Racism is Never Funny
First, let me state that I don’t watch Celebrity Apprentice. The show was on Bravo this morning when I woke up. I preferred to watch the news, but couldn’t find the remote control. Still tired, I refused to get out of bed to look for it or to physically change the channel. So I laid in bed, watching this reality show. Honestly, it wasn’t that bad. I saw people I immediately recognized like Clay Aiken, Lou Ferrigno, Arsenio Hall, and Cheryl Tiegs. Others I didn’t know. Curiosity got the best of me, so I grabbed my iPad and began to Google them. I came across a beautiful woman named Dayana Mendoza and learned that she was crowned Miss Venezuela in 2007 and Miss Universe in 2008. I also saw recent news updates in which she was expressing her dismay over a fellow castmate’s racist comments about her. It was comedienne Lisa Lampanelli. I Googled Lampanelli as well and according to some sites, she’s known for her racist humor.
Now let me preface my upcoming questions by saying that I love a good joke and some jokes about race are simply funny. Jokes about stereotypes often make me laugh because I’ve never been one to feed into them anyway. For some comics, no group is off limits and they make jokes about their own race, culture, or religion as well. But….at what point does a comic cross the line? Do some jokes eventually reveal the true racist nature of a person?
Apparently, Lampanelli was asked on the radio by a caller if she was jealous of Mendoza. Lampanelli responded by calling her names, including “spic”. Specifically, Lampanelli was quoted as saying, “I actually would love to see [Dayana] giving birth. She’s a spic! She’s going to do it f***ing soon anyway. She’ll be knocked up before the end of the week.” As previously stated, I appreciate a good joke, but resorting to racial slurs is completely offensive. I don’t know Lampanelli, have never seen her perform, and know nothing about her standup routines. I pray that she is not known for and appreciated by her fans for these antics.
Some may not understand why Lampelli’s use of this word offended me so, and why it is likely to offend others. I did a quick search for the meaning of “spic” and this is what I found in mere minutes:
1. An ignorant Hispanic person
2. A Mexican
3. Means “Spanish Person in Custody” – used by the police to denote a Spanish person who could not speak English and not meant to be offensive
4. Initially used to refer to Italians, called “spig” or “spiggoty”, derived from spaghetti or “no spika de Inglese”
5. An illegal immigrant who speaks broken English
6. Shortened form of the word Hispanic
7. An ignorant Hispanic person; the equivalent of calling a black person a nigger (an ignorant black person)
8. A play on the Hispanic person’s pronunciation of the word “speak”
Are you wondering about Mendoza’s response to these comments? She reportedly said, “I understand that it’s Lisa’s job to make fun of people for a living,” and added, “If poking fun at me can help her sell tickets to her shows, no problem, I am happy to help her put food on her table. However, when she uses racial slurs, she is not only targeting myself, but degrading an entire hispanic culture.” I couldn’t agree with Mendoza more. Lampanelli clearly crossed the line.
Trayvon Martin: Race Did Matter
On the night of February 26, 2012, seventeen year old Trayvon Martin was walking back to his father’s house in a gated community in Sanford, FL, a suburb of Orlando, after purchasing a package of Skittles and an Arizona iced tea. Sounds innocent, right? It was….that is, until 28 year old George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, spotted Trayvon while patrolling the area. Zimmerman, who was initially described as white, called 911 to report this “suspicious” youth who was armed with deadly candy and dangerous tea. Despite the dispatcher’s request that he leave Trayvon alone, Zimmerman pursued and confronted him, ultimately shooting and killing this unarmed, black teen.
The police arrived on the scene and questioned Zimmerman. Zimmerman claimed self-defense. To this date, he remains free and has not been charged in the shooting.
There have since been allegations of racial profiling and racial discrimination. Interestingly, Zimmerman’s father, in an attempt to support his son and negate assertions of racism, wrote a statement to the Orlando Sentinel pointing out his son’s Hispanic ethnicity. Specifically, he wrote, “George is a Spanish speaking minority with many black family members and friends. He would be the last to discriminate for any reason whatsoever.” I’ve heard some folks use this as a basis to deny that race was a motivating factor. I had a discussion with an acquaintance who wanted to know my thoughts as a black person with Latino roots.
I pondered this for a while. I believe that race has everything to do with it based on evidence reported to date. Police describe Zimmerman as white and his family says he’s Hispanic. What most fail to realize is that George Zimmerman is both: he’s white and Hispanic. His father is white and his mother is Hispanic. I believe she’s of Peruvian descent. Further, Hispanic is an ethnicity, not a race. Within this ethnic group, there are different races. Therefore, it is possible to be Hispanic and racist.
