NewsTaco

Now that it’s common knowledge that Latinos are the country’s burgeoning ethnic group, and given that this group routinely identifies as white on the Census, it begs the question as to whether or not Latinos will go the way of the Irish and Italians. Will Latinos start self identifying as white, foregoing their culture or language, and remembering their heritage primarily via eagle and serpent tattoos on Cinco de Mayo?

Are Latinos the next group in the United States to begin to engage in “passing?”

We asked Professor William “Memo” Nericcio, Director of the Master of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences program at San Diego State University that question. Nericcio routinely analyzes the intersection of popular culture and Latinos with his traveling exhibit, Mextasy, and said the answer to this question is not so simple. The short version, though, is “no.’

First, he gave us a little bit more context on the idea of “passing.”

“Passing is the idea that if you are the member of a minority, by coincidence of genetics of whatever, you can pass as a member of the majority,” he told NewsTaco, noting that the phrase was coined by the novel of the same name. “It’s like they are masked, they can pass as members of the majority so they are not subjected to discrimination.”

In the novel “Passing,” Nella Larsen describes the lives of two women who are of mixed race, and the repercussions that befall them when one chooses to “pass” as white, while the other lives her life as an African American.

Nericcio noted that this had occurred in his own life in a sense, given that he has a Sicilian last name, as well as Anglo first names. The idea of “passing” is that you get to “live a lie in order not to suffer what all of your brethren are suffering,” and this is something that is desirable for the quality of life it brings, he said.

Both myself and Nericcio reminisced over opportunities — given to genetics and our names — to “pass,” that were not taken for hard-to-determine cultural preferences. But that is for another post. Ultimately, he told us that, given the current state of politics in the U.S., it doesn’t necessarily “pay” to be Latino — “there’s no reward out there for bieng Mexican, so it’s in your interest to become generic.”

But, when it comes to Latinos in United States, Nericcio told us there is no way that passing is can become an indefinite trend.

“It’d be nice to get the target off of our heads for a decade, that we could be like the Irish and Italian, it really pays to pass and be mainstream,” he said. “But the difference between us and the Irish and Italians is that they came over in these giant waves, and we came from next door. The next time the economy is booming, there’s going to be another infusion. It’s that contiguity that will prevent permanent full-on passing for Latinos in this country.”

Plus, Latinos have a higher birth rate, he added. So, by immigration and birth rates, Latinos will continue to be a growing force in this country, preventing what could be the inevitable cultural dulling for this group in the U.S.

El Guapo is a creature of habit. Thursdays he likes to do laundry as he watches novelas. And because he is trying to go green, he pulls up the hamper and uses his washboard abs as — well — a washboard. Although, truth be told, if he’s not incredibly careful, a whole basket of laundry can be ruined and shredded to ribbons by his symmetrical, jagged abdomen.

Just as your Guapo was getting into his novela (and mind you it was getting good – at this juncture some scantily clad woman was smacking a burly man who wore a prominent 80’s porno mustache and threw sinister looks at the camera), the doorbell rang. El Guapo’s pudgy neighbor, Pancho Sanza, arrived with the irate, befuddled look that is permanently etched onto his face, like one of those huge Olmec heads, like he’s angrily trying to determine the origin of a fart.

Apparently, Pancho, an aspiring thespian, had gone to a commercial audition for a role described as “the guy next door” and actually being the guy next door, he figured he had it in the bag. At the gate however, a leathery blonde woman with a clipboard eyed him up and down like he had stepped in something foul and refused him admittance. To El Guapo, this underscored the dire need for some cultural code cracking.  For the benefit of all here are just a few words or phrases that you should know the code for:

Boy/Guy/Girl Next Door Or “All-American”

• Not you. Unless, of course, you are blonde and look like you stepped out of an Abercrombie and Fitch ad.
• Example: “Reese Witherspoon, the pre-eminent girl next door (or all-American girl), has just wrapped her latest film, co-starring the spicy firecracker, Salma Hayek.”

Urban

• Having to do with areas, activities, and other related issues connected to people of any collective hue darker than the beige crayon in the box.
• Example: “Due to the fact that he went to an urban high school, little Antonio is illiterate and enjoys stabbing others with rusty blades.”

Diverse

• There’s a black or brown person present, or referred to.
• Example: “This party is diverse as hell. Look, there’s Maria, she’s ½ Guatemalan and ½ Kenyan. Sweet, it’s like the UN in here.”

Cultural Sensitivity/Awareness

• Demonstrating (or at least feigning) an appreciation or inclusion of interests in other cultures.
• Example: “Bro, I love tacos. They make me culturally aware…and they taste dandy.”

If perchance El Guapo overlooked something, please bring it to his attention.

