October 2007
The Browning of America
In the United States, September 15 – October 15, is considered Hispanic Heritage month. I have to start, by wondering, if I am the only one who has an issue with thirty-one days, from two different months, being combined to create what is being called a month. There is this sarcastic person, in me, which would like to scream out, we will not be appeased that easily. September 15 – October 15 may be a time period, but it is not a month!
President Lyndon B. Johnson was first authorized, by the 90th Congress, to proclaim a National Hispanic Heritage Week, in September of 1968, when they passed Public Law 90-498. Congress chose the week of September 15th because it is Independence Day for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. With Mexico celebrating Independence on September 16th and Chile on the 18th of September it seemed to Congress an ideal choice.
(I hate to rain on anyone’s parade, especially Congress; but the Independence being celebrated, on September 15th, was from Spain. Yet, Congress specified that what America was to celebrate were the contributions of Americans from Spain, Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean, who speak Spanish. I count twenty countries, but am willing to be corrected. I have to wonder how Spanish-Americans feel about being included in this whole affair.)
In August of 1988, the 100th Congress passed Public Law 100-402, which authorized President Regan, to expand the celebration, to a month by amending the original law, striking the word week and replacing it with month, and replacing heritage week to include September 15th and 16th with a 31 day period beginning September 15th and ending on the 15th of October.
Up till now, what I have most enjoyed about Hispanic Heritage Month has been PBS, our Public Broadcasting Service, television which is designed to serve the public as opposed to commercial interest. During this time period, PBS tends to run special programming that highlights Latin culture and history; and which I generally enjoy.
Last week, I watched an episode of the PBS series, They Made America, it was quite interesting, and I recommend it to those who have access to Public television, in the States. The episode, I watched, dealt with Ted Turner, whom I was quite familiar with; and Russell Simmons, whom I had never heard of – yes, I am showing perhaps both my age and ignorance. Russell Simmons is an African-American man, credited, by the show, with bringing hip hop and rap to forefront of American culture, as well as with “the browning America.”
I know nothing about rap or hip hop, so I will not be discussing his contributions to that industry or culture, I do however, take umbrage with the shows characterization of his responsibility for the “browning of America”. The PBS series, asserts that America has become brown because white America has adapted and adopted black culture, becoming less white and therefore brown. Has America become brown? If so, what does being brown now mean?
Tonight, also on PBS, I saw an interview with Jimmy Smits, who was promoting his new show Cane, on CBS. He was speaking with Travis Smiley, who is African-American. Smits was repeatedly asked to weigh in on black and brown America and how black and brown America is impacting politics and entertainment, among other non Cane related issues. Smiley did not seem to be asking about the brown America which has been created by Simmons promotion of rap and hip-hop, but rather the brown America which has been created by the 44 million Hispanics living in the United States.
Smiley and Ruben Navarrette Jr., use to work on a radio show together, where they apparently frequently discussed black and brown America. There are three web sites listed in this weeks post, one is for the United States Census, one is for the PBS series, and the other for an article from CNN, Ted Turner’s creations. The article, from CNN, in recognition of National Hispanic Month, was written by Ruben Navarrette Jr., and discusses the conflicts between black America and brown America. Navarrette concludes that the two sides should not be at odds, but rather be working together to each achieve their piece of the American pie. Apparently, Latin Americans are now simply brown-Americans. When did Latin Americas become brown-Americans? What does this mean for Simmons brown-Americans?
I do not see America as brown. Nor do I see Latin Americans, or Hispanic Americans, as one homogeneous group, any more than I think of Italian-Americans as being the same as German-Americans or Norwegian-Americans, just because Italy, Germany, and Norway, are all in Europe does not make everyone the same. I do not think that the English spoken in England or Australia is the same as the English spoken in the United States. I have not found that Christmas is celebrated in Mexico in the same way as it is in Argentina or the Dominican Republic. When were people from twenty different countries with twenty different cultures reduced to one color, and who picked the color?
At least half of the names, in my address book, are Latin Americans; people who speak some dialect of Spanish and were either born in a Latin American country or have parents or grandparents born in a Latin American country or in Spain. None of them call themselves brown-Americans and none of them think that because they were born in Chile they are just like someone born in Guatemala. Nor, I should add, are they all one color – brown or anything else.
I, like many of the Latin Americans, which I know, have been watching Cane, the first prime time, hour long drama, where the characters are Latin Americans. It is supposed to be about a Cuban-American family, in the sugar business. The show has rightfully been compared to a Dallas type drama. It is a story about a family, their business, and love lives, with a bit of crime and trauma throne in for good measure.