The Washington Post reported that Hispanics and black Americans have a shared history of discrimination in the United States, but also a shared history of tension. Hispanics make up the largest ethnic group in the U.S. at more than 13% of the population while African Americans are the largest racial group, making up more than 12%.
Elahe Izadi, a public radio reporter in Washington, D.C. who covers race and politics wrote a blog post titled “Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman And Beyond Black And White.” I think she summarized it best with these three points:
1. “The race of Zimmerman is relevant. The race of Trayvon is relevant.”
2. “There’s the question of how a person self-identifies. And there’s the question of how society identifies you.”
3. “Being a person of color doesn’t preclude racially profiling someone else.”
As a parent myself, I understand Zimmerman’s father. He’s in “protection mode”in an effort to spare his son from being labeled a racist and a murderer. However, if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck…it must be a duck. Sadly, I believe that race was definitely an issue.
God rest Trayvon Martin’s soul and may He grant peace to his family.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/who-is-george-zimmerman/2012/03/22/gIQAkXdbUS_story.html
http://www.tampabay.com/news/definitions-of-race-cloud-case-of-black-teens-shooting/1221036
Dos Muñecas
It’s sad that in 2012, many people still judge others by the color of their skin. It’s even sadder when children exhibit this same attitude. Sometimes, this attitude demonstrates self-hate, low self-esteem, feelings of inferiority, or complete denial of one’s obvious characteristics. In the 1940’s, the Clark study was designed to measure the color preference in black children. In or about November 2011, researchers in Mexico conducted this same experiment with mostly brown-skinned Mexican children who were considered “mestizos” (half-Spanish, half Indian). Latin Dispatch reports that approximately 100 children between the ages of 6 and 10 took part in this experiment. They were of varying complexions and attended both public and private schools.
Researchers asked the children to identify which doll was ugly and pretty, which was the good doll and which was bad, and which was the doll that most resembles them. The children routinely stated that the white doll was “good” or “most like them.” The black doll was considered “ugly” and “bad.” The video, titled Viral Racismo in Mexico, was created by Mexico’s National Council to Prevent Discrimination (Conapred in Spanish) and released in January 2012. Conapred Director, Ricardo Bucio, believes that this study shows that Mexicans place a higher social value on light skin (Latindispatch.com). According to Rollingout.com, Sociology professor Wilner Metelus, who believes the video shows the prevalence of racism and the need to educate young people, said, “The Mexican state still does not officially recognize Afro-Mexicans. There are few texts that talk about the presence of Africans in Mexico.” He added, “We need a projects in the schools to show that the dark children are just the same as them, as the lighter children. And not only in schools; it is also necessary in Mexican families.” Interestingly, Bucio noted that when attempting to buy dolls for this experiment, he had difficulty because no one sold a dark-complexioned (black) doll. He had to purchase two white dolls and paint the other dark. This further supports the assertion that Mexico has little regard for those of African descent.
Resources:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z341bBS7oj0&feature=fvsr
Afro-Brazilian Woman Barred from School for “Black Power” Hairstyle
Ana Carolina Bastos, a 19 year old Afro Brazilian student of the Unidade Integrada Estado do Pará, reported that she was barred from class by the director of the school, Socorro Bohatem, on the first day of class on February 23rd, 2012. Bastos alleged that Bohatem stopped her at the entrance of the school, stating that her dress was “inadequate”. Bastos immediately thought the reference was to her clothing, and pointed out a Caucasian girl whose attire was less modest than hers and was not similarly barred. However, much to her chagrin, Bastos learned that Bohatem was not referring to her clothing, but to her “black power” hairstyle after she was asked why she wore her hair “in that way”. Bastos was ultimately told to leave the building. She filed a complaint with the police and now plans to file one against the director in the State Public Ministry of the State (MPE).
Students and members of Movimento Negro held a protest carrying banners and signs against the action of the director in front of the school. The director maintains that she did not behave in a racist manner. Bastos is quoted as saying, “I have a black identity and I will not change it.”
According to Claudicea Durans of the group Raça e Classe do Maranhão (Race and Class of Maranhão): “Black men and women have experienced situations of humiliation and racial slurs on a daily basis in different public spaces and these acts are often expressed in different ways: racist jokes, police beatings, moral and physical aggressions, that often go unreported because of the embarrassment, humiliation, sadness and frustration that its causes the people that denounce them”, but, Durans continues, “They must be reported in order to serve as examples and may in fact be punished because racism, according to Brazilian law, is a non-bailable and imprescriptible crime.”