Your handsome and humble servant,

— El Guapo

[Photo By jbcurio]

By Dustin Mendus

The idea of an African-American 007 has been tossed around in the past few years, if my memory serves. “Bond 23,” the next installment in the long-running franchise, is on the horizon, but this does bring up an interesting question for society in general. James Bond — Ian Fleming’s super-spy famous for fighting bizarre henchmen, alcohol consumption, and romps in the sheets with numbers of women from a variety of places — is a historically white character. Bond also is an outlet for what many men want to be and have: fast cars, gorgeous women, and a life of thrills.

But these traits of masculinity are common in our society among men of different races. White, black, Asian, Latino, and many other American men are influenced by the Bond fantasy. With the change of societal demographics in the United Kingdom, the idea of an ethnic Bond should be tossed around, even in the U.S. the idea has been mentioned.

However, is it right to adapt Bond’s race to match the changing color palette of society?

It’s doable within the 007 universe. There seems to be no coherency among the franchise, save for a few films before Daniel Craig’s “Casino Royale.”  However, one can watch “Thunderball,” “Dr. No,” and “Goldfinger” in that order and have no consistency issues — Bond’s appearance changing would be acceptable from that point. Outside of that, though, things get iffy.

A non-white James Bond presents a bigger problem for all minorities. It’d be the opposite of a step forward in media representation. Sure, if we had a black James Bond (or for us stateside folks, a Latino John McClain of “Die Hard”), it would put a minority actor into the spotlight, but it would also suggest strongly that minorities can only fill shoes that have already been filled. That we cannot create our own heroes and characters. The last message that minorities need to send to is that we can’t create a path for ourselves.

I love Bond, but let’s stop clamoring for a “black” or “Latino” or “Asian” version of popular characters and stunting our own creativity. Powerful characters that minorities can claim as our own can be made by minorities — and not by swapping the identity of current characters.

A white Jules Winnfield, an Asian Gregory House, a black James Bond, and a Latino Bruce Lee? Remaking what’s been done and putting a new coat of paint (or skin) on what’s been established is going to be a farce.

Dustin Mendus is an undergraduate student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He focuses on cultural geography.

[Photos by brava_67 and tyger_lyllie]

[Editor's Note: The following is an excerpt from the executive summary for a report released by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. You can read the entire report here.]

The NAEP 2009 Reading and Mathematics Assessments included grade 4 and grade 8 students nationally and for all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity (hereinafter referred to as states).

This report provides detailed information on the size of the achievement gaps between Hispanic and White public school students at the national and state levels and describes how those achievement gaps have changed over time. Additional information about race/ethnicity in NAEP is given in appendix A of the report. Most of the data in this report is derived from the results of the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) main assessments in mathematics and reading; however the trend data provided is derived from results from as early as 1990.Achievement Gaps: How Hispanic and White Students in Public Schools Perform in Mathematics and Reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, follows our previous report that provided similar information on the achievement gap between Black and White students.

Mathematics

In 2009, NAEP mathematics scores for both Hispanic and White students in grades 4 and 8 nationwide were higher than in 1990, the first assessment year for both Hispanic and White public school students. Mathematics scores increased, but the achievement gap between Hispanic and White students did not change significantly at either grade 4 or 8 from 1990 to 2009.

• From 2007 to 2009, scores for Hispanic and White fourth-graders remained unchanged and the gap persisted at 21 points.
• For eighth-graders, scores increased for both Hispanic and White students from 2007 to 2009, but the gap remained at 26 points, which was not significantly different from the gap in 1990 or 2007.
• At grade 8, the 2009 mathematics achievement gap for Hispanic and White students eligible for the National School Lunch Program was narrower than in 2003.
• In 2009 at grade 4, eleven states had a smaller Hispanic-White gap than the nation, and six states had a gap that was larger.
• At grade 4, in all 21 states for which 1992 data were available, both Hispanic and White students achieved higher average scores in mathematics in 2009 than in 1992.

In six of those states (Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island) the gap narrowed as Hispanic students’ scores increased more than White students’ scores. In five additional states (Delaware, the Department of Defense Education Activity, Michigan, Missouri, and Oregon) the gap narrowed between Hispanic and White students since the first NAEP assessment year for that state or the first year for which Hispanic student results are reportable. Since all states did not participate in the grade 4 NAEP mathematics assessment in 1992, the first NAEP assessment year varies.

