Exploring racial divides in America

What is your race? Check all that apply.

I’m brown. Latina. Hispanic. Whatever. There’s no way around it.

Since 1790, the American government has been racially classifying and socially constructing labels for us – people of all colors and looks – to help “identify” or “place” us in society, with each U.S. Census allowing for more racial categories. Are they necessary? I don’t know, but they’re there and it’s not realistic to easily eradicate a racial system that has existed for centuries.

I don’t look black, white or oriental. I’m brown, or whatever other title is applicable. That’s what I am, that’s how I’m seen and it’s what I know. And I’m OK with it.

I do have to say, though, that there is a slight hostility between the numerous ethnic groups that are placed under the umbrella term Latino. Guatemalans or Salvadorans are not the same as Mexicans or Cubans.

Despite people of Hispanic/Latino origin coming from different countries and diverse cultural backgrounds, most people don’t understand the differences between us, especially those who lie outside the brown umbrella.

We’re mostly perceived as Mexicans because of the booming Mexican population in California. Yes, there are similarities. Yes, we have almost the same exact experiences with the challenges we face, our parents or just simply growing up.

But we’re different. Our cultures are completely different. Our ways of speaking are different. Our value systems and ways of thinking are different. Our food and music is different. Just because we have some similar qualities like dark skin, hair and eyes doesn’t mean we’re all the same.

Just as Koreans aren’t the same as Chinese or blacks aren’t the same as Haitians. Yet, I’m still assumed to be Mexican, which is the prevalent thought, I suppose.

I don’t think I’ve ever faced blatant racism or discrimination, though. However, maybe indirectly I have.

I’ve usually been followed physically, with the eyes or by a camera whenever I go into stores, most of which are owned or managed by Asians in my area. It is the most irritating thing to be looked at as if I’m going to steal something and even more irritating to be followed while they’re pretending to just be cleaning or organizing.

I’m not dumb and I’m not blind. And I definitely don’t need to steal your cheap things that I can easily buy, is what I usually think. Is it them just being paranoid or is it me and the stereotype I carry that calls for that type of surveillance?

I don’t know, but it’s there.

I’ve also been to wealthy Brentwood neighborhood stores, most of which attract white customers, and have been looked at almost immediately.

Maybe they don’t get too many people like us in their stores? Do I look diseased? Or is it the fact that I’m a beaner/wetback/illegal in their store? Is that too harsh?

Maybe it’s just the reality of how I’m perceived by some.

When my mom came to the U.S. from El Salvador she started working as a housekeeper for wealthy families and continues to work for one in Brentwood. However, she was once fired from her job with a well-known sportscaster; his wife thought she was stealing, which she wasn’t.

She also takes the bus daily and as she waited at her bus stop with other housekeepers, she would come in conflict with an older white woman who lives in the apartment complex near the stop. She repeatedly told my mom to get off of her property or she’s going to call the police and immigration officials.

It’s kind of typical for people to try to intimidate those who look a certain way or don’t speak English as well. These things can’t be sugarcoated.

Furthermore, I don’t know how much President Obama’s election has changed for people. It was a milestone and the blood, sweat and tears of millions of people coat the huge hurdles that were crossed to get to this point.

He is a man who encompasses the wealthy, poor, whites, blacks, Asians and Hispanics. He’s the one who brought the world together, marking one of the most momentous days in American history.

But he is just one man. It’s going to take all of us to change the status quo and progress to a compassionate and accepting future, especially being that this country was founded on diversity.

However, recent events show that some people in society aren’t interested in accepting certain racial groups, making it more difficult to believe that Obama’s election alone will make us move forward.

For example, the Orange County Register reported that on July 4, two men – one bearing a swastika tattoo on his left shoulder – allegedly committed a hate crime against Maria Guadarrama, a 45-year-old custodian in Ladera Ranch, Orange County. She said in a press conference that as they stabbed her they yelled racial slurs, calling her a worthless Mexican.

On the day Americans across the country celebrate the nation’s independence and freedom, two men decided to attack a woman because of her ethnicity and attempt to silence a race as a whole.

Irony at its best.

Crickets Louder Than Obama as Aunt Faces Deportation

(This post originally appeared on WireTap Magazine)

I don’t wanna jump on the Barack bashing bandwagon, the trend since progressive activists stopped worrying about McCain winning and began scrambling back to the über-Left, and especially since I voted for the man (the personal becomes political when it comes to electing My First Black President), but President Obama’s attitude as his Kenyan aunt, Zeituni Onyango, faces mounting pressure for her deportation threatens my hope for just immigration reform happening under his administration.

