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Monday, November 8, 1999
Citizens discuss wide range of diversity issues in South Texas
Readers relate items of concern
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Sound Off:"What incidents have had an affect on your attitudes about race relations?"
Editor's Hotline: We want to hear your comments and suggestions about "Neighbors: Worlds Apart", our series on diversity. Call the Editor's Hotline at 886-3779.
Public Forum: Join your neighbors at a free public forum about diversity and race relations in our community.
10 a.m. - noon, Saturday, Nov. 13
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
Center for Instruction, Room 113
Find Out More:
National Coalition Building Institute - 825-5778. The institute provides prejudice reduction workshops that deal with stereotypes, conflict resolution workshops and diversity workshops for university staff and students, as well as workshops for area high schools and the community.
National Conference for Community and Justice - 883-1329. The organization provides educational programs that focus on youth, the community and workplace. The group provides a leadership and diversity training for youth, as well as inter-religious programs to promote understanding.
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As part of the series, Neighbors: Worlds Apart, the Caller-Times asked readers: What evidence of racism have you seen? A sampling of responses from voice mail and e-mail follows.
Lessons from children
I still hear comments about "Mexicans" and the use of the more pejorative "Meskins." I think the hope for this community is in the generation of elementary-through-college students whose friendships are cross-cultural. They seem to lack their parents' prejudices. They share each others' cultures and accept individuals for who they are. They do not make simple judgments based on skin color or ethnicity. It would be nice if their parents would follow their lead.
Problems with clerks
I'm an Anglo. I was in line at the grocery, there was a Hispanic behind me. The Hispanic checker said sir, I'm going to take you first and I said, no you're not. We both had the same amount of groceries. I went and got the manager and the girl denied doing it. At a local company they were waiting on me when two Hispanics walked in and the Hispanic clerk stopped waiting on me and started waiting on them. I said hey, you were waiting on me. Why are you waiting on them now? Even the two Hispanics argued with the clerk.
Hiring issue
I did not know racial prejudice growing up. Not until in college in East Texas did I witness it and then it was against blacks. Here in South Texas the animosity of racism often comes through, but it comes from the Americans of Mexican decent. I am Mexican and I know that there are those of my heritage who will unfairly treat Anglos. A person I know who hires for a major company here will hire a Hispanic before an Anglo. When confronted, they replied, "It's not prejudice, it's preference." I call it racism. And this is an international company.
Desecration, degradation
I am going to limit my comments to racism that I've seen in Corpus Christi in the last several years.
The racist desecration of the Hebrew Rest Cemetery on Brownlee Boulevard.
The racist desecration of the Jewish section of Seaside Memorial Park.
The fire bombing of the Jewish Community Center.
The racist degradation of students by students concerning the ROTC program at Ray High School that included publications, Internet sites, desecration of student's personal property and a student chasing a black student with a noose while wearing a white sheet over his head.
The racist accusations and threats made publicly in the school board meeting a few weeks ago.
The racist slurs painted on a Jewish Ray High School student's car.
Marriage issues
I'm 25 yeas old and I'm Hispanic and I thought I saw racism and stuff when I was young, but I really see it now from family members, co-workers, peers and friends that are also Hispanic because I married a white woman. They all ask me why I did that. I don't see myself as having married a white woman. She's not a race, she's my wife and I'm her husband. She's not white. I'm not Hispanic. That's it, plain and simple.
Paper, politicans faulted
Is it not a shame that misconduct is hidden behind racism? I believe that the only type of racism is manufactured by politicians and newspapers, i.e. Caller-Times, of reporting the issues. Is it not strange that racism is brought up to surface when there is wrongdoing fired up by Saavedra, Agnes Street etc. when the politicians don't get their way? They use racism as a crutch to have their way at our expense.
When healing will begin
The CCISD Board controversy has really made me believe that this community has become more racial. While I believe many are arguing for due process and the accomplishments of CCISD at the helm of Saavedra, I believe that others are angry and have chosen a "Mexican," as they would say, as their target. The opposition has various motives. To some it is about taxes, ethics and accountability. To others it's about race and power. You can hear the racial name-calling on the Eric Von Wade show. If Hispanics support Saavedra, to many of us, our decisions are based on work performance. At times we must evaluate the performance of individuals and weigh the positives and negatives. And in this case, Saavedra overwhelmingly has performed to my satisfaction. People are not supporting an individual based on race but rather the record. When others learn that people disagree on various issues, and stop the name-calling, then the healing will begin.
