CHAPTER 13

Building a Diverse and Humanistic Society

STARTING SCHOOL NOT SPEAKING inglés was my first foray into the Anglo world. My teachers seemed cold and distant, had strange rules, and did not hug or touch the children. And the food tasted bland. Before the civil rights movement, America was whitebread. I never saw a Latino in any professional position or as a teacher, bus driver, or even a clerk in a nice store. The schools were whitewashing institutions that taught the history, norms, and values of the dominant culture. Like most children I wanted to be accepted, and the path to success was assimilation. I learned to read and write inglés and even forgot most of my español.

When I became a teenager, there was no Catholic escuela (school) on the outskirts of Tampa, where we lived. My mother boarded a bus with me in tow and journeyed across town. Humbly, she entreated the mother superior at the Academy of Holy Names to give her daughter a scholarship. The mother superior agreed to half a scholarship. Every Sunday, my mother and I would get up at 5 a.m. to babysit children at church during Mass to earn the remaining tuition.

My senior year I found out many of my classmates were going to college. That sounded like a great idea. My parents immigrated here so I could get a good education. But my mother, with a fifth-grade education, thought high school was una buena educación. The University of Florida was only 120 miles away, but to my parents, that was as far as their distant homeland. Seeing my determination, however, my parents in their loving and humble way gave me their blessing.

In the early ’60s, being a Latina at a university was a Lone Ranger experience. Well, I knew how to fit in—I had learned it in grade school. I started highlighting my father’s French ancestry, denied my fabulous Nicaragüense-ness, my rich indigenous and Spanish roots, and my immigrant experience. I dressed and acted like the other students and even joined a sorority. I assimilated.

Human beings are group oriented—we want to be part of the tribe. I became accepted but had an empty feeling inside. You see, when my abuela came to visit, I couldn’t talk to her. Many Hispanics in my generation have felt this loss.

What’s in a name? A person’s identity, culture, and family roots. In my generation many teachers could not pronounce Spanish names. Eduardo became Eddie, Jaime became James, and Marisól became Mary. I was called Jeanne because my parents thought an English name would be easier on me (and more American). They were chagrined when I insisted in my twenties on being called Juana. Whitewashing a child’s name was a common practice. (Today, however, García is the eighth-most-common surname in America, and Ángel was the top first name in New York City in 2008.)¹

Raul Yzaguirre observes: “The road to success that has been offered is to assimilate, change your name, and lose your accent. All those things hold an empty promise that will result in a hollowing out. Te quita el corazón—It rips out your heart.”

Assimilation—Becoming Homogenized

THE ASSIMILATION WOUND IS not just a Latino phenomenon. Immigrants have always struggled with this conflict. If your familia has been here for generations, you might not remember, but European great-grandparents felt this loss as they stepped away from Ellis Island or when they realized their grandchildren did not speak Italian, Russian, or German. Like my parents, they wanted their children to learn inglés and be successful. But cutting one’s ancestral roots can leave a psychological scar.

Assimilation melded one people out of the myriad nationalities that came to our shores, integrated our national character, and unified our young country. At the same time, the melting pot set the tone for a country where conformity and homogeneity fed ethnocentricity. This in turn, bred cultural insensitivity and a predisposition to impose our values on others. The understanding that all cultures are unique expressions of the human experience was as lost as the languages our grandparents spoke.

As our country becomes Latinized and multicultural, assimilation is no longer an adaptive advantage. Today people need to acculturate—to be receptive, skillful, and adaptable to many cultures. Unlike assimilation, where one’s culture, language, and background are discarded, acculturation is an add-on process. Acculturation increases one’s cultural repertoire, adaptability, flexibility, and cross-cultural competency.

But un momento—wait a minute! Can people who have assimilated then acculturate and become cultural adaptives? Sí! Yes! I know because this happened in my early twenties.

Becoming a Cultural Adaptive

FOR A FEMALE IMMIGRANT from a low-income family to obtain a college degree in the early 1960s was as rare as the tiny quetzal bird that floats in the tropical rain forests. Why was I given the prize of a higher education? What was I supposed to do with my life? During my soul searching, President John F. Kennedy was shot. Kennedy was an inspiration to my generation and revered by Latinos as a charismatic, socially responsible leader who resonated with our values.

