Latinos, Wilson, and Money
So I have a new friend, not really a new friend but an old friend I finally met…
I think it is no secret that I use internet chat rooms and such to meet people. The reason usually is to try to meet gay men who are NOT at the bars every night of the week. I met this guy, Paul a few weeks back when he was looking to see what kind of scene is here in NM before moving out here for Grad School.
Well he and I have hung out a few times, nothing too interesting or exciting but he’s a great guy.
Well we started having this conversation about Latino people in New Mexico. Now this was a treat. He is born and raised in NYC, Brooklyn to be exact. He is Honduran-American and very gorgeous.
But none of this is the key here, he was very curious about the Latino People in NM and how we identify ourselves. See they didn’t have this problem we have in NM in NYC.
We currently have what one might call resurgence in NM of Latino/Chicano activists. And they are working to preserve our culture, and heritage. But many of us are coming from a place of trying to regain that culture, language, and heritage. As he said “so much of the struggle is being able to hold onto that language.” Well here in NM we had a different struggle.
My father is 40 something years old.
He never really spoke fluent Spanish until his early 30s. My grandma laughed because when a cousin asked me why I don’t speak Spanish, I said because my dad never taught me. Well she said because your dad doesn’t know. My grandparents were excited when their kids were born. They had only had 3rd or 6th grade educations themselves, in the southwest and had been treated horribly most of their lives because of the color of their skin, their culture, and their language. When my aunt, uncle, and father were born, they knew it wasn’t to be the same for them. They were all light skinned, they gave them names that blended with White people, Hilda, Danny, Corky. (ok ok I got my dad’s name and it doesn’t blend well with any culture but you get the idea.)
So my grandparents, who had been beaten for speaking Spanish at school, and had lived a pretty hard life because of their race were excited about the prospects for their children. So they never taught them Spanish at home. They didn’t really teach them much of their culture, and as a result my parents’ generation was whitewashed to the core. Then I was raised by a half white, half white washed father. So when I called myself a Chicano, in conversation with Paul he was amazed. He thought of it like a political identity. And I tried to explain to him it IS a political identity. The problem is brown people can’t get together enough to understand where we all come from, and to understand that the struggle isn’t just about language, but about so many other things.
Props to Paul for wanting to know more. I’ll keep you all updated as we continue our conversations…. (feel like this was a tease, well it was… deal with it)
Onto other news.
George W Bush will be in Fabulous Albuquerque tomorrow. I know, I know this makes Albuquerque a little less fabulous for a short period of time, but I wanted you all to know. He is coming to fundraise for Heather Wilson BLAH
Well PAC505 and the State Democratic Party of New Mexico are having a press event and protest outside of the fundraiser tomorrow to show our objection.
Why should you be there?
Also I’m co hosting a fundraiser for Patsy Madrid Saturday at 1pm, with Barney Frank as the guest speaker at a luncheon. Please contact me if you are interested in attending!!!!
Marshall Martinez
505-363-0152
I think it is no secret that I use internet chat rooms and such to meet people. The reason usually is to try to meet gay men who are NOT at the bars every night of the week. I met this guy, Paul a few weeks back when he was looking to see what kind of scene is here in NM before moving out here for Grad School.
Well he and I have hung out a few times, nothing too interesting or exciting but he’s a great guy.
Well we started having this conversation about Latino people in New Mexico. Now this was a treat. He is born and raised in NYC, Brooklyn to be exact. He is Honduran-American and very gorgeous.
But none of this is the key here, he was very curious about the Latino People in NM and how we identify ourselves. See they didn’t have this problem we have in NM in NYC.
We currently have what one might call resurgence in NM of Latino/Chicano activists. And they are working to preserve our culture, and heritage. But many of us are coming from a place of trying to regain that culture, language, and heritage. As he said “so much of the struggle is being able to hold onto that language.” Well here in NM we had a different struggle.
My father is 40 something years old.
He never really spoke fluent Spanish until his early 30s. My grandma laughed because when a cousin asked me why I don’t speak Spanish, I said because my dad never taught me. Well she said because your dad doesn’t know. My grandparents were excited when their kids were born. They had only had 3rd or 6th grade educations themselves, in the southwest and had been treated horribly most of their lives because of the color of their skin, their culture, and their language. When my aunt, uncle, and father were born, they knew it wasn’t to be the same for them. They were all light skinned, they gave them names that blended with White people, Hilda, Danny, Corky. (ok ok I got my dad’s name and it doesn’t blend well with any culture but you get the idea.)
So my grandparents, who had been beaten for speaking Spanish at school, and had lived a pretty hard life because of their race were excited about the prospects for their children. So they never taught them Spanish at home. They didn’t really teach them much of their culture, and as a result my parents’ generation was whitewashed to the core. Then I was raised by a half white, half white washed father. So when I called myself a Chicano, in conversation with Paul he was amazed. He thought of it like a political identity. And I tried to explain to him it IS a political identity. The problem is brown people can’t get together enough to understand where we all come from, and to understand that the struggle isn’t just about language, but about so many other things.
Props to Paul for wanting to know more. I’ll keep you all updated as we continue our conversations…. (feel like this was a tease, well it was… deal with it)
Onto other news.
George W Bush will be in Fabulous Albuquerque tomorrow. I know, I know this makes Albuquerque a little less fabulous for a short period of time, but I wanted you all to know. He is coming to fundraise for Heather Wilson BLAH
Well PAC505 and the State Democratic Party of New Mexico are having a press event and protest outside of the fundraiser tomorrow to show our objection.
Why should you be there?
- I’m speaking
- This is a campaign where Heather will paint her “independence” form Bush and yet she’s happy to have him raising money for her
- We will have black balloons to show how the Bush/Wilson regime has clouded New Mexico’s future.
- This race is going to be won or lost in New Mexico and we need to stand up and do something. I’m not usually a fan of the protests action but in addition to this we need to help out with the Madrid for Congress Campaign.
Also I’m co hosting a fundraiser for Patsy Madrid Saturday at 1pm, with Barney Frank as the guest speaker at a luncheon. Please contact me if you are interested in attending!!!!
Marshall Martinez
505-363-0152
posted by Marshall at 4:10 PM
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