by Eileen Rivera-de la Hoz
Dear Gov. Brewer,
In your zeal to rid yourself of hard-working, undocumented residents, you lost sight of your mission. You continue to step over lines that shouldn’t be crossed. In your so-called wisdom, you decided that you would save your state from the invading hoards and in doing so unleashed the hounds of hatred upon us all. Hope you’re proud of yourself.
Your latest bright idea involves the education of your state’s children. You should ask Tom Horne to remove that white hood and face what he is. Just an FYI, you’re doing an excellent job of creating activists all by yourself.
I could suggest you take a refresher course in history, but then I’m sure you have been reminded that those children are the descendants of people who the border crossed. Roll your eyes all you want, the facts don’t change. Perhaps your school taught you that the history of the United States began 235 years ago and you would be right. However, the land mass upon which the USA poached perched itself belonged to people who loved and cared for the land. And some of those people still live in your state. As a matter of fact, their ancestors were American before your ancestors ever thought of leaving the old country.
The future voters of Arizona are learning a valuable lesson from you. They’re learning that you don’t like their color, their culture, or their history. Where will they learn their unique history? Where will they read the books written by Chicano authors? What topics will be covered in your state-sanctioned version of Mexican-American studies?
If you were the governor of New Jersey when I was in school, I may never have read the words nor appreciated the passion of Piri Thomas, Miguel Piñeiro, or Pedro Juan Soto. Would I have had the opportunity to read the research done by Loida Figueroa or Olga Wagenheim? I may never have learned who Pedro Albizu Campos or Lolita Lebron were. I had the opportunity to learn the history and read the literature of Puerto Rico and not once did a professor advocate throwing over the United States government, nor was I taught resentment towards another race or class of person. Imagine that! I grew into a respectable, tax-paying citizen with a true appreciation for her history, culture, and language.
So what’s next, outlawing Spanish-language mass?
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Staff Writer, Eileen Rivera-de la Hoz
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and should not be understood to be shared by Being Latino, Inc.
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About Eileen Rivera
My great-grandmother “Nana”, Antonia Pineda Figueroa, was born in Wilcox, Arizona on June 13, 1911, and Arizona became a state 8 months almost to the day) LATER, on Febuary 14, 1912. Therefore, we are Mexican! We are native to that land. And we have the right to be there, regardless of how we look!
http://washandtashi.blogspot.com/
Mia’s comment below is something that many people try to ignore. This weekend I bought and viewed the movie “Machete” one of the best lines was related to your post.
The line was expressing how the border crossed them instead of them crossing the border. I also had the opportunity to read America Libre in which many of the things that are being proposed get exposed in the novel.
A few months ago when Lolita Lebron died I wrote a post on my view of Lolita Lebron. I was attacked by some fanatics which did not get the History Lesson I was trying to convey.
We need to create more awareness on the great opportunities we have from learning from our past. Maybe if we had more stories in the Rest of the U.S. documenting how Mia’s Grandmother is Mexican although she was born in Arizona it might open many eyes.
Great post!
That’s a tough situation and there are so many others there with you.
Your family IS Arizona!
God bless you! Great post!