Inspired by his call to public service, I told my dear padres, “I’m joining the Peace Corps.” “Ay, Dios mío!” If going 120 miles away to college was a cultural storm, going to the other side of the world was a category 5 hurricane. Telling me I could always come home, mi familia watched their petrified yet excited youngest daughter board a plane for Santiago, Chile.

In my assimilated stupor I thought I was going to help those backward countries south of the border. Imagine my shock to find that Santiago had an old European flavor with flowered avenidas surrounding stately museums and government buildings. Chile was the second-oldest democracy in the Western Hemisphere, with highly educated citizens. President Eduardo Frei was Hispanic, as were the senators, mayors, presidents of Chilean universities, TV station directors, the heads of its army and navy, and executives of every business.

Growing up in the good old USA in the ’50s, I had no idea someone of my culture could achieve such high-level leadership. In my childhood successful people were without exception White, which is still true for most leaders in top positions. I realized then that while the land of opportunity had given many gifts, my history and culture had been stripped like the lost city of the Inca.

Thus began the redemption of my Hispanic soul. I embraced my Latina heritage. This did not diminish the gratitude I had to my adopted homeland. In fact, it enabled me to make a greater contribution. I chose the path of acculturation and became a cultural adaptive. Raul Yzaguirre passionately believes this is essential: “Hispanic success for both practical and pragmatic reasons, as well as for esthetic, self-fulfilling, self-actualizing reasons, the quality and the meaning of life—for all those reasons—needs to be, ‘I treasure who I am, I treasure who my parents were, my culture, my language, and I don’t have to give any of that up in order to succeed. Indeed, if I keep all those things it will make me more successful in practical terms as well as in self-fulfilling terms.’ Latinos have a unique contribution to make to America. We can’t do that if we give up our cultural core—that which makes us who we are.”

Bienvenidos: Latinos by Affinity

YOUNG LATINOS TODAY DO not have to assimilate to be successful. In fact, the Latinization of America implies that adaptation is now a two-way street. Latinos are learning how to be successful in the mainstream culture and at the same time are bringing their cultural assets to enrich America.

For people who are not Latino or multicultural or for those who assimilated as I did, there is the opportunity to acculturate. I am referring to an acculturated person as a cultural adaptive—a person who adopts beneficial behaviors, values, and reference points from a variety of cultures.

The Latino culture offers the most user-friendly way to do this because the door is open for a person to become a Latino by corazón, or affinity! Let’s look at several reasons why becoming Latino by corazón is the easiest way for learning culture adaptively!

1. Latinos come from many nationalities and races and have learned to acclimate to many subgroups. A Latino group (or extended familia) might include a Cuban, a seventh-generation Hispanic from New Mexico, and a newly arrived Venezuelan. In Latino organizations many nationalities and backgrounds work side by side. Numerous organizations have inclusiveness in their mission statements.

2. Cultural adaptability was a survival mechanism for Latinos, who learn at an early age how to succeed in a predominantly alien culture. Latinos who now work in mainstream organizations can model the benefits of knowing how to maneuver in more than one culture.

3. Latinos are Mestizos—cultural hybrids with a long history of integrating other cultures, races, and nationalities. Fusion defines their identity. Latinos are a prototype for cultural adaptability and can show other people how to do likewise.

4. Latinos are a cultural and ethnic group and not a race. Unlike racial groups, a cultural group offers the potential for immersion and the adapting of favorable characteristics. Y otra vez (one more time): Latino identification is self-selected and includes people of all races and ethnic groups. (Just check the box.)

5. Inclusiveness and bienvenido are cultural treasures ingrained in values such as being hospitable, simpático, and generous. The elastic familia, where close friends become “relatives,” is an ancient custom. Comadres, compadres, tías, tíos, madrinas, and madrinos become family not due to blood ties but to common experiences, values, and a history of helping one another.

