Editor's Note: Fred is writing this article as dictated to him by "Camilla." We are changing names and using hyperbole in a few instances.
I am a 50 year old proud Mexican woman who has faced racism every single day of her life since coming to America. I was born in Mexico, I loved Mexico, but I couldn't stay in Mexico. There was a level of violence and corruption there that people in America simply cannot understand.
When I came to Minneapolis in my teens, I lived with my sister and had come to America for a better life. White Americans looked down on me, they were rich and arrogant. I had expected that from the stories my Father had told me. What surprised me is that Black Men treated me and my sister like bitches and hoes and Black Women had nothing but disrespect for us, thinking that we were trying to steal their men. There was no "we are all minorities" spirit. My English wasn't very good either, so my social group in the Minneapolis area was other Mexicans and other Spanish speakers.
I didn't date a lot because I was working 2 jobs and my Catholic Parents raised me to be responsible sexually. The White Men thought they could buy me and the Black Men just wanted one night stands. When I was young, I stayed away from "Americans" of all races. In my 20's, I kept a low profile because I was an illegal immigrant and even if I had problems (which I did), I never went to the police. Not because I feared the men in the police uniforms, but because I didn't want to be deported. In Mexico you feared the police because you didn't know who was paying them.
I ended up marrying a nice White Man and became a citizen, but the discrimination never stopped. White People told me to go back to Mexico and Black People said that I didn't know about discrimination and called me White. I never argued with anyone, I always kept my mouth quiet and kept my anger between me and the Lord.
My husband and I bought an inexpensive house near St. Paul in a mixed race community. Mostly Hispanic, but a cross section of races. We raised a family here and have had only minor issues in the community.
But these Minneapolis Riots have brought my blood to a boil. I have 2 sons in High School and you know who bullies them? Blacks and Whites. But just like when I was a young lady, they are being bullied in 2 totally different ways. The Whites call them poor and sometimes use ethnic slurs, but they are mostly arrogant and dismissive. The Blacks do as they please and don't seem to fear repercussions. You know why? Because there are no Dads to keep them in line. Black kids bully my kids because they wear $20 shoes from WalMart. The Black teens strut around the school talking about being persecuted, then shove small white and hispanic kids around physically. When teachers intervene, the White teachers are called racist for disciplining Black kids.
The largest ethnic group in America is Hispanic. We are nearly 1 in 5 Americans.
We have never had a Hispanic President. We are not all here illegally. You know who my kids' best friends are? Their cousins. You know who's going to keep my kids in line if their Dad isn't around? Their uncles. Yes, I like Univision Novelas, but everyone has their indulgences. If anyone should be rioting in America, it is the Hispanics.
What would happen if thousands of Hispanics marched on Minneapolis? ICE would grab a giant net and would deport Hispanics by the thousands. Even though my kid is an American, he would end up like Cheech Marin in the Born in East L.A. video.
Editor's Note II: Click on Cheech for the East L.A. link.
America let Donald Trump build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico. What would happen if Donald Trump built a real wall between white and black neighborhoods? Speaking of Cheech Marin, name some Hispanic role models in pop culture. Black Athletes complain that America isn't fair? The sports my husband watches on TV are loaded with Black players. Not just Blacks, but Black Millionaires. Musicians, Actors, Ahtletes, can you name more Black Icons or Hispanic Icons in the public eye? My husband watched the Michael Jordan Documentary, then I saw Jordan talking on TV about how racist America is. Isn't he worth over a billion dollars?
You know who's being treated like slaves today? Not in 1850, TODAY!!! When I drive out of the Twin Cities, do I see Blacks working in the fields? No. I see Hispanic migrant workers.
You couldn't pay me to live in Minneapolis now, some of those neighborhoods are flat out dangerous. I'm not saying that I live in the greatest country in the world, I'm saying that Minnesota is a better place to raise a family than in Mexico. For those of you who say that America is worse than a third world country because of the police? You have obviously never lived in a third world country.
If Blacks in America want to help themselves, they need to change their slogan from Black Lives Matter to Black FAMILIES Matter. The U.S. Government never helped me, I tried to stay in the shadows. It would have been EASIER for me to be Black in America. Not worry who I had sex with, have a couple of kids, get subsidized by the U.S. Government.
If the government rewarded Black families for staying together instead of breaking up, that would go a long way toward solving certain inherent generational problems. Sending Black men to rehab and then back to their families, instead of sending them to jail, that's another great step to healing families. I saw a stat that Blacks only have a fraction of the White's wealth. That is easy to explain. I don't have the perfect marriage, but me and my husband stayed together in good times and bad. If Black marriage rates were the same as White or Hispanic Households, Blacks would accumulate more wealth. You know how many White couples stay together because divorce is too expensive? Heck, I have Hispanic friends that have only stayed married because of the equity in their house.
The poorest people living in America by race are the Indians. Living in Minnesota, you have the middle-class Indians who live near the casinos. but if you drive out to the Reservations, those people are dirt poor, like the poor who live in Mexico. No one gives a crap about them. Once in a while you see something about a sports team either changing, or not changing, their nickname in relation to Native-American culture. That literally has nothing to do with the real poverty at the Reservations. Where's the groundswell of empathy for the most abused minority in America?
The problem with Whites is that they worship money and the problem with Blacks is that there are no Dads around. It is really that simple. The backbone of America, the people who go out and do manual labor, don't have time to go out and riot. They are too tired. I know plenty of Hispanics who are exploited in America. They just want to go home and rest after work.
Maybe I'll hijack the Black Lives Matter movement. Every time the National Anthem plays, I'm going to kneel in protest. Not to protest the U.S. Government, but to kneel to the Lord. No government controls me or my family. When I die, I will not be judged by an American President, only by St. Peter. George Floyd didn't deserve to die and I pray his reward is great in heaven.
I ask my fellow Hispanics to join me in kneeling during the anthem and then doing the sign of the cross as they stand.
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