Cinco de Mayo is a holiday that commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5,1862. While not an "obligatory federal holiday" in Mexico, it is celebrated primarily in the state of Puebla, and in the United States. Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day, which actually is September 16, the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico. In the United States, many people mistakenly think Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Indepence Day.
Tomorrow may be a very interesting day in the Southwest. The new Arizona immigration law has stirred up a hornet's nest of opposition. The sad thing to me is that Arizona wouldn't have had to deal with this if the federal government had simply enforced the laws already on the books. As a Hispanic male who faced some prejudice in my teens and early 20s, I find it interesting that Al Sharpton and other non-latino, racial issue, lighting rods are in the Southwest commenting and spreading misinformation. In my opinion, these are uninvited pot stirrers who need to stick to their own issues. Regardless, this is just another opportunity for many to say ugly things, throw rocks and other objects, and make law abiding latinos look bad. Shouts of Si Se Puede, Yes We Can, are so misplaced. Yes We Can what? Believe misinformation? Not find out what is going on for ourselves? Be led around "by the nose" by agitators who's main agenda is agitating?
So how does a Christian, conservative, latino man celebrate Cinco de Mayo? 1) Pray for Arizona and the people who are so divided over the issues. 2) Try and be a conduit in any conversation of correct information. (I believe that the root of the problem here, like in so many volatile issues, is that people do not take the time to really find out what truth is) 3) Pray for a return of civility in this country. 4) Go to my favorite Mexican market for a bowl of menudo.
No comments:
Post a Comment