Proud Americans
I have to respond to your article in today's paper: I am a minority and very proud of it. I am Spanish, Indian (Doesn't that make me Mexican?) German and Black Dutch (Wasn't that German Jew?) I am very proud of the heritage I can claim from all of these wonderful backgrounds. How boring life would be if we were all of the same ethnic background. We would not have so many wonderful things that the melting pot has given us, Mexican food, Chinese food, soul food etc. We would all look alike. But, I doubt we would think alike.
I have experienced racism in my life. Two of my dear childhood friends never let their father know that I had a drop of German blood. He was Greek and hated the Germans. But, I loved him anyway. The other wonderful family was Jewish who came to the United States to escape Hitler. I worked for them in their jewelry store while in high school and remained close as an adult. They did not celebrate Christmas as my family did, but always gave me and my children gifts for the holiday. How they enriched my life and my blue-eyed, blond-haired children's early memories.
One of these children of mine has just been denied a position that he was the only qualified candidate for, because he had checked Anglo on his application. The position was department head of a state college in another state. The position was re-advertised and guess what? He is still the only qualified candidate. This time on his application he checked Anglo, Hispanic, American-Indian and other. He can rightfully claim all of his ethnicity. They make him into the living, breathing, human being he is.
I love all races. But, I don't like all people. Does that make me racist? I don't think so. We all have so much to offer if we only respect each person individually. Please, let us be done with racism and judge everyone on their merits as a human being.
I also must comment on some of the name-calling. My father, who was half Spanish, called his grandchildren wetbacks. We call our granddaughter beaner or beano. My Italian brother-in-law, whom I loved dearly, called me Spic, I called him Dago. A racist name is only racist in how you accept it. My dear father wanted all of his grandchildren to share in his ethnic background and be proud of what made them Americans.
Lost good people
We have co-workers that were transferred down here. The husband is a redhead and the wife is of Italian decent. The husband went house hunting, then got a builder who said he could build the house in 60 days, and the wife came down to finalize things. The builder took one look at the wife and he said he couldn't build the house for a year. And with that, the couple refused to come to Corpus Christi because here was somebody with dark hair and an Italian-sounding first name and was fourth generation American at least, but the builder couldn't build her a house. We lost a good person and a good couple. We found a lot of this with the real estate agents who would direct a lot of people to only certain areas of town. It's a shame.
Help those in need
Being a woman, which immediately identifies me as a minority, I am of the belief that everyone is free to have an opinion, whatever it may be. We each have the ability to form our own assumptions on any given matter.
As an American I have many concerns about the near future as my children will not enjoy the freedoms I have enjoyed. My son will not enter a fair, uncompromised workforce, my son will struggle to earn a living because he is a minority. Our children struggle daily with peer pressure, gang pressure, hate, violence, threats and intolerance. I honestly feel we as citizens of the most free and convenient society of the world should clean up our own backyards, streets, families before we take on the poverty of another country. We cannot sustain the poor of Mexico when we cannot sustain or care for our own.
I am wondering how many of the Hispanic population living in Corpus Christi regularly give of their time, expertise and money to help the struggle of their relatives and ancestors living in Mexico. Or is it easier to sit back and throw stones from a safe distance in the comfort of an air conditioned office with a convenience store on the corner and a secretary to jump and run?
Why not the uproar with the hungry in Corpus Christi? Why not the uproar with the homeless? Why not?
And to compare the identification of individuals illegally abusing the generosity of Americans to the inhumane slaughtering of Jews by a mad man is, at best, ignorant.
It begins in the home
Racism originates in our homes. If you allow exposure to racism in your family, then it will continue through families' social life. Who's at fault? Well, the blame falls on the responsible family guardians.
Lack of knowledge
I am Asian/American and have experienced a lot of racism growing up in the United States. I still experience it today. At work and in daily life living here in the Coastal Bend. At work, I can see the racial tension, especially between Hispanic and Anglo. In daily life I occasionally experience it. I have been in many local merchants' shops where I felt there was a bit of racism.
