Having come this far in reflecting on the treatment (and mis-treatment) of immigrants across the years in America, I’m pondering what lessons I may have gained. I’m seeing a long unacknowledged (by me) undertow of “fit in by looking and acting like those who make the rules.” It's not just something that immigrants or POC face. Women also, too often, find themselvees faced with fitting into a pre-formed mold, or being called 'bossy', or 'un-feminine', or worse.
In thinking about the stories of the past few weeks, I realize that those immigrants who were similar in looks and language to those
in power, did have an easier time assimilating. Despite their difference of
religion, the Irish found it easier to mix in and to have power and
influence because they spoke English (even if it was flavored with Gaelic and heavily accented). Italians, Germans, Swedish and other nationalities had a language
barrier to overcome and often remained in self-segregating communities. This is still true, even if not as overtly obvious. Barrios and ghettos still exist, how ever much we may want to overlook and ignore them. Children in these areas of our cities attend schools that are less well equipped and face challenges of being in a food desert that aren't faced by white families in the same town.
Persons who were easily identified by skin tone, were (and
continue to be) much too easy to label and libel. It is sad and even terrifying
that after over 100 years since the Emancipation Proclamation, Americans
with dark skin are targeted by neighbors, politicians, and law enforcement. It
is heart-breaking that those with ancestors coming from the East are still
looked at with suspicion. It is criminal that the men and women whose ancestors
were in the land before Europeans are still losing ground to preserve their way
of life, and are in danger of losing their very identity.
I recently learned that there are laws that say if you have “one drop” of African blood you are “Black”. Conversely, Native tribe affiliation is determined by the Blood Quantum Laws or “percentage” of native ancestry you have. DNA ancestry tests help us realize that our ancestral make-up is much more complex than we thought. Many who assumed they were all European, discover that there are Native, Hispanic, African, or Asian admixtures present. We cannot delineate or discriminate based on our blood “purity” or perceived lack of such purity. We are something like 99% the same no matter what color our skin is or where our ancestors were born.
By disenfranchising, marginalizing, and discriminating against the men and women and the cultures that did not ‘fit’ the White-Anglo-Saxon-Protestant story of America, we have lost much richness. By continuing to pretend that these actions didn’t happen, we continue to demean our neighbors. Despite the struggles, the cultures of all immigrants have influenced and impacted our national story, rituals, and life. We have St. Patrick’s Day because of the Irish. We have Las Posadas and luminarias at Christmas thanks to the Hispanic influence. We have wonderful sausages and meatball dishes thanks to the Irish and Swedish heritage. Much of Southern cooking is influenced by the African recipes used in plantation kitchens of both master and slave. Music and art, languages beyond language, have come together to give Jazz, Rap, Rock, Gospel, etc. The Native appreciation and sacredness of all creation is something western culture needs to rediscover.
We can be enriched by learning from one another. We can look
for the image of the Holy in one another. We can admit that some of our
forefathers left a lasting legacy that we need to work to heal. We can look
beyond the blinders that we’ve learned and accepted as true and normal to see
the broad and beautiful kaleidoscope that is life.
We can appreciate the gifts each of us bring to that life.
Recognizing and acknowledging what we can give to one
another may require we rethink our personal privilege, based on our skin color
or ethnic origin. None of us is 100% any one race. DNA has taught us that. We
even have bits of Neanderthal lurking in our blood. Let’s embrace our
similarities AND our differences! We’ll all be richer.
Next week, for the last in this series, I’ll be telling the
story of the Spanish entrance into the Southwest through the eyes of a Tewa
grandmother.