Just two weeks ago, the Americans for Legal Immigration (ALIPAC) filed a request with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (the cold agency known as ICE) calling for Ms. Onyango’s arrest for violating deportation orders and demanding the President’s support on the matter. President Obama did not respond to their call but his silence in light of comments made at the end of last year about the case shows that he neither feels passionately about immigration reform nor does he feel its urgency. In an interview with Katie Couric, the Presidential hopeful stated about his dear “Auntie Zeituni,” as he referred to her in his memoir:

“If she is violating laws those laws have to be obeyed. We’re a nation of laws. Obviously that doesn’t lessen my concern for her, I haven’t been able to be in touch with her. But I’m a strong believer you have to obey the law.”

Laws need to be obeyed, huh? What about the fact that his Auntie Zeituni came here seeking asylum because Kenya’s politicians couldn’t obey their own laws, and as a result civil war broke out, forcing her to immigrate to the US?

And as President, and inheritor of Big Brother, he should be able to find her now, even if perhaps, he somehow couldn’t get a hold of her then. If the distance allows him to turn a blind eye, what does that mean for the thousands of immigrants who are being rounded up by ICE, waiting in detention centers or at home with ankle bracelets? And who, just like Ms. Onyango, need his help in the form of immediate immigration reform?

I don’t want to turn my back on My First Black President, but having solidarity with him means he needs to have solidarity with me and my community of immigrant people of color, and he could start by taking an Air Force One flight to Auntie Zetuni’s house in the projects of South Boston and find out what the hell is going on.

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Credit: Beatriz Herrera, a native of New York City and a lead organizer with the Women Workers Project at People Organized to Win Employment Rights (POWER), a multiracial grassroots organization based in San Francisco.

Generation You: Religion

With Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration right around the corner, Minority Dreams asked students, activists, leaders and educators about his full name and the rise of Islamophobia.

Q: How do you feel about Barack Hussein Obama using his full name during the inauguration speech on Jan. 20, 2009?

“Barack Obama’s inauguration will be a undercover test of character. True, his middle name has Islamic origins, but it does not necessarily mean he is Muslim – a label which many of he peers would consider to be political suicide. I think he should use his middle name. Why should he hide part of his name? He should be true to his name and identity – a black man, whose FATHER was Muslim, who will be the next President of the United States of America.” – Aysha Mohsin, law student at University of Southern California

“If he hides “Hussein” people will manipulate it and interpret it the way they want to. It’s better if he holds his name and explains it himself. I don’t think he identifies himself as being Muslim, so I don’t think he’s appealing to Muslim Americans or Muslims in general.” – Noor Higley, activist, Washington DC

“I think he should use his full name. We should all be proud of our names and Mr. Obama should be proud of his. Our names give us some insight on what our ethnic or cultural background is. With such a name as his, it has shown how far our country has come in embracing not only people but leaders of diverse backgrounds.” – Curtis Schlaufman, president of Associated Students Inc. at Cal State Fullerton

“I don’t think using Obama’s middle name should be an issue at all. It’s his name, period. The issue of using a middle name wasn’t a subject to debate when Bush or Clinton were inaugurated. I think he should spell it out, loud and proud.” – Rashad Al-dabbagh, Access California Services, Anaheim, Calif.

“I think he should use his full name. All the other presidents that I can remember watching used theirs.” – Anthony Ragazzo, lecturer at Cal State Fullerton

Q: Do you feel there has been a rise in Islamophobia [prejudice against or stereotyping of Muslims] in recent years in America? How & Why?

“Islamophobia is becoming the unsaid norm for much of the country. Living in California we don’t see it as much, nor do we hear it in the media or news reports since much of the incidences go unreported. Being Muslim, Pakistani and a student, I come to hear of attacks on students at universities, professors making discriminating remarks and especially racial profiling by authority figures. I, myself, have fallen prey to racial profiling many times. It has become common, almost expected, for me to be stopped every single time I fly for intense security screening. I suspect my name, Aysha, is the red flag.

The creation of the term “Islamophobia” itself should be an indicator that there has been a rise in incidences so much so that a term needed to be created to categorize these events.  It is true that Islamophobia has been at an increased state for quite some and fluctuates surrounding global events. Depending on the international political climate, people tend to be more outspoken and become more Islamophobic. In my opinion Islamophobia is becoming more and more common and almost accepted.

