Monday, May 8, 2017

What happened to Cinco de Mayo?

Last year, prior to Trump's election as president, there was always an aura of celebration in the Latino community during Cinco de Mayo.  During Trump's campaign, he made it a point to alienate immigrants by calling them "rapists" and other outrageous terms that were totally unfounded.  However, this year Cinco de Mayo fell on a Friday making it quite easy for the Mexican community to be in a festive mood considering the end of the work week should culminate in celebration.  But nothing happened.  No flags, no food, no togetherness, no racial identity, no pride, no nothing.  In fact, the community I live in embraced Cinco de Mayo so much that I conditioned myself not to cook because my neighbors were happy to give away their food in recognition of their moment to honor their independence.  Again, nothing happened.  Why?  I was forced to realize that Trump's campaign of "Making America Great Again" means different things for different people.  Does it sound like I'm complaining?  In fact I am.  I am not sure if I am reading to far into this mysterious absence of celebration on behalf of the Latino community, but after pondering the situation, I felt, at least to a small degree, the aftershock of Jim Crow Laws.  And here's why.  The immediate suppression of expression, the scenery of silence, the suffocation of celebration appeared to be a momentary trip down memory lane of legal attitudes to quarantine people, much like Jim Crow did for blacks years ago.  By no means am I suggesting that the lack of the Latino community to celebrate Cinco de Mayo is anywhere near the grotesque, systematic repression of Jim Crow.  I just think these developments have a didactic assignment written all over it.  It just smells of something that may proliferate into something mildly resembling Jim Crow or El Novo Jim Crow.  However,  I think I could have students write a paper about what exactly does "Make America Great" actually mean.  Is it for everybody?  Who is left out?  Why are they left out?  What do you think?

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