I am appalled at what appears to be outright racism! I applaud Bastos for her confidence as an African woman for not succumbing to outside pressures to change her hair to appear less ethnic. I also applaud her for her bravery in taking a stand against racism and I salute the students who marched in support of her. I hope there is follow up on this incident.
Ana Carolina Bastos (above)
References:
Black Women of Brazil – http://www.blackwomenofbrazil.com/2012/03/student-is-barred-because-of-her-hair.html
¡No me juzguen…yo soy latina y estoy orgulloso!
According to the dictionary, a Latino is “a person of Latin American or Spanish-speaking descent.” Your descent refers to your lineage, your ancestors. Given this info, if your ancestor is Latin American, then you are Latino. My grandmother was Mexican which makes me Latina. Does it matter if I don’t speak Spanish fluently? Why am I less Latina (or not Latina) to some when the same Latin American blood that runs through their veins runs through mine? I’m a dark-complexioned Afro-Mexican. Am I less black because I don’t speak in Ebonics? (As strange as it sounds, I’ve heard that ridiculous “you sound like a white girl” comment from some of my black counterparts.)
I have an acquaintance from the Philippines who doesn’t speak or understand Filipino and no one questions her ethnicity. Why then do we do this to each other? So many people have posted comments that they’ve had to prove their “Latin-ness” (yes, I made up a word) because they’re black and/or don’t speak Spanish. Why are we blamed for not being taught the language? It’s not our fault! In my case, I didn’t even know I was Latina until last summer. And why is color always an issue?
We don’t speak Spanish for a variety of reasons. For some of us, our ancestors, were forbidden to speak it in school and there were no ESL/bilingual classes in their time. Some were victims of racism for speaking a foreign language. Therefore, for many reasons, they stopped speaking the language and didn’t teach it to their offspring. I assume this may have been the case with my ancestors. US Census records I uncovered last year show that they lived in a highly populated Mexican community in Virginia from the mid 1800s through the early 1900s. With so many Mexicans in that neighborhood, one can reasonably assume they were prevented somehow from speaking Spanish and teaching it.
Regardless, since when is speaking Spanish a requirement to be considered Latino? And race is simply a color that has nothing to do with lineage. However, Latino is what you undeniably are…what you feel…what you embrace.
¡Yo soy negro y no hablo bien el español, pero yo soy latina y estoy orgulloso!
(And I didn’t even need a Spanish dictionary to write that!)
The U.S – Mexican War
For years, I’ve been hearing of animosity between Mexicans and Americans. It seemed to be more prevalent on the West Coast than here in the northeast where I’m located. Not knowing a lot about this, I questioned a friend who happens to be Mexican. He said that many Mexicans believe that America stole their land and now wants to enact immigration laws to keep them out. Egad! As a result of our conversation and his accusation, I decided to do some research of my own on the U.S. – Mexican War just to have a little background into the history. What appears below is only a brief summary based upon my limited research using the online Encyclopedia Brittanica.
The U.S. – Mexican War
Under President James Polk, the Republic of Texas was annexed to the US on 12/29/1845. Once a territory of Mexico, Texas became an independent republic about ten years prior as a result of the Texas Revolution in 1836. Some scholars have opined that prior to its independence, Mexico allowed Americans to move into Texas freely as long as they followed Mexican law. Once there however, the Americans resisted Mexico’s anti-slavery laws and rejected Catholocism, declaring themselves independent. (Note: Mexico ended slavery before the US.) Despite the resulting Texas Revolution, Mexico never recognized the independence of Texas. Mexico ultimately saw the US annexation of Texas as adversarial – the US was taking what belonged to it. The two countries also disagreed on where the border began. The US claimed it was at the Rio Grande, but Mexico claimed it was the Nueces River.
President Polk then sent John Slidell on a “secret mission” to negotiate the border issue and to purchase New Mexico and upper California for up to $30 million, but Mexican President Jose Herrera refused to meet with him. This angered Polk who sent US troops to occupy the disputed territory – the area between the Rio Grande and the Nueces River. On 4/25/1846, Mexico crossed the Rio Grande and attacked American soldiers. On 5/13/1846, the US declared war, claiming “American blood had been shed on the American soil.” Mexico denied this, claiming that the US invaded Mexico because the Texas border was the Nueces River, and not the Rio Grande. Interestingly, not all Americans supported this war. Some saw it as a US attempt to increase slave territory.