Example: 1. No sales person acknowledges you. 2. Walk in with an Anglo friend and they are greeted.
Speaking to friends and neighbors, I see a serious lack of knowledge or understanding of a person's culture or race, which causes racism.
Trustees abused
The last board meeting the audience abused the three female trustees by calling them racist, maggots, terrorists and other things. There are your true racists.
Talk radio
I have come to the conclusion that the Eric Von Wade show on KEYS 1440 is a disruptive and racially charged negative factor having listened to his tirades for a long period of time. In recent weeks he has criticized Rene Rodriguez, a successful attorney, Mary Helen Salazar, president of LULAC Council No. 1 and a successful businesswoman, Ruben Bonilla, a successful attorney and a driving force in the Corpus Christi Boys and Girls Club, and finally Dr. Abe Savvedra, CCISD superintendent. Each of the individuals singly and collectively has contributed more to the community than Mr. Von Wade ever will. I feel safe in saying that Mr. Von Wade has never met any of these individuals, nor does he know anything about them beyond than what he reads in your paper and his imagination. He consistently ridicules the Hispanic school board members but fails to mention board member Bill Hamrick, an Anglo who has consistently voted with these Hispanic members. We have to recognize that we do have problems and we have to try and address them. I hope we can do something about it. I thank you for addressing this issue; it is long overdue.
Welfare disparity
I have seen a lot of racism in Corpus Christi against me. I am white with two white children. I live off of welfare but I seem to get a lot less than my Hispanic neighbors do or anybody else that I know. I am not racist. I like all kinds of people. When I go into stores or when I get things from welfare, I get a lot less. Programs like Toys for Tots gave my Hispanic neighbors children more toys than they gave my kids, and mine are the same age. That is not fair. I think that is racism towards me. Hispanics want to holler racism? That is not nice either and it is not fair.
Caller-Times at fault
The Caller-Times has done more to undermine race relations in Corpus Christi than anything that I've seen for years and years. I just don't understand how they can assume an attitude that they've had with all this negative publicity. The Anglos and Latinos have gotten along for many, many years and there's just no excuse for promoting this kind of dissention in the city.
Like a virus
It's like a computer virus, it has infected a lot of minds. The name-calling is coming from all of the human race. It's at the top and all the way down to the workforce. Yeah, there's evidence all right, and we are all guilty, as you know. Let's not force ethnic culture on each other that just won't work.
Anglos miss the point
I think that white people are racist because they never mention the fact that under Dr. Saavedra scores have increased dramatically and under Police Chief Pete Alvarez crime has gone down 25 percent, the best ever. They give credit to academic standards in one case and neighborhood policing in the other. If either of these men were white they would have given credit to the great leadership abilities of these men.
Hispanics in groups
As an Anglo I see racism when I'm upon a group of Hispanics who are high school and college graduates who refuse to speak the language of the country but chatter away in a foreign language and giggle about it. There is just enough racism in Hispanics towards Anglos as the other way around. And who appointed you people at the Caller-Times to be the experts on this subject?
Anglos in groups
I go to the YWCA and it's mostly Anglo ladies there, and I'm Hispanic and very proud of it. When they are going to tell a joke they all get together and they never call me other there. Talk about racism or when they are going to talk I guess they think I don't understand English or won't be able to understand them, but they usually stick together all the whites, and me and the other Hispanics over in a corner.
Job evaluations
I work at a department store here in town and although I have always gotten good evaluations for my attitude and efficiency, I have noticed a difference in how my few mistakes are treated in compared to fellow Anglo workers by Anglo customers. I am always yelled at or they want to want to speak to the manager. For them they say that's all right sweetie, we all make mistakes. I feel this is racist.
Anglo or Hispanic?
I'm the victim of reverse racism. I'm not Hispanic, but being down here people speak to me in Spanish and assume I'm Spanish and they get mad at me when I tell them I'm not. And I don't understand that. They always get mad at me. They expect me to speak Spanish and they tell my well why not, why don't you speak Spanish, are you white or what? And hey, I'm proud of what I am. I don't understand what their problem is. And I'm getting tired of it, and nobody ever brings that up.