Most of the cast is rather well known, and well reputed for their acting abilities. However, as I watched the show, I found myself repeatedly confronted by the fact that I knew that the actors, portraying Cubans, were mostly Puerto Ricans. I kept wondering why it was that if Jimmy Smits was producing the show, that he would not make them a Puerto Rican family? Or why, unlike Andy Garcia, who when he cast Lost City, went out of his way to hire Cuban actors, did the other producers not hire a Cuban cast – one lead, Nestor Carbonell, is a Cuban-American. For me, as a viewer, I can not make a cast of Puerto Ricans, into a Cuban family.
Smits was asked by Smiley if the Latin American community or brown-America was “getting behind” the show? Smits gave an answer about being inclusive and briefly explained that there were a lot of issues involved in explaining the demographics of who might be watching the show. I can tell Mr. Smiley and Mr. Smith that based on my small circle of friends and acquaintances we are watching. However, no matter how many references to Cuban coffee and pastelitos they make, it is not a show about Cuban-Americans. We are not interchangeable, we are not all the same, and we do not want to be grouped under some title just so that we can celebrate a 31 day period of time.
I suppose I should let this go, and be grateful to Congress, as I can not find a month in which Jewish or Arab Americans get to celebrate their heritage, or Italians or Russians, or Persians or Indians – it is actually a rather long list of people who have not been given a month, or even a time period. Though, African Americans are actually given the entire month of February; and women have the month March, though they must share it with Irish-Americas, much like May is shared between Asian-Pacific Americans and older Americans, and American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage are both celebrated in November.
The United States Census breaks down Latin Americas, in the United States, under the following classification: Mexico 67%, Nations in Central and South America 14%, Puerto Rico 9%, “Other Hispanic Nations” 6 % and Cuba 4%. Perhaps it is the five percentage points that Puerto Ricans have over Cubans which explains the Puerto Rican Cast of Cane – there are simply more Puerto Rican actors available, but perhaps it is the fact that the shows producers, like so much of America, has become so use to grouping us all together that they did not think anyone would notice that the Cuban family is not Cuban.
It would have taken hours for Smits to explain the demographics, which cover people from at least twenty different nations, with twenty different histories and twenty different cultures. We are not brown-Americans, any more than Americans of any color have suddenly become less Asian-American, Greek-American, or Anglo-American, because they are listening to hip hop and rap, and wearing tennis shoes and oversized jeans. We do not need to be grouped into some cookie cutter identity just to have something to celebrate or something to dance to or to rap.
I am happy to commemorate September 15th as the Independence Day for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. But, this is not Latin America’s Independence Day. Cuban Independence Day is supposed to be May 20th, based on the end of what Americans commonly call the Spanish-American War. The day is not celebrated in Cuba. Instead their national holidays include January 1, the day that Fidel Castro came to power, and July 26, the day he failed in his attempt to attack the Moncada Barracks, in Santiago de Cuba. Cuban-Americans, of all colors, are still waiting for Independence Day, so forgive us if we fail to relate to the reasoning of the Congress, and forgive my unwillingness to simply become a brown-American, I will remain a Cuban-American – that is all for now.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/03/navarrette/index.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/theymadeamerica/filmmore/s4.html
~ M ~
October 2007
Happy Halloween
Clothes make a statement. Costumes tell a story. ~ Mason Cooley ~
I have neglected these pages, but not without guilt – Protestant guilt, which Little Luis and I have concluded is even worse than Catholic guilt.
I am longing for autumn, but it seems like the changes coming to our life, have little to do with falling leaves and cooling temperatures. We are living consumed lives these days, cluttered with a wide variety of obligations and enchantments. Kate has accepted a rather handsome new position, which is well deserved, she is still hard at work, on our redecorating, or rather remodeling project, we have, perhaps foolishly, once again, become involved in our Home Owners Association, and I am trying to finish a cook book, for my niece, a humbling experience.
It is now almost November, and we are finally seeing a change in our weather – I know it is rather pedestrian, to write of the weather, but I have been yearning for the end of summer. Working on recipes, I am in the mood to make apple butter and warm biscuits, beef stews and stuffed cabbage. A couple of weeks ago, I trotted out a few fall decorations, but in 90 degree weather, it is hard to think about pumpkin pies and cobblers. Summer has gone on far too long. Next week, we head north, but I am afraid the leaves will have changed, before we arrive, in New England.
This has always been my favorite time of the year, the beginning of our holiday season. As a child, I remember the joy and excitement of Halloween, when my parents would drive us around, making sure we visited as many neighborhoods, as possible, collecting treats, door to door. We would head home, after a long night of labor, and deposit our candy, on the living room floor, to sort through the plunder. There were of course things like apples, which had to be discarded, for fear that they had been tampered with, then there was the good candy, like Sugar Babies, the okay candy, like Dumb-Dumb’s, the yucky candy, peanut butter taffy comes to mind, and the great candy – anything with chocolate. We would have candy till after New Years!