By becoming a Latino by corazón, therefore, people step out of their cultural conditioning. Jessica Smith served in the Peace Corps in Guatemala. Heather Tang taught in Chile for two years. Janelle Wilkins was an exchange student in Spain. Reid Lawrence was a Hispanic studies major at William and Mary College. They are all Latinos by corazón and actually have a “Hispanic personality.” When speaking español, they wave their hands, talk faster, and are more animated and expressive. Of course, a person doesn’t have to go to these lengths; just by reading this book you are immersed in Latino culture and leadership. You are on your way to becoming a Latino by corazón.

And the good news is—once you become a Latino by corazón, you have become a cultural adaptive and can more easily form affinities with other groups.

Let’s acknowledge that with changing demographics and growing diversity many people are already cultural adaptives. Cultural fluidity is a defining characteristic of the Millennial generation, who love the music, style, slang, and social values of other cultures.² Likewise people who grew up in multiethnic neighborhoods, lived in a foreign country, married into a family from a different tradition, learned a foreign language, or served in the Peace Corps have become cultural adaptives by choosing these types of experiences.

Regardless of their ethnic or racial antecedents, people can acculturate into different cultural modalities. People of color who have mainstreamed can choose to come back to their origins. My own experience in reconnecting to my Latina soul is personal testimony to the power that acculturating brings. The door to partake in the cultural smorgasbord and Latino buffet is a revolving one and remains wide open. ¡Bienvenido! Come on in!

Ten Strategies to Actualize Latino Destino

WE HAVE SURMISED THAT Latino destino is building a humanistic and diverse society and that a strategic way to accomplish this is to redefine inclusiveness. By welcoming people to the familia, leaders can cultivate the critical mass needed to bring our values into the mainstream and to actualize our potential and contributions. Below are ten strategies to further the vision of Latino destino. It is important to recognize that several national Latino organizations have missions to specifically address these issues and can be contacted for additional information and resources.³

1. Capitalize on Latino inclusiveness, hospitality, and diversity

WHY WOULDN’T PEOPLE WANT to join up? The Latino culture offers community, celebration, hope, and a humanistic vision for the future. We have an international flair and good old-fashioned values. People today are hankering for belonging and meaning. A few generations ago we lived in intact communities and had large extended familias. Latinos can revitalize these traditions. Our inclusiveness, hospitality, and bienvenido spirit welcomes people—they can become Latinos by corazón and participate in our generous culture.

2. Strengthen cultural pride

THE PEW STUDY ON Latino Identity found that 69 percent of the Hispanics in the United States believe they come from many different cultures, while only 29 percent believe they share a common culture.⁴ A premise of this book is that Latinos are a culture of synthesis. Because of this complexity, leaders need to create opportunities for conversation and dialogue so Latinos can identify and share cultural connection points. This is particularly crucial for emerging and young leaders.

Murguía urges Latinos to bear this in mind: “There’s a sense of connectedness across our ethnic roots, and that connectedness is our strength. We have common bonds and values that we share. We should unify around those because when we are separated or divided, we are not a strong community.” A key function of Latino leaders is to assist people in finding the connecting points of the culture and identifying shared history and values.

3. Keep young people culturally centered

IN 1999, A NEWSWEEK poll indicated that Latinos under thirty-five were more likely to identify as being Latino or Hispanic than their parents.⁵ Ten years later the Pew Hispanic Center study on Latino youth found that 60 percent are encouraged to speak Spanish by their parents.⁶ A cultural revival is brewing. Young people today are embracing their Latino identity. However, they know little about their history, and there are few avenues to learn about and share positive aspects of their culture. Leaders are charged with creating programs that connect young Latinos with each other and help them learn about their culture and the contributions Latinos have made.

4. Integrate immigrants into the Latino community

US LATINO GROWTH HAS been largely due to immigration. Leaders continue the hard work of integrating the newly arrived. Evidence that this is paying off is that two-thirds (64 percent) of young Latinos say that Latinos from different countries get along well. And more than (52 percent) of young Latinos (aged sixteen to twenty-five) identify themselves first by their family’s country of origin, be it México, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, or any of more than a dozen other Spanish-speaking countries.⁷ This same tendency was validated for Latino adults, a majority of whom identify with their national origin.⁸ Latinos are acculturating and bringing their national identity with them—an asset in our global community and economy.