The US sent a force to invade the heart of Mexico (Mexico City) and another force to take over New Mexico and upper California. Both invasions were successful. The US moved in and by 9/1847, captured Mexico City, forcing Mexico to surrender.
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (2/2/1848) ended the war. What were the guarantees of this treaty? In a nutshell:
a. Mexico accepted the Rio Grande as the boundary.
b. The US agreed to assume the claims of its citizens against that nation up to $5 million. (These were debts Mexico owed to the US.)
c. Mexico ceded (gave) to the US for $15 million nearly all the territory now included in the states of New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California, Texas, and western Colorado.
I am not pro-Mexico or pro-America with regard to my research. However, I did have questions to which I will probably never receive concrete answers:
Questions—
1. Was the war Mexico’s fault for attempting to claim independent land? Texas had been recognized as independent by several nations for about 10 years before it was annexed.
2. Did America systematically plan to take Texas from Mexico by moving into the territory and declaring independence, thereby causing both the Texas Revolution and the US – Mexican War?
3. Was it the plan of the US to attack Mexico and take land by force from the beginning when it went on its “secret mission” and secured the disputed territory?
4. It was clear that the US wanted New Mexico and upper California in that Slidell was sent by President Polk to negotiate the purchase. It was also clear that Mexico didn’t want to sell it. Wasn’t it their right not to sell the land? Was the plan for the US to take these territories all along? Why couldn’t the US just be happy with Texas, the territory they annexed? Or was it always their plan to seize these additional territories by any means necessary? The US certainly ended up with a lot of land considering that their alleged territorial dispute was simply Texas!
5. Was Mexico paid a fair price for the land? After all, the US paid half of what they were initially willing to offer.
I believe that I have a clearer understanding of the dispute about the land, but at what point do we all let it rest? How much longer will we argue about a war that ended over 160 years ago? Or is the war officially over?
The Nonsense Continues into the Next Generation?
I’ve always told my children to choose friendships based on a person’s character and not their color or national origin. As a result, I’ve raised open-minded children who enjoy friendships with a variety of people. Recently, my son told me that one of his friends, who is just as brown as him, is not black, but Hispanic. Curious about this, I probed a little and asked him what led him to believe his friend isn’t black. My son’s response, “He told me.” Now, while I admit this is obviously none of my business, it disturbed me. I said very calmly, “You’re not black either.” He was perplexed. “Yes I am,” he insisted. “How do you know?” I asked. “Because of my color,” he said. “Are you Hispanic?” I asked him, “And how do you know?” “Yes, because grandma was Mexican,” he said. “So can you be black and Hispanic?” I inquired. (I was proud of myself…i knew i had him! Lol!) My son agreed and then determined that his friend was also black and Hispanic. My last question to him: Why is your friend claiming his Hispanic ancestry, but denying his African roots?” My son is still pondering this one. It appears no matter the progress we make, we still have parents who teach this nonsense to their children and the denial…and racism, is continually perpetuated. (I’m assuming that my son’s friend was taught this.) There are so many famous Afro Latinos now from Zoe Saldana to Carmelo Anthony and his wife La La. I wonder how they all self identify. Now that would be an interesting discussion!
Colorism v. Racism
Today, while perusing the New York Times website, I read excerpts from an article titled “Colorism is the New Racism” by Shankar Vedantam originally published on January 18, 2010. It was stated that “research studies have shown that skin tone and other racial features play powerful roles in who gets ahead and who does not.” To support this statement, the author reported, “Lighter-skinned Latinos in the United States make $5,000 more on average than darker-skinned Latinos” and that “the education test-score gap between light-skinned and dark-skinned African-Americans is nearly as large as the gap between whites and blacks.” Vedantam explained, “This isn’t racism, per se: it’s colorism, an unconscious prejudice…”
Vedantam cited the work of Harvard neuroscientist Allen Counter who found that hundreds of Mexican-American women in Arizona, California and Texas have suffered mercury poisoning as a result of the use of skin-whitening creams! Huh? But why am I surprised by this? This is no different from the many African American women who buy such creams in an attempt to lighten their skin. Consider Michael Jackson. Did he really have vitiligo or did he bleach his skin as an outward expression of an innate desire to be white? What about Sammy Sosa who shocked the world when he bleached his skin and smiled proudly for the world in photos as a “white” man?
