I wish to begin with a wonderful quote from the film, Selena where Abraham Quintanilla (played by Edward James Olmos) says,
“Listen, being Mexican American is tough. Anglos jump all over if you don’t speak English perfectly. Mexicans jump all over you if you don’t speak Spanish perfectly. We’ve got to be twice as perfect as anybody else. Our family has been here four centuries, yet they treat us as if we just swam across the Rio Grande. I mean we got to know about John Wayne and Pedro Infante. Anglo food is too bland; yet when we go to Mexico we get the runs. Ours [homeland] is right next door – right over there. And we got to prove to the Mexicans how Mexican we are; we got to prove to the Americans how American we are. It is exhausting! Man, nobody knows how tough it is to be Mexican American!”
THE TENSION
The question of "the hyphen" is of great tension in the United States. It is one that cripples some and confuses others. It is a paradox that questions a sense of belonging and relationship. But I want to be clear and concise: the issue is not primarily social injustice, but identity. Identity is the golden ticket because it gives people value and worth. The problem is that we are constantly looking for value and worth in things that will constantly fail us, most notably ourselves.
Edward James Olmos' words in Selena are spot on, however. Personally, the tension I feel in being a Mexican-American is that I've either sold out to be successful or pursue further educational opportunities or that I want to be like the white man in my success. People can be jerks. All of the sudden, I don't know anything about the barrios because I have a degree, yet any success is because I'm a minority or as I was once told, "ethnic." English doesn't mean "better than you," raza. And gringos, English is not the official language of the United States not to mention there's no such thing as the language "Mexican." You need a Joya after you get off of the horse you bought from my cousin.
The tension inside of the hyphen is one of identity, not success. We need to understand this clearly and quite frankly unapologetically. Diana Cardenas writes on the assimilation and acculturation: assimilation is the process of losing one's identity, worth, value, and culture for the sake of another while acculturation is the act of maintaining one's culture and learning and adopting principles from another in order to learn and grow. Regardless on whether you agree or disagree (I actually agree), the purpose of her thought process is one of identity.
Yes, it is out of my identity as a Mexican that I love carne asadas and Negro Modelo with banda bumping in the background. And yes, it is out of my identity as an American that I enjoy coffee shops, education, and pallet wood decorations.
If the question and tension within the hyphen is one of identity and clearly our cultures (despite success and pride) are failing, then where do we go to have closure on who we are?
OUR ANSWER
Jesus.
Jesus was an outsider; among his own people. Jesus experienced rejection, was a social rebel, didn't always play by the rules, loved the people, and then we murdered Him. The Catholic church has it right: the bloody portrayal of the crucifixion. The Protestant church understood it: we cannot save ourselves and therefore are in need of a Savior. This means that a part from Jesus Christ, we will only cause further tension to the lack of countless identities.
The entire Biblia is about a people who are unfaithful to a Savior who constantly demonstrates his faithfulness to them. Yeah, that's us, menzos.
Jesus, rather, gives us a new identity; one that despite where we come from or how we were raised is based on who He is.
REAL ENCOURAGEMENT
Gringos, you need to learn to have parties. Everyone agrees. The language, "Mexican" doesn't exist and this isn't your country, but ours. And social injustice is real, not just something poor people do to get attention. Dia de los Muertos is very real, not an excuse to look cute with vibrant colors. People died, yo.
Raza, you need to learn to shut up sometimes. You're not fooling anyone when you drink coffee from Starbucks but scream that you're from La Balboa. I would much rather you embrace your low-rider, bumpin' 2-Pac while proudly sipping on your black coffee with 8 sugars. Ya. Callate.
At the end of the day, amigos, let us turn to Jesus where there is reconciliation and restoration for our cultures and differences. The joy that is found in Jesus is that we're different. It is out of the person and work of Christ that we have identity and our differences are actually what make up the church (a people)! Let us not be ignorant to one another, but burden for one another for the sake of bringing more glory to our Savior; the real immigrant.