This identification with people from other countries makes the immigration debate close to the Latino heart. When any person who “looks Hispanic” is discriminated against, immigration becomes an issue of civil rights and human dignity. Leaders have put immigrant reform central to the Latino agenda; this has galvanized and unified Latinos. Leaders must continue reaching out and providing services that bring immigrants into the Latino mainstream.

5. Enhance Latino organizations

“LATINO LEADERS,” NOTES CARLOS orta, are “committed to ‘the cause.’ They fully engage and bring a passion to their work. The edge we have is that we are not going to waffle.” As president of the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility, Orta orchestrates a coalition of sixteen of the largest national Latino organizations. He is describing the long-term commitment that its leaders have to building strong organizations that represent Latino interests.

Latinos have advanced because national organizations built their capacity and influence. It is important to note that only two organizations—LULAC (League of Latin American Citizens), founded in 1922, and the American GI Forum, founded in 1948, were precursors to the many Latino organizations founded in the ’60s and ’70s, This is not surprising since Hispanic identity emerged only at that time. What is surprising are the strength, influence, and number of the organizations that have developed in the last thirty-five years. For a community with many needs and limited resources, organizations have the influence and the power to represent Hispanic interests. Growing and supporting our organizations is the key to Latino empowerment.

6. Galvanize economic power and entrepreneurial strength

LATINOS ARE THE FASTEST-GROWING segment of small businesses in the country. Close to three million Hispanic-owned businesses now generate almost $400 billion in annual revenues. These businesses are using the Latino community model to come together and create local Hispanic chambers of commerce—now numbering in the hundreds—throughout the nation.⁹ San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro underscores the benefit to our country: “I believe that Latinos have a wonderful opportunity to renew the entrepreneurialism spirit of our country.” And let’s not forget small businesses are the backbone of the US economy.

7. Grow Latino political power

IF YOU WERE ON the streets for the 2012 presidential campaign, you would have seen a beehive of Latino activity. In the lead-up to Election Day, there were massive efforts to reach the Latino community from candidates, political parties, and community organizations. The National Association of Hispanic Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund, along with partners of the Ya es hora. ¡Ve y vota! (It’s time. Go and vote!) campaign executed an unprecedented voter-engagement program to provide hundreds of thousands of voters with vital information in both English and Spanish on all aspects of the electoral process.

These efforts paid off—the Latino vote increased to 10 percent of the electorate with an estimated 12.5 million voting.¹⁰ The day-to-day work must continue. Vargas notes, “In 2012 Latinos were responsible for electing the president of the United States, because certain key states, swing states, depended on our vote. Hispanic voters in the United States are projected to surpass whites and other non-Hispanics in the coming decade.”

8. Create an intergenerational leadership force

THE LATINO POPULATION IS the youngest in the nation and getting younger. One in five schoolchildren and one in four newborns are Hispanic.¹¹ This presents daunting challenges and opportunities for leaders. As noted in the chapter on intergenerational leadership, many organizations serve youth and have leadership programs and internships to develop young people’s skills. Due to the growing number of youth, leaders must launch a mobilization movement that utilizes social networking and the Internet to educate and inspire a new generation of Latino activists. Latino organizations must allocate resources to involve and empower youth as partners in Latino advancement.

9. Build coalitions and partnerships with other groups

LATINO LEADERSHIP FOCUSES ON coalition and partnership building. Yet lasting coalitions with non-Latino groups have usually been issue oriented and not long-term. It would seem natural that Latinos with their expansive inclusiveness could form strong coalitions with other community and thus leverage the power such unity brings. Some believe that because minority groups compete for scarce resources or scramble to form alliances with Whites, they do not naturally coalesce even though many of the issues they face are the same. Leaders must explore the reasons why coalition building has not succeeded. They must continue to reach out, find common ground, and use their coalition-building skills to bring diverse groups together.