It's our tribal roots
I feel that we should eradicate the term racism and call it what it is, simple prejudice. Humankind has never overcome its tribal roots. We all tend to blast people who are different from us. I've been hated because my skin was scaly. Fat people, skinny people, people of different color, religion, etc. have caught hell. Let's celebrate. God made us different because he likes variety. Let's think about that and appreciate it ourselves.
Reverse prejudice
My husband and I are concerned about reverse prejudice. We are certainly behind everyone being equal, but we are concerned about segments of the population wanting to be superior. And as far the schools, they are ruined.
Why read Spanish?
I've seen it in the grade schools, at the third grade level. Where children were asked to read a book for a book report and were given the choice of English or Spanish. And grandmother said, 'I thought I sent my children to school to learn English, they have enough Spanish at home. Why is she reading in Spanish? She should be learning English.' If that isn't a form of racism, I don't know what is
Double standards
A group gets together to promote the interests of Hispanics or blacks, it is condoned. If a similar group is formed for whites, it would be condemned as racist. We cannot have equality if we embrace double standards.
Racism is a bad word
The whining of Hispanic groups every time things do not go their way is all I have seen. The word racism is a strong word and when it is used, the person against whom it is used is forever tainted, even if there is no truth to it. Please do not use this word against people simply because you are unhappy with the way things are going. Let's not forget that in South Texas, Hispanics are a rather large majority.
Strength in unity
Those who find a racial component to everything are the dangerous racists. To identify yourself first as a member of a group, and secondarily as an individual is racist. Our strength comes from our unity. This is not the Diversified States of America.
Be open to others
Having been raised in Texas my whole life I have experienced a protected form of racism. My parents were very careful to choose neighborhoods and schools that were exclusively white. I didn't interact with other races until I was an adult. I was very fortunate that my parents, generally were very open minded. As a 40-year-old adult I value the color that different cultures bring to our society, but what I fear is that people who represent those differences expect to stand alone in our society. It is important that people recognize their cultural heritage, but they must be willing to accept or at least acknowledge those of others. I get the impression that the Hispanic community feels that immigration controls are an affront to their race, but the fact is regardless if the illegal immigrants are Chinese, Russian or South Africans, the United States cannot afford to support these people! I recognize that this new ruling allowing local law enforcement to arrest illegal immigrants presents great problems for civil liberties and the potential for abuse, but something must be done.
Sacking groceries
I live in Corpus Christi, and I'm white, and I get a lot of racism from the Hispanics that live here. It's really a shame, but it seems that about 99 percent of the people that live here are Hispanic, and they seem to get to do a heck a lot more than white people. I'm not racist. I get along with people. I have a lot of Hispanic friends, black friends. I get along with everyone. But it's not fair that when I go to the grocery store, I have to sack my own groceries because the Hispanic that was going to sack my groceries leaves to sack someone else's groceries, who happens to also be Hispanic. And I just don't appreciate it.
Missing the issue
The Caller-Times did it again! They avoided airing the underlying issues, which are objective and clearly identified. Instead, they brought up an emotionally charged issue (it's really ethnicity and not race). The end result is a polarization of the city along ethnic lines and what appears to be their real reason, selling newspapers. In any event, the editors have taken their incompetence to a new level of irresponsibility.
Racists are the loudest
This CCISD controversy isn't about racism but about two board members' misuse of public monies. One paid it back after he got caught, and one waited a year to do so. They still haven't accounted for these cash advances. The real racists are the ones yelling racist the loudest.
Student's article decried
The racism is by the Caller-Times. Printing that article about the student at Miller coming out in the newsletter with her racist remarks is about as low as you can go. And then over here in Tynan when we had the fence at the cemetery it was on the front page, but when Irma Rangel came up with scholarships being awarded and college admissions awarded to Hispanic students it was stuck in the back of the paper. If that's not racism what is it? Why isn't this thing equal?
I'm no Anglo
I would like to state the use of the word Anglo is itself racist. I am not an Anglo and to be called one is very disturbing and upsetting to me.
