As an American of Mexican ancestry, I grew up feeling inferior. Not because I was inferior, but because I was made to feel and to think myself to be interior. It was a reflection of the times, of the culture and of the landscape of southern racism, bigotry and hate. It was a time much like today, except back then, racism, bigotry and hate were hidden beneath white sheets and by the shadows of the flames of burning crosses in the dead of night. That was then.
Today, no more white sheets, no more burning crosses. Just the shadows and the racism, bigotry and hate. Unfiltered and raw. Vicious actions and rancid rhetoric by rabid White supremacists, by fervent Christian evangelicals, by conniving and devious schemers and swindlers, and even by many of our own legislators and representatives in city, state and federal positions of power and prestige.
And once again, there is an attempt to make me feel inferior, subordinate and subservient, simply because of my ancestry, the color of my skin and my conviction and faith in the principles upon which this nation was founded, and under which it has evolved, prospered and blossomed for more than 246 years.
I am surrounded by educated men and women, White, Brown, Black, who seem to have forgotten the basics of their civics classes, their studies in state, national and world history, and their own ancestral roots. I am also surrounded by appointed and elected legislators and lawmakers whose ideological leanings range from far-right conspiratorial fanatics to extreme left liberals, whose arrogance and extremism prevent them from engaging in debate, dialogue or even acknowledgement of the realities, truths and certainties of this moment in our history.
We are being blinded by the red and blue floodlights of partisanship, and our minds overwhelmed by the high-pitched reverberations of political, religious and social bombastic rhetoric that never ceases. We are becoming deaf and dumb mannequins, without a voice, without control, without hope, to be manipulated, directed and controlled by those whom we once trusted with our dreams, our hopes and our very existence.
It is time we consider, and even demand, resurrecting the specter of our legacy. For it seems we have lost the vision, the spirit, the perception and the imagination of those who sowed the seeds of our democracy and our dreams. It is time to refresh ourselves with the basics of our civility, the history of the birth of our nation and the tenets of our individual beliefs and faith. It is time to embrace the legacy of our heroes and the common men and women who struggled, sacrificed, suffered, triumphed and endured through wars, famine, financial collapse, natural disasters and personal tragedies and losses to ensure the passing of the torch of freedom and liberty.
The torch is today flickering and quivering in the winds of our current political chaos. It is up to us, White, Brown, Black, and everyone in between, to think, and to remember the basics of our education, our common sense and our legacy, and ensure that the torch we pass is as strong and bright as the one that was handed to us by those who dared to believe and to dream.
Resurrecting the specter of our legacy may just bring back the vision, the spirit, the perception and the imagination we need to bring us out of the spiraling fall from grace, and back to the reality of truth, justice and freedom, without intimidation, discrimination or oppression. Let’s stop the rhetoric and hear the voices begin to debate, begin a dialogue, and begin to acknowledge the reality of our time and our place in the world. Vote! It’s you’re voice that begins the process of change.
Al Garcia lives in San Juan.
