i just came back form the National Christian Multicultural Student Leadership Conderence (NCMSLC) at Wheaton College...
It was supposed to be a good time to charge batteries for the quest of bringing cultural awareness to our campuses....oh yeah....good intentions...but that's not exactly what I got out of it...
If you were looking for a short, my-life-is-miserable kind of blog....you may just skip this...this is going to be long...I can feel it...
So...the first day we come toguether...and it just seems like the perfect place where everyperson feels free to embrace their heritage and who they are....funny enough...it turns out that I c an embrace who I am becuase I'm hispanic....not caucasian....
This whole conference was SO unbalanced....focused on how we (as minorities) have been wronged and misunderstood, and oppresed....
everytime the word "white" came up, it was to denote how they've oppresed minorities, their ignorance, and intolerance.....
But I say...many latin americans are as ignorants as some white people...we DO close ourselves in our countries, and judge others according to the steriotypes we've been raised....
we accuse them of not learning other languages...but many people in latin american don't even know english...just because all of the countries surrounding them speak spanish....
I'm not saying all the injustice and misconceptions are our fault....but we do have some of the faul because of the way we're responded to thier misconceptions...to their treatment....
Don't come and tell me that you're trying to represent your race or etnicity....if you don't want to do it...hide among your people....don't come out of that bubble...coming out of it will make you uncomfortable...don't come out of it and later complain....
Why I hear some much complain about answering the same questions all over again???? That is simply ridiculous....Don't you have the same questions about them???
Why do you think that just because you've seen a couple of movies you know exactly what their culture is???
That is as wrong as the statement that everybody from Mexico down is a "mexican"
Don't tell me that just because you live in the US, you are diversed when you've been surrounded by your own people all the time...
Don't forget that just because you're not white....it doesn't mean that you cannot be racist...oh yes you can...belive me..look around you...don't just glance...acknowledge that we're racist against our own kind and against any other race....yes! there's a way out of it...but don't be the victim all the time....there's time to acknowledge your hurt.....your humiliation...but there is also time to admit our guilt....our fault...the way we''ve contributed to the problem...
And now here I am....thrown again to my normal routine...challenged to make the hispanic students come out of their hiding places....You're ashamed??? fine...I've been ashamed too....ashamed of being who I am....sad....i know...but I cannot hid...that's irresponsible from me....I'm crying out for time to talk to people...to find these people...where are they~!!!!!!
And now that I've puoured out my frustration.....what am I going to do??? I'm frustrated of how we pity ourselves...it's ridiculous....yes, there is injustice going on....steriotypes that don't allow us to progess...but think of all those people that are afraid to ask questions....even though they are truly interested.....but they're afraid to "offend" you...just because you're tired to represent....tired to answer questions....if that is the case....don't fight for cultural awareness and diversity....really don't....I wouldn't want to...
*sigh*
I told you it was going to be long ....
if you read it all...thanks...let me know what you think....if you didn't...I hope you read enough to get my point....I really hope you didn't get the wrong impression....
sadly enough......that is happening way to often lately...
So long...
~k~
