Cover Story
by Jen Blazis
"They stereotype Mexicans as dirty, criminal and uneducated."
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Racism a barrier for
Mexicans and whites
Paula Silva, shown here with her grandson, believes the best way for
the church to reach Mexicans is through their children.- Jen Blazis, photo
The racism Wait experienced came in other forms as well. "The Spanish-speaking kids would make fun of us in Spanish class and call us names," Wait said. "And our Mexican neighbors never got their bikes stolen."
This scenario is played out every day across the United States. Economies are suffering in many states, and the tension grows as whites unable to find work point to Mexican immigration as the cause. They stereotype Mexicans as dirty, criminal and uneducated. At the same time Mexicans regard whites as arrogant and uncaring. Cultural misunderstandings and a language barrier further exacerbate the problem.
"It's always the bad that's on display," James Cambell, a Caucasian senior at MBC whose wife is Mexican-American, said. "My exposure [in the past] used to be with seasonal [Mexican] workers that tore up the town and left. But the ones who lived there were all fine."
The Cambells had to overcome racial discrimination when they married in 1990. Although Mrs. Cambell is a U.S. citizen born in Texas, her new father-in-law thought that she was marrying to "get her papers fixed."
In addition, many whites are frustrated with Mexicans who are unwilling or who struggle to learn English. The common attitude is one of "if you are in my country, you speak my language."
However, because language and culture go hand-in-hand, many Mexicans pride themselves on speaking Spanish and do not wish to change. They often point to the fact that English is not the official U.S. language.
Cristine Vigil, a Mexican-American and graduate from the University of Northern Colorado, works at a nursery in Colorado Springs. "A lot of men that work [there] are on work visas and send money home to [Mexico] to their families. For the most part, they are hard-working, quiet people who do their job well," she said. "But some people think these men are stupid because they don't speak English well."
While understanding English may be necessary to succeed in the business world, many Spanish speakers fill jobs where a knowledge of English is unimportant. Even in jobs that require only manual labor, however, employers push Mexicans to learn English.
Cambell's mother-in-law, Paula Silva, worked for more than four years at a potato packing company in Hermiston, Ore., and saw some hard-working Mexican co-workers get fired because they spoke only Spanish. "You don't have to speak English to pack potatoes," she said. "You don't pack the potatoes with your mouth."
Despite misunderstandings that take the form of racism, healing is possible between whites and Mexicans.
The Cambells said getting to know one another's families helped them overcome racist attitudes and cultural misunderstandings.
"[My father-in-law] loves me now that he knows me," Mrs. Cambell said.
"When I started dating, I would have never dreamed of dating a white man. I thought it was disgusting. But you have to get to know someone. That's the first step [to overcoming racism]."
The church, too, can pave the way for healing and understanding between Hispanics and whites.
Silva said the best way for the predominantly white church to reach Mexicans is through their children. "If you try to reach their kids and invite them to church, they will learn stuff and bring it home to mom and dad," she said.
Mrs. Cambell said that whites within the church can change the way Mexicans and Mexican-Americans see them by spending time with them. "[Whites] need to be more open and remove that veil that all whites are arrogant gringos," she said.
Mr. Cambell said a key component to overcoming racism is to be educated about other cultures within the U.S. "It's really hard to be prejudiced when you are educated."
His job as a security guard at Walmart has given him the opportunity to see that all cultures have their positive and negative features. "I see the dirt on every race," he said.
Wait has also overcome his childhood experiences in Pueblo, which made him uneasy around groups of Hispanic people. He is now engaged to a Mexican-American woman. He said his uneasiness around Mexicans started to change when he became friends with two Hispanic co-workers, one Mexican-American, the other Puerto Rican.
"I didn't trust any Mexican or Hispanic people until I got to know Manny and Jose'," he said of his friends. "It changed my heart because I realized that they weren't all gonna steal my bike."
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