What's With The Spanish?
Let me just share the why with all of you. Spanish is the second most spoken language in the United States and although the Trumps of the world may not like it, we are here to stay, so is our language not to mention our food, our music and everything Latino. I for one have made a conscious effort to speak Spanish even though it is my second language. Interestingly enough there are many non-Latinos who are speaking Spanish, some of which have embraced my beautiful culture with an open heart in spite of the people who are limited and pretty much shut us down. Unlike Donald Trump I am all for keeping every person who comes to the US here and welcome. I won't talk about the criminals who have migrated to the US which includes people of every race becasue everyone here is an immigrant at some point and time or comes from one. We stold this land from the Indians remember?
I cannot count the numerous times when people have made crude comments because I was speaking Spanish. After all this is America and "we speak English in the United States" right? Wrong. There are people here from every part of the world and there is not longer one language in the USA but rather many languages spoken. I for one would like to preserve that variety in our country and begin a celebration of cultures and the many beatuutiful customs. After all it is the art of the French, the Spanish and the Polish that make our museums so interesting and art so exciting and spontaneous. The truth about culture in the US is that we really give it a lot of lip service. We don't really want people running around speaking polish or Indian or Spanish. We would prefer to believe that English is the most important and valuable language and that everyone should just speak English. How boring.
I taught my children to speak Spanish and was determined to do so. I think Spanish is a beautiful sounding language and I absolutely love speaking it. I feel it to be an important part of who I am as a man of color, a Latino. The sadness I am feeling lately is for the children of Spanish speaking parents who don't speak Spanish. I feel almost embarrassed that we cowed down to the people who are limited thinkers and who want to make our culture go away, maybe even ship us all out of here. I am ashamed of the fact that we have allowed others to make us believe that our language was not sacred enough to pass it on to our children. For me it is one of the ways that people of color conform to a sector of whites who believe that what we are doesn't matter and that who we are is shoud be dictated to us as if we were still slaves.
To all that is ailing our country the remedy of course is love. All of the people of color must have the intention to love themselves first and then to love other people of color, embracing the people who acknowledge us and who understand the meaning of the many beautiful colors that we are. For this ailing country what we need is "love sweet love, that's the only thing this world has too little of". What is with the Spanish. Well let me share someting with everyone out there. It is a part of my fiber as a man, a father, a grandfather and a man who loves being who he is: Latino and wonderful. As long as I am alive I would gladly die for the freedom to be a man of color who has everything to offer this world.
What's with the Spanish? What we should be asking is: "what's with the English?"
I cannot count the numerous times when people have made crude comments because I was speaking Spanish. After all this is America and "we speak English in the United States" right? Wrong. There are people here from every part of the world and there is not longer one language in the USA but rather many languages spoken. I for one would like to preserve that variety in our country and begin a celebration of cultures and the many beatuutiful customs. After all it is the art of the French, the Spanish and the Polish that make our museums so interesting and art so exciting and spontaneous. The truth about culture in the US is that we really give it a lot of lip service. We don't really want people running around speaking polish or Indian or Spanish. We would prefer to believe that English is the most important and valuable language and that everyone should just speak English. How boring.
I taught my children to speak Spanish and was determined to do so. I think Spanish is a beautiful sounding language and I absolutely love speaking it. I feel it to be an important part of who I am as a man of color, a Latino. The sadness I am feeling lately is for the children of Spanish speaking parents who don't speak Spanish. I feel almost embarrassed that we cowed down to the people who are limited thinkers and who want to make our culture go away, maybe even ship us all out of here. I am ashamed of the fact that we have allowed others to make us believe that our language was not sacred enough to pass it on to our children. For me it is one of the ways that people of color conform to a sector of whites who believe that what we are doesn't matter and that who we are is shoud be dictated to us as if we were still slaves.
To all that is ailing our country the remedy of course is love. All of the people of color must have the intention to love themselves first and then to love other people of color, embracing the people who acknowledge us and who understand the meaning of the many beautiful colors that we are. For this ailing country what we need is "love sweet love, that's the only thing this world has too little of". What is with the Spanish. Well let me share someting with everyone out there. It is a part of my fiber as a man, a father, a grandfather and a man who loves being who he is: Latino and wonderful. As long as I am alive I would gladly die for the freedom to be a man of color who has everything to offer this world.
What's with the Spanish? What we should be asking is: "what's with the English?"
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