What happened? I asked for! – I can not play in those park games, he said pointing to the structure. Why? I asked. Because those games are only for children with light hair – she answered – and I have dark hair. I felt a current rise from my feet to my head in a mixture of pain, sadness, anger and indignation. Who told you that?!!!!! – I asked – Those big boys who do have yellow hair.
I had never felt racism in my flesh like that day when my 5-year-old daughter returned sadly from the games at the park in Corte Madera to the bench where my sister and I were sitting. My sister who spoke English well got up immediately very indignantly and went to look for the children and their mothers but no longer found them. I stayed with my daughter explaining that that was not true, that the games and the whole park were for those who wanted to play there, because they were made for all people. What these children told you is called RACISM!
From there teach my daughter to look in the mirror and feel proud to be a woman, to be Latina, to be brunette and with Afro hair, to speak in Spanish and English; To realize the limitations that racism puts us and to fight with everything against them, to put the heart before hate and the most valuable to respect our roots, our cultures and our customs; To realize that she, like many others, is part of a wise heritage that comes from centuries, which today she is one of its representatives assuming and taking back the beautiful responsibility that that means. Let her understand that she is fortunate enough to be bicultural and that she can take the best of both cultures to the benefit of her, and of all.
But we continue to live the racism, and we express that experience in our daily life with small and great details such as today, when we were learning with a group of young people about the importance of knowing our rights as people, against the possible raids of ICE to inform our community. One of the jet-skinned youngsters, slender figure, Afro-colored hair of the night and beautiful black eyes born in Jamaica 15 years ago said, “I can not believe that just by this skin color -touching his arm- we have to be Knowing our rights as human beings”.
Still, we are still fighting …
THAT THINKS OUR COMMUNITY.
Juan Jose, 28 years old, Mexican, construction, 3 years in USA. If anything about what happened in Charlottesville and for me is very out of place for how they behave, because we are human and we all are worth the same. I totally disapprove of that behavior from what happened there. I think that with the current government are rather encouraging racist behavior as there were many people who are racist than with this president as they came out to highlight more groups and more people. What we can do in our community to counteract this situation is not to respond to the provocations, the offenses that many of us have in the shops, in the streets; Wherever it happens, do not react with violence, in a case of those if we react with violence we are also implying that we too are wrong and the best way is to have good behavior, good discipline and demonstrate with that we are people, human beings Like them and there is no reason to have that kind of discriminatory behavior. I have felt racist behavior when wanting to go out to a bank account, they left me waiting there for a long time, when they answered they told me that I only needed a valid ID and I had the Mexico, then they told me that they could not and I had to go.
Javier, 30 years old, Guatemalan, 10 years in USA, Painter. I think racism is very bad, because I believe we are all human beings, we are all people and we have to live together as such, I think it is not right to discriminate against people because of their skin color or whatever. What we can do is change the way we think in the sense of knowing that we are all the same regardless of how we see ourselves and more we as a Latino community have to help each other because no one else is going to do it and our change is what First that will make us get ahead, we are no more and no less than anyone. If I have had and felt several experiences of racism against me, but I think that is already behind regardless of what has been and how they treated me is already part of the past. I think that racism is not something right now that with this government is being highlighted, it is making it see more, but it already existed for a long time. We all have our way of thinking and the president thinks he is doing good but no, he has always been so what happens is that right now he has the power to influence more. But we must remember that this country is made by immigrants.
Keven 12 years, Mexican; Jason 11 years old, Guatemalan; Lucas 12 years Salvadoran; We do not know what racism is. Ah well, if that is racism then I think racism is wrong because it is not our fault to have been born like this. I also think the same. I think it is better to get together to defend ourselves, we are all people.
Margarita, 38 years old, Mexican, 16 years old in USA, babysitter. For me it is a lack of respect for others, for me we are all the same, different color of skin, race; But it’s not nice to be told or to be pointed out for it, it’s really ugly. I think that we should support each other and defend ourselves, raise the voices that we are all the same mainly that we unite to stop that racial hatred that we especially have the Latin people, although not all white people are racist there are many people who do not they are.