When you travel outside California [and] see what the rest of the nation thinks of Islam, Muslims, the war and the East, you would be shocked. Muslims need to work to help others understand Islam and combat the stereotypes rather than ignoring ignorant remarks.” – Aysha

“Yes. It’s hard to measure Islamophobia, but there have been campaigns designed to make Islam and Muslims look bad, such as the Islamo-fascism campaigns that toured campuses. In terms of foreign policy, the U.S. has occupied Muslim countries for oil in the name of spreading democracy. U.S. foreign policy requires the dehumanization of Muslims to justify the war. The people have not protested the Iraq war as much as they did when America was in Vietnam.

Both Americans and Muslim Americans must take action. Have a campaign that educates the public and our representatives in Congress about the situation, how racism can take different shapes and forms.” – Noor

“I do feel that there has been a rise in Islamophobia, mostly because of the attacks on September 11th. Unfortunatly the majority of people don’t quite understand Islam or it’s ideals and values. People fear what they don’t understand and to get over that obstacle we must all be educated.

It’s a matter of interacting with people who have roots in Islam and learning about different religions in school. The more the public is educated the less fear there is.” - Curtis

The Obama Legacy

The triumphant election of Barack Obama has unleashed the nation at last from the burdens of history. Being the first black man to step into the presidential role might however, materialize into increased scrutiny.

“It is always difficult being the first,” said Raphael Sonenshein, a professor of political science at Cal State Fullerton. “It means you spend a lot of time trying to keep people from attaching stereotypes to you.”

It was a symbolic moment when Obama won the presidency, one that supporters likened to the dream Martin Luther King spoke of during the 1960s Civil Rights Era.

In a society obsessed with racial divides, African Americans have long been stereotyped as emotionally or genetically inferior, said J. Owens Smith, professor of Afro-Ethnic Studies at CSUF.

“Society has always been reluctant to put a black man into a higher position,” said Smith, who cried when Obama won. “[But] now you have a young black, very articulate, [portrays] John F. Kennedy’s image and at the same time, there’s an economic crisis.”

But the high expectations that come with being the first also pack a load of pressure.

The president-elect’s victory managed to remove these black stereotypes and launch the imaginations of young African Americans through out the nation. As a result, the notion of “Mr. President” has completely been transformed.

“I’d say it has now changed for all time,” Sonenshein said. “With this door shattered, it is hard to see how it will be re-closed.”

Many black youth believe they can be president one day, too, Smith said.

“But wanting to become president and getting elected is two things,” he said. “It takes money to be president.”

Obama was able to garner the youth vote, about 23 million nationwide under the age of 30, perhaps more than any election since 1972, according to Civicyouth.org.

They served as the back bone for Obama’s success. Through grass roots organizing, the Internet and transparent campaigning strategies, Obama was able to gain support and funds, Smith said.

In the week following his success, citizens of all nations joined in the celebrations. They declared their delight in the president-elect and in America for transcending beyond years of racial inequality.

Many affirmed, on the same social networking sites Obama used to communicate with youth, that their love for and faith in America had returned once again.

“I’m very glad to see Obama [as] president even if I’m not American but I’m proud to see a black [man] in the White House for the first time in our history,” said Layla of Morocco, a supporter on Facebook.

Others closer to America also reveled in his election.

“For the first time ever since the last eight years, I truly wish that I was an American,” said Crystal, who is African Canadian, also on Facebook.

Supporters must realize however, the difference between campaign speech and reality, Smith said. The fundamental change Obama promised will not come right away.

“The issue is not about civil rights, it’s about the economy,” Smith said. “Once it’s solved, both blacks and whites will benefit.”

As Obama dives into the financial crisis, people will start to focus on his work ethics and how much gets done through his administration.

“It will be like JFK’s Catholicism. Obama will be remembered by what he does, not only that he was the first African American president,” said Kristen Monroe, a professor of political science at UC Irvine.

But the mere fact that he is black will always attract disapproval from those on the radical right.

“You don’t want to get caught in mistakes,” Smith said of Obama, who made no real mistakes during his two year campaign. “If whites make the same mistakes, they’ll get away with it.”

The president-elect will continue his strict, controlled and calm disposition, he said.

A taste of discrimination was evident during the campaign. Even some supporters of Sen. McCain were terrified that a black man could possibly be their next president.

Sen. McCain however, did not tolerate the bigotry and urged his followers to focus on the issues.

“A century ago, President Theodore Roosevelt’s invitation of Booker T. Washington to dine at the White House was taken as an outrage in many quarters. America today is a world away from the cruel and frightful bigotry of that time,” McCain said during his conceding speech.

After his comments, a lot of white people will now follow suit, Smith said.

How the president-elect delivers on the economy and America’s necessities will determine his place in history, besides his status as the first African American to hold the position.

“Over time, the barriers begin to fall,” Sonenshein said. “We will see how long that takes.”

Credit: Urmi Rahman