I recall, as a middle schooler, using a well-known cream to lighten a few dark spots on my face. I unknowingly used it incorrectly, putting it all over my face instead of only on the spots themselves. Within weeks, My face was lighter! I later realized I was using the cream incorrectly, but I was “pleased” with the results and continued to purposefully use it all over my face. My mom eventually caught on and made me stop. My natural complexion eventually returned. Even as a child, I was apparently aware of colorism although I didn’t articulate it back then.
The aforementioned article and my personal experiences made me consider the difference between racism and colorism. My thoughts: Racism is discrimination against a group of people who are classified by the same traits, characteristics and ancestral links whereas colorism is, simply put, discrimination based on skin tone/color.
While racism seems to be between separate races (think the slave trade and Jim Crow in terms of black v. white), colorism can take place either between races or within a race. Colorism, in my opinion, is more hurtful and dangerous because it has the potential to destroy a race and cause dissension based on complexion. It also has the potential to lower the self esteem of those who are not of the preferred complexion if they are not confident in who they are. I remember as a college student on the dating scene – hearing men make comments about my complexion. Don’t get me wrong, they always said that I was “very pretty…for a dark skinned girl.” Er, thanks, I think…
Of course, with regard to colorism, one of the greatest examples is the slave master choosing the fair Negro to work in his home (butlers, maids, etc.) and putting the dark Negro in the field (picking cotton, peanuts, etc.). This was enough to divide a race of people and some discord still exists today. Indeed, black people in America took colorism to the next level by devising the paper bag test (acceptance/entrance based on being lighter than a paper bag). There were also organizations for mulattos after the Emancipation Proclamation like the Blue Vein Society where mulattos proved they were worthy for membership by showing the blue veins in their arms. In addition, I’ve heard about ancestors on my mom’s side of the family who were light enough “to pass”…and did! They were never heard from again.
There should be no surprise that colorism exists in Latin America as well, considering the effects of colonization. I read somewhere that colonization brought about “institutionalized colorism”, as the Europeans in power were white and natives sought to emulate them. This seems to have happened in every former colony. The closer you were to looking like those in power, the better off you were. The less you looked like those in power, the less likely your situation to improve. Colorism.
Interestingly, a friend who is Italian gave an example of colorism amongst Italians. She explained that Italians from southern Italy, whose land was in close proximity to Africa and who were often of mixed ancestry (Italian and African), were generally discriminated against by Italians in northern Italy.
I believe that all people are beautiful the way God created them. I know….and now we can all sing Kum Ba Yah. But seriously, I’ve learned to love me and the beautiful, dark skin I’m in. I love my friends and family regardless of their complexions. I distance myself from people of all hues who I see as negative influences and I have no use for people who engage in racism or colorism.
Racism and colorism will always exist, but I don’t have to let it control me or determine my worth. James Brown sang, “Say it loud, I’m Black and I’m proud!” I agree.
Help! What is Mexican?
In my last post on October 25th, I commented that I heard my great great grandmother was Native American, but I suspected that she may have been Mexican instead. Hmmmm….I think my comment was made in ignorance. I recently read on a site that Mexicans were a mix of Spanish/European and Native American (indigenous people). There is also a percentage of Mexicans who are of African descent as a result of intermingling when the Spaniards brought African slaves to the colony. (FYI, my ignorance is something I’ll point out regularly during this learning process!) So now, I’m wondering if Pat Firebush (my great great grandmother) was Afro Mexican, or if she was more European/Native American and married an African. I guess I have to do more “digging” and see what else I can find.
In closing, I attempted to answer the question: What is a Mexican? My questions to anyone reading this post are: 1). Am I correct in my explanation of what constitutes a Mexican? 2). Can you shed some light on this and offer more information? I am open to correction…as my goal is to have the right info.
Grace and peace!
Mi Bisabuela Gran
Pictured center is my great great grandmother (mi bisabuela gran). I’ve been told that her name was Pat Firebush and that she was Native American. I’m convinced that she may be Mexican instead or some type of mix. U.S. Census records indicate that she was called Patsy Cox and was the wife of my great great grandfather (mi bisabuelo gran) who was named Edward Cox, alias Ned. I’m not sure who the child is on the right, but the older girl on the left is my Aunt, Lizzie Cox, who was the sister of my great grandmother Peachie, my grandmother’s mother. (I know…confusing, right?)
Two separate cultures - both connected to the African experience. Join me on this journey as I learn about my Latin ancestry and attempt to combine two worlds. I am an Afro Latina...
