desperately need to learn how to attract the Latino consumer.

Third, Latinos as a whole are 10 – 12 years younger on average than the Caucasian population of the US.  This has huge implications for the American economy and this was sorely missed when O’Brien brought us the stories on the poor and uneducated.  As whites continue to retire in significant numbers, we are the future labor force that will fuel the economic engine of the US.  By 2050, half of the working age adults in the US will be Latino.   If ever there is an argument to indeed make sure Latinos feel included in our society and encouraged to succeed in school and have access to safe neighborhoods—this is it: The future of American enterprise rests on engaging successful Latinos to create, innovate, and promote new visions of the American Dream. Let’s hope that future documentaries on Latinos take time to reflect carefully on nothing less than that.  

Even if Sotomayor succeeds at being nominated, it is doubtful that the White House, or Sotomayor herself, will allow for any further discussion of “that life” when in fact her experiences and her perspective actually need further understanding. Justice is not blind. Laws are not written in a vacuum. The mechanics of our legal systems are still at the mercy of human interpretation. To assemble a court of 12 men and women who must disregard fundamental life experiences in order to interpret the law cannot serve our nation well because we are not a nation of robots. Our Supreme Court must reflect the diverse experiences of American life to which our constitution must be applied.

“That life” Sotomayor has lead is truly such a mystery to most because it is extraordinarily rare to see Latinas in positions of leadership and authority. There are less than one million Latinas in the nation with doctorates, medical degrees, law degrees, or masters in engineering combined—and those who are 50 plus years old are but a small fraction of these. We are often “the only ones” in the room and as such there are often unspoken assumptions made that we got there because we fulfill a quota. Our comments and ideas are thus suspected as having a “self-serving agenda” as if no white male has ever looked for ways to defend their own position. Those of us who are “first generation” in the US, like Sotomayor, often live in a dual world—a life of traditional immigrant beliefs and customs at home while at the same time looking for ways to acculturate as soon as we step outside. Our academic credentials are not necessarily the great equalizer we may be lead to believe. I recall preparing to select my doctoral dissertation committee and discussing this process with my parents who have very limited formal education. With great humility they advised me to pick “buena gente” (nice people) I could work with for the year ahead. My classmates, however, the children of attorneys and professors, garnered far more tactical advice—“find someone who will help you publish your work, another who can find you your first teaching position and one who will guide the statistical analysis”. Hearing about their strategy was a painful reminder that even though I had made it to the game, the playing field wasn’t exactly level. And that reality remains in place during a significant portion of the early stages of a career, if not longer. Upon graduating, there was no one in the family already teaching at an ivy league school to help me figure out that journey and certainly no uncle or cousin to count on for introductions to corporate contacts when I left academia to start a business.

Can white men relate to these experiences of Latinas? Yes, some do. They can be quite sensitive to these life stories especially if they are children of immigrants and if they surpassed their parent’s education or social class. But despite the social progress of our nation, there remains a remarkable divide of basic skin color. White males are not de facto assumed to be immigrants nor do strangers approach them by asking “Do you speak English?” Well meaning professionals think nothing of complimenting us for being “so articulate or well spoken” yet that’s not typically what gets said of white males. This distinction of race and color is truly unique for people of color.

Does all this make her a “better” judge than a white male or a judge of any other ethnic group for that matter? Of course not. At the core of her comments was an understanding that her life’s work has been shaped by her humble beginnings, her triumphs and her challenges. These experiences simply allow her to see and interpret issues through a lens that isn’t easily accessible to others—white male or otherwise. “That life” that Sotomayor has had would indeed be worth exploring as it may shed light on the nation’s largest ethnic minority group—a population that sorely needs to be understood in Washington. Unfortunately, the current politics of damage control and message management—require that she draw little attention to her personal life experiences. Ironically, in a nation that is diverse by design, the confirmation process has forced her to minimize her identity and her heritage. Sotomayor’s legal decision making—like those of all other judges before her—are not independent of their complex human experiences and efforts to suggest otherwise, simply does us all a great disservice.

Make no mistake that Barack Obama is an exceptional individual.  Any careful examination of his life will detail a person who did not grow up with a privileged posture of knowing his admission to the elite schools he attended was a given.  He worked exceptionally hard to access the finest schools in the country, competed to be at the head of his class, and dedicated countless hours to demonstrate his mastery of law in a competitive environment that can be humbling at best and a terrifying daily struggle at worst. His achievements at a young age speak to enormous focus, dedication and yes, "street smarts" to navigate Washington politics.  He did all that without the kind of family history or family name that opens doors, creates access and circumvents the political landmines he has faced.  

President Obama begins his tenure in the White House resting solely on his tenaciousness, the hard work of his election team and a fundamental faith in his dreams.  He's far from average and  perhaps that truly is what great civic leadership must be--extraordinary people doing extraordinary things.   Is it possible that the first election of an African American to the highest office has finally set the bar for standards we should have followed all along? Now, that is poetic irony!   

Honestly I'm not down on Christmas, but...Is it necessary to have Christmas sales before Thanksgiving? 

Despite my plans to be home and sharing this historic moment with my family, I have witnessed the election of Barack Obama in a Red state.   In my hotel room last night, I cried and cheered. I called family and friends to say what we all said simultaneously: "this wasn't going to happen in our life times but it has".  I felt a sense of hope and relief. I celebrated that my 14 year old son would finally understand what true leadership looks like and that he might be spared from going to war in Iraq or Iran.  But this morning when I walked down the lobby of the hotel and exchanged my first set of hellos with staff, it has become clear this actually isn't a moment of celebration or victory everywhere.  One clerk remarked, "I'm just glad its over with" and another said, "Well, I guess we just have to wait and see what happens".  

It's not that I'm new to regional politics-- but what did feel so different for me is the level of disconnect I was having right there with the people I had been on good terms with the day before.  These two staff had smiled warmly and poured coffee on Monday.  They had seemed so welcoming as good hotel workers are trained to be.  So what happened?   Why this shift in attitude?  I didn't probe or try to strike up a conversation--they could have each just had a hard commute or a bad headache.

But I stepped away from my dinning table realizing that the shift of power is never easy.  Eight years ago and four years ago my demeanor on election night was one of disbelief and disappointment.   Those elections represented enormous defeat for me and because I was in California both times, I didn't feel so isolated or disconnected.  Californiands then all seemed to wake up from a collective nightmare and there was no point in talking about the future. Today, I am in the minority with my optimism and hopefulness here even if Ohio did turn Blue last night.  There's a legacy of views that won't shift in one night and perhaps should serve as a reminder the work of building community never ends.  Despite the sense of victory, president elect Obama has his work cut out for him to unify a nation and anyone who voted for him shares that obligation, too.