10. Bolster connections between Latinas and women in other communities

HAVING WORKED WITH OTHER women for many decades, I understand the difficulties of nurturing organizations that truly represent women’s issues from a Latina perspective. Latina feminism has traditionally included the advancement of the familia and the community—and it reflects the social activism and community stewardship of Latino leadership.

The White women’s movement, on the other hand, no longer has a unified social or political agenda. Individual success has not centered on improving the general status of women or changing society to reflect women’s values. Today, we might say that the White women’s movement has stalled. Women make up only 16 percent of the Congress,¹² and wages continue to be 77 percent of what men earn.¹³

Because Latinas and other women of color are still fighting for equality in their communities, they could reignite and reinvigorate the women’s movement. Latina leaders are called to cast a more inclusive net. Yet they must ensure that working with other women’s groups strengthens their ability to build an equitable society.

We Will Get There!

WORKING TO REALIZE THESE ten strategies will build a new America—one with inclusiveness and people-centered values as its core. The Latino bienvenido spirit welcomes people to join us in creating this future. Janet Murguía believes we will get there. “Hard work, determination, faith, a good education, and humility helped us get to where we are today,” she says, “and these are the same values that will allow us to chart our own course and to realize the American dream.”

La Bendición—la Raza Cósmica

IN THE EARLY TWENTIETH century a prophetic and far-reaching vision of humankind’s future was put forth by the renowned Mexican educator, philosopher, and politician Jóse Vasconcelos. He believed that humanity will evolve into a new familia that combines the best characteristics of all four major racial groups. He envisioned this as la Raza Cósmica—the Cosmic Race. While the roots of la Raza Cósmica began with the birth of the Bronze or Mestizo race, it will expand to include all people. Vasconcelos believed that the confluence of many cultures and races will result in a richer and more radiant genetic stream and enrich humanity.¹⁴

The genesis of this vision can be found in our past. In the beginning there was only one race. Genetic anthropology, which combines DNA and physical evidence to reveal the history of human migration and ancestry, is documenting how people evolved from the same human family. Yes, we all emerged from the same primordial spring! Our common ancestry ties us together.¹⁵

Writing at a time when American imperialism and the belief in White superiority was on the rise and twenty years before the concept of Germans being a superior race, Vasconcelos was summoning a different vision of human evolution, one that encompassed the beauty and the richness of racial integration. This was almost four hundred years after the appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe, but his vision embellishes the prophesy first heard on the rocky hill at Tepeyac. La Raza Cósmica is based on the expansive inclusiveness Guadalupe expressed: “I am your merciful Mother, yours and all the people who are united on this land and all other people of different ancestries.”¹⁶

And remember the Aztec black belt she wore? To the Aztec this symbolized pregnancy.¹⁷ Vasconcelos’s vision supports the belief that the child that Guadalupe was carrying was the Mestizo, the mixed-race progeny of the future—the first of those who would become today’s Latinos and tomorrow’s multicultural children—a radiant genetic stream that would integrate the richness of humanity.

The concept of la Raza Cósmica offers an enticing future: the multicultural family. In 2002, the Hopi Indian elders came forth with a similar prophesy. They believed that in these times a universal tribe would be born—a rainbow people who would represent the iridescent beauty of humanity. They would heal the earth, bring peace and understanding, and undo the damage caused by previous generations. Then the elders said, “The time is now…”¹⁸

There is a growing understanding today that we are intricately connected and interdependent, moving us closer to accepting the concept of la Raza Cósmica—the cosmic race and universal tribe. The belief that we belong to one human family is the core of Christianity and most of the other world religions. “Our Father” at the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer affirms that people are one spiritual family.

These same sentiments can be found in the song “De Colores,” which rejoices in the beautiful colors of the birds, the flowers, the rainbows, and yes—our multicolored humanity! The song inspires us to love people and all their many colors.

The emergence of a de colores America will be a defining characteristic of the twenty-first century. Latino destino because of our inherent diversity is to build the multicultural society. As we embark on the good work of creating this future, we welcome Latinos by corazón into the familia. We commit to creating a society that cares for all people. We celebrate de colores—the incredible beauty of life’s diversity.