Chicano Politics

KHRO 1650am added some new voices to their line-up last weekend and now offer almost a full day’s programming on Saturday. A testament to the fact that they have developed a strong audience for their talk-radio format.

 

The guest during the 3:00pm hour was County Attorney Jose Rodriguez who talked about Chicano politics. It was great to hear about a topic I care so deeply about.

 

I’m not from El Paso originally, as I’ve mentioned several times. One of the first things I noticed when I moved here was the fact that there aren’t many Chicanos in El Paso. There are a whole lot of Hispanics, but not a lot of Chicanos. In fact, I was walking around downtown when I had family in from out of town in February and I saw a help wanted sign at one of the shops. I was really surprised to see it say, No Chicanos.

 

The sign bothered me and I steered my parents away from the store with the sign because I didn’t want them to see the sign. I was afraid it would not only hurt their feelings, but I also knew full well that my dad would go in to the store and raise hell. He’s in ill health, so I decided I would (and did) go back and raise hell about it later.

 

But I was also embarrassed by the sign. I was embarrassed because I have embraced this town as my own and I felt rejected by my adopted home when I read the sign. You see, where I come from, being Chicano is something to aspire to, not to shy away from or be embarrassed by. We are born brown, but becoming a Chicano is almost something you should have to earn. It means you aren’t just a sheep going along with the flow, but that you are an activist who cares about the community and back up good sentiment with action and deeds. That to me, is being Chicano.

 

Where We Are

 

I got to thinking about the discussion of the state of Chicano politics and my observation is that the state of Chicano politics is very complex and differs depending on what part of the country you live in. For example, Chicano politics is different in southern California and the border regions of Texas, than it is in more polarized communities like Phoenix, Denver, Dallas, Houston, Tucson, and Las Vegas.

 

My father came to visit me a couple of years ago during an election cycle. My father was so happy to see so many candidates and incumbents with Spanish surnames. You almost never see that level of political participation and power back home in Phoenix. I even remarked to him that I noticed in El Paso, people trip over themselves to show they have a Latino heritage if their names don’t sound Spanish, like Maria Guadalupe Dempsey. El Paso even has people ride the Spanish last name in hopes of getting elected even if they aren’t Latino, like Lyda Garcia. She’s divorced from her ex-husband but kept the Garcia name during the campaign. Only in El Paso!

 

The events that transpired at the Democratic County Caucus have a negative impact on Chicano politics in El Paso, no matter what your stand is on the issues debated or the candidate you support. The bottom line is that instead of finding a way to make our voting block stronger and a better for our community, the only thing we accomplished as the creation of a deep rift in the Chicano leadership and community as a whole. Ignoring this fundamental truth doesn’t make it go away. We fell victim to our perennial Achilles’ heel; division instead of unity. We have to find a way to rise above division or we will fail. In the words of Cesar Chavez, “The people united will never be defeated.”

 

What We are Missing

 

Border communities have long been a fruitful laboratory for the development of Chicano politics and leaders. El Paso has lead the way in the production of Chicano leaders. But what is missing in Chicano / Latino politics is the presence of a national leader. Since the passing of the great Cesar Chavez, there has not been a national voice for the Chicano / Latino cause. It may not seem like it, but Cesar Chavez has been gone for 15 years!

 

“Chicano” Issues

 

There are several issues that become prominent in Chicano / Latino politics. Indeed the border security, immigration, poverty, and social justice issues have a bigger impact on our community than others, but all issues are Chicano issues! The mistake is that people, and even out own community, tend to try to indentify the Chicano / Latino causa by that narrow definition. What is important to our community cannot be wrapped up in a convenient little box with a pretty bow on it.

 

The Battle to be “Enough”

 

We are Americans, just like everyone else. We just have subtle differences that enhance the American experience, not compromise what it means to be American. It’s okay that we love mom’s apple pie and abuelita’s empanadas!

 

So all issues are important to us. Lower taxes, national defense, the economy, jobs, and education are as important to us as the border and social justice issues. Our story is the American story; our history is part of American history. The challenge for our community is and will continue to be the battle to be “enough”.

 

We seem to be caught in a never-ending struggle to be “enough” for everyone else. But alas, we will never meet that unattainable goal. Nor should we continue to try. We will never be “Mexican” enough for some, and we will never be “American” enough for others. That’s the dichotomy of being Chicano. No matter how much we fight to protect the rights of immigrants, or how much we fight to protect our country. And that’s okay, it’s a beautiful thing. Like I said before, we don’t fit neatly into a little box.

 

The Future

 

At the end of the discussion, lies the central question. Where do you go from here and who will lead us there? We need more Chicanos is classrooms than jail cells. More Chicanos in board rooms instead of unemployment lines. We need more Chicano soldiers on the battle lines of La Causa rather than casualties of a failed economy.

 

Viva La Causa!

 

Keeping Score

For those of you keeping score, I am batting a thousand on my predictions for the races last night.