Being Mexican Right Now
I am a first-generation Mexican American. I am a college graduate. I do not smoke. I do not steal jobs. I do not rape.
At a Young Age
As a little kid, I never really experienced racism. It could be due to the fact that I am very light-skinned (but, that is how we look like from my family’s hometown).
As I started getting older, I subtly began to notice racist remarks, or as the kids would call it “jokes” in school. And being someone that really wanted to fit in, I would also make jokes, not just of Hispanics but of other races as well.
It almost felt normal to make racist jokes.
Not okay. Not at all.
As a kid that tried really hard to make friends, I would start sitting with kids that had similar backgrounds with the occasional exceptions (I would sit with Caucasians more because of my light-skin).
Starting college, I saw more of a melting pot with students, so it was not too bad, but there was the occasional racist student that would make remarks to my dark-skinned friends and family.
One day, my dad and I were talking and he would tell me all the things people would say to him. They said dreadful things, but my dad always handled it respectfully. And I never noticed. Ever.
When I Experienced Discrimination For The First Time
“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best…” ~ Donald Trump
These remarks suddenly started being the regular thing to hear as you walked down the streets.
I started to feel scared of people (and I know that not all people are like that).
White people. Black people. Indians and Asians even had it out for us.
Have you ever had that moment where you notice something and all of the sudden you see it everywhere? Once I started hearing all these stories about discrimination, I started to notice it more each and every day.
I stopped making jokes.
Family Separation And Cages
Even as a twenty-three year old that lives thousands of miles away from her mother, the thought that a young baby or child has to endure it is painful.
I mean, how can you separate someone because of their immigration status? Or worse, place children in cages as if they were dogs waiting for their owner to find them.
Imagine being thrown in a different country?
I live in fear for others.
A strange place with no money, no family, no sense of home.
My Thoughts and Actions
Here’s the thing. I am a citizen, yet I feel the fear and pain too.
It truly pains me to see this going on in the United States. People come here to become better people and provide a better future for their families.
There are people that screw up, but its not just immigrants.
All immigrants are not from Mexico.
I have seen it all. Losing a parent. Losing a cousin. Losing a child. Losing a friend. Losing a loved one. Losing someone.
I have seen family members and friends get separated and deported out of the country. And these were honestly good people. They had newborns they were trying to support. They had parents that they were taking care of while going to school and work.
Why can’t we live in a world of unity among everyone?
Every time, I see something unjust, whether it is racially-based or not, I try to defend those that cannot defend themselves.
In Conclusion
This was just something I have been thinking about for a while. I am not trying to offend anyone, it is just my point of view. I understand not everyone is going to have the same opinion, but everyone is entitled to have one.
I am afraid.