I miss Halloween. Everyone use to dress up, on Halloween, and wear their costumes to school, where there would inevitably be some sort of celebration, even with the least festive teachers, you could count on cupcakes and punch. We would even have Halloween parties at church. The best Halloween party, I ever went to was a church party, where one of the mother’s, Lupe, dressed like a gypsy, who told fortunes. She had a trick, which was played on a pastor – he was given some direction, which resulted in him rubbing a plate on his face, which left him covered in soot – everyone laughed, even the pastor.
I remember hay rides, with our church family, and bobbing for apples, in the Sunday school rooms, that were brightly decorated with colorful leaves and jack-o-lanterns; and I remember when I found out that Halloween was suddenly no longer to be celebrated. The revelation, centered on trick or treating with my nieces, one year it had been fine, but by the next year, Halloween had become an unholy celebration. Luckily, I was already an adult, and was spared having the holiday taken from me, in the fit of insanity, which has consumed what is now known as the religious right – we use to just be Christian’s, and that was enough.
What made me crazy was that no one could explain what had happened. Why had it been okay one day and then not okay the next? In fact, this is a consistent problem that I have, with those who practice my faith. I assume it must be similar for Catholics, who after Vatican Two were suddenly able to have mass in the vernacular or eat beef or chicken on Friday, instead of just fish. I feel guilty missing Halloween, and even more guilty for admitting to missing Halloween.
There has been a lot of talk about the Republican Party having been hijacked by the religious right; and I feel like they too high jacked my church. Until I was an adult, I can not think of a single sermon that centered on politics – and we went to church a lot! Having two parents, in the ministry, has meant a lot of sermons. No one ever spoke about abortion or gay rights or feminism or evolution; they spoke about God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit. There were sermons about salvation, heaven, hell, divine healing, about faith, and stead fastness, about love, and even righteous indignation – I took notes during that sermon! I can still hear my father, as his voice would rise, as he repeated the words Christ spoke, when he expelled the money changers from the Temple.
But things suddenly changed. It used to be, for example, that we were not allowed to divorce – it was quite set in stone. In fact, it was this terrible fear of being unable to divorce, which made me not want to marry. What if I did not get it right? I had a reoccurring nightmare, of my wedding day. I would say I do, kiss my new husband, turn around, to face the church, and in the front row would be the true man of my dreams – but it was too late. The codicil to the dream involved becoming a widow, at a young age. Yet, without any explanation, people in my church can now divorce, re-marry, and even be ministers – without anyone ever explaining what happened. Twenty years ago, divorce and remarriage lead straight to hell, now you can be ordained.
I am frustrated. Growing up, we could not cut our hair, wear pants, go to the movies – it was a long list, even sleeveless clothes dammed you to hell. We did not have the benefit of purgatory, which I guess Catholics no longer have either, since Vatican Two. There was no hope for us, if you broke the rules – rules which were not actually listed in our Bible, which should have been the rule book; it was off to eternal damnation, unless you repented.
I have to say, I was okay with this – I had been told the rules, and I was willing to play. I actually did and do believe in God, and really did have a personal encounter with Christ, which I still believe sustains, me to this day. I feel so lucky to have found God, without today’s dogma, which I can not abide. I wanted no part in the making of the rules, thus quite the odd man, in my family, but I was willing to go along with them – that is until they suddenly started changing them, without explanation
A few months ago, I heard John Hagee, an independent minister in Oklahoma, speaking about Israel. He is a strong supporter of Israel, as am I, and I was intrigued by his comments. I decided to look him up, to see who he was supporting in the presidential election. As I started reading, about him, I found out that he was divorced and remarried, to a woman who had been in his congregation, which he once pastured with his first wife. I was shocked. I should not have been, as this now seems to be a common practice. Yet, he too is part of the religious right.
I left my church, where I was a member, and sang in the choir, because our divorced, and remarried Assistant Pastor, allowed a class of “Christians” to state that we can not know God, this is contrary to what the Bible says – Christ said that we know the Father through the Son. My issue was that the Assistant Pastor would allow false doctrine to be uttered, and not correct the misinformation. I of course was told that I was out of line, for having challenged the pastor – I hear that line a lot!
Please do not get me wrong — I do not have an issue with divorce, but I do have an issue with artificial holiness. I am tired of people who can not control their own lives, telling the rest of the world, that God is in the business of politics – He is not. Being pure and holy used to be about self examination, not a united assault on someone who looks or acts or speaks differently than the group.
I really do miss the old days. Last year, we were in Argentina, for Halloween. I remember seeing a sign, in the elevator, announcing a mixer at one of the hotel bars, to mark the American holiday. I wanted to go, though it did not seem like it was going to be much fun – there was no mention of caramel apples or costumes, instead we went out to diner with everyone else. This year, Kate is in Atlanta, I am trying to finish the cook book, and watching the skies, hoping Tropical Storm Noel, keeps going – but next year, I may bring Halloween back – so get ready, you will have to come in costumes – that is all for now!