Financial aid issue
In the early 1980's I applied for financial aid at Del Mar College. My parents were blue-collar working class and we needed the help. I was not given any aid because my surname was not Hispanic. I check Anglo and Hispanic on my application because my mother is Hispanic and my father is Anglo. Would it have been different if my father had been Hispanic and my mother had been Anglo? Probably because I look Anglo was probably an issue. Where do I fit in? I am angry I was not given the same opportunity as someone with two Hispanic parents but the same income level.
Talking in 'Mexican'
I would like to say I am a white mom with two children. For some reason Hispanics always try in talk to me in Mexican. When the church people come to my door they always want to hand me the Mexican writing books. I do not know why they do that. I look white as snow but they still continue to talk to me like that. I do not appreciate that because I am not Hispanic or of Mexican descent. It bothers me that they would come to my door, or when I am out in public these people try and talk to me in Mexican. They think that just because everybody in Corpus Christi is half-Mexican that everybody else should be Mexican. Well, I am full-blooded white. I do not appreciate these people coming to my door talking to my children or me like they are Mexican. If you are going to talk to my children, talk to them in English, not Mexican. That is how I see racism. Stick to your own race. That is how I see it.
Disappointed in articles
I have taken the newspaper for almost 30 years now. And I cannot believe what a screaming ugly thing you pushed in my face this morning. I am totally disgusted by it. And you are right. Shame on Us. Exactly right. That is the only true and wonderful thing in this article. I really do not appreciate this at all. I don't think it helps at all. It's like my sociology teacher told me so very many long years ago: Race is the card that people play when the rich halves want to keep down the working class and the poor, because everybody has to think they are better than somebody else. So, if they can convince the gringo that they're better than the Mexican-American or Hispanic, they're in business. Or if they can convince the Mexican-American or Hispanic that they're better. That I got the paper this morning... it's one of the few times I'm really sorry that the damn thing wasn't stolen off my sidewalk. How utterly depressing.
Job position resented
Even though I went to college and have more job experience than my fellow employees, I think they resent my position in the company. They do not believe me when I say that my great-grandparents were born in this country. They do not believe me when I say I have three brothers that graduated from college. In fact, they are from Arkansas and you know what that means.
Wounds have healed
I grew up in this area as an Anglo, so I know exactly what racism is from both sides of the issue. As a child it was bad. I remember my parents keeping me home from school because Hispanic students took over the high school office and announced that all Anglo boys would be beaten and all Anglo girls would be raped if they came to school the next day. Of course, we didn't dare attend classes for a while. I wanted to go off to college and get as far away from discrimination as I could. Something wonderful happened in those years; my wounds healed. ... I finally returned home for good. The first man I talked to at a gas station was Hispanic and he had a beautiful Mexican accent. I could have kissed him because it was so good to be back. Rarely now am I ever mistreated anymore. And when it does happen I feel sorry for those who mistreat me because they can't see past my skin. Rather than brewing up more racial tension, the paper should be advocating love and harmony of all different ethnic groups. We should all treat each other the way we want to be treated. We should all love each other regardless of race and gender. Shame on you, Caller-Times, for festering old wounds.
Commend Valdez
The biggest evidence of racism I have seen is today's story in the Caller-Times. Carlos Valdez should be commended for saying that "this is not a question of black or brown or white, it is a question of right or wrong."
No problems
I have lived in Corpus Christi for 17 years and I have not seen any evidence of racism against Hispanics. It is a shame that the school board issues have been fabricated as a racial issue by certain board members..
Reverse racism
Nobody ever talks about reverse racism. I'm not Hispanic, but I've had more people talk to me in Spanish and assume I am and they get mad at me when I say I'm not. Don't get mad at me because I'm not Hispanic. That's just an assumption and it's ignorance.
Valdez doing right thing
Carlos Valdez is doing the honorable thing. Is his motivation going to based on racism do you think?
News coverage is bad
The racism I have seen is in the news. When a young white person does something wrong they call him a young child but when a young black or Hispanic man, they call him a man even if he is under 19. The television channels and the newspaper put the Hispanic and the black down in that way.
Paper is at fault
I noticed there has been more dissension between the races since the Caller-Times has been publicizing it so much. I have not seen it anywhere else except in the newspaper. I hope the paper realizes the damage they are doing to this city. I am going to cancel my subscription.
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