• In 2009 at grade 8, fifteen states had a smaller Hispanic-White gap than the nation, and six had a gap that was larger.
• At grade 8, in 14 of the 15 states for which 1990 data were available, the mathematics scores of Hispanic and White students were higher in 2009 than in 1990. In both Connecticut and Rhode Island, the gap was narrower in 2009 than in 1990.
• In three additional states, Delaware, Hawaii, and Missouri, the gap narrowed between Hispanic and White students since the first year for which Hispanic student results are reportable.
• In Maryland, the gap was wider in 2009 than in 1990, as White eighth-graders’ scores increased more than those of their Hispanic peers.
• In Utah, the gap was wider in 2009 than in 1992, the first NAEP assessment year for that state. Since all states did not participate in the grade 8 NAEP mathematics assessment in 1990, the first NAEP assessment year varies.

Reading

At the national level, reading scores increased for both groups significantly, but the achievement gap between Hispanic and White students did not change for fourth- or eighth-graders when comparing 1992 to 2009.

• From 2007 to 2009, scores did not change significantly for either group at the fourth grade. The 26-point gap for fourth-graders in 2007 was not significantly different from the 25-point gap in 2009.
• The 25-point gap for eighth-graders in 2007 was not significantly different from the 24-point gap in 2009, though scores for both Hispanic and White students have increased.
• At grades 4 and 8, the 2009 reading achievement gap for Hispanic and White students eligible for the National School Lunch Program was narrower than in 2003.
• At grade 4, thirteen states had a smaller Hispanic-White gap than the nation, and six had a gap that was larger.
• At grade 4, in 11 of the 21 states for which 1992 data were available, the reading scores of Hispanic and White students were higher in 2009 than in 1992.

Both New Jersey and New York had a narrower gap in 2009 than 1992. In Colorado, the gap widened when comparing 2009 to 1992. In Indiana the gap widened between Hispanic and White students when comparing 2009 to 2002, the first NAEP assessment year for which Hispanic student results are reportable for that state. All states did not participate in the first grade 4 state NAEP reading assessment in 1992, so the first year for which data were available varies.

• At grade 8, seven states had a smaller Hispanic-White gap than the nation, and no state had a gap that was larger.
• At grade 8 state-level data were available for 22 states starting in 1998.
• When comparing 2009 to 1998, the grade 8 reading gap did not change significantly in any state. In Wyoming, both Hispanic and White students scored higher in 2009 than in 1998.
• In Alaska, the gap narrowed between Hispanic and White students when comparing 2009 to 2003, the first NAEP assessment year for that state.
• All states did not participate in the first grade 8 state NAEP reading assessment in 1998, so the first year for which data were available varies.

[Photo By Justin_D_Miller]

Seeing as how about 15% of all marriages in the United States are between people of different races or ethnicities, and given recent Census results suggesting this trend will likely continue, now seems like a good time for an online publication talking about the issues with which multicultural families contend. Chantilly Patiño, also known as the blogger Bicultural Mom, has answered the call.

On May 30 Patiño and a group of other bloggers will launch an online magazine, Multicultural Familia. Patiño said the site will, “address multicultural and multiracial lifestyle with special emphasis on topics such as racial and cultural identity, ethnic heritage, language acquisition, interracial relationships and multiracial parenting; with an overall focus on cultural awareness and racial unity.”

Patiño talked to News Taco this week and told us that, for her, Multicultural Familia is very personal. “I met my husband, who is Mexican-American, and we just got into talking about so many different things — about language, about race, about racism, and his culture and it was very interesting for me.”

Patiño later began to look at racial issues when she pursued higher education, but these issues became much more real when her daughter was born.

“My family is all white, there has never been any racial intermarriage before in my family. I have always had a difficult time explaining to them any understanding, so that’s part of why I started Multicultural Familia,” she told News Taco. “We are going to be talking about race and ethnicity like Afro-Latino heritage and mixed families, interracial relationships, how to raise multicultural children with confidence, and give them an understanding about race.”

Check out Multicultural Familia, also on Facebook and Twitter.

Follow Sara Inés Calderón on Twitter @SaraChicaD

[Photo By DIAC Images]

A Texas non-profit, Former Majority Association for Equality, has begun to offer $500 scholarships to a group they contend is discriminated against when it comes to funding for higher education: White men. Thus far, the group hasn’t received any applications. The Austin American-Statesman reports:

(Colby) Bohannan, a mass communication major and Iraq war veteran, and others formed the Former Majority Association for Equality — a San Marcos-based nonprofit group that is offering five $500 scholarships exclusively to white male students.

Bohannan, the group’s president, said the name comes from the idea that “if you’re not a male, and if you’re not white, you’re called a minority.” However, he said, “I’m not sure white males are the majority anymore…”

Applicants need to be at least 25 percent Caucasian, have a GPA exceeding 3.0 and demonstrate financial need.

This isn’t the first time such a scholarship has been offered, there have been a couple already, and these guys aren’t actively taking any stance on affirmative action. Instead, they’re doing it by omission by saying “It’s time to give everyone an equal shot.” The problem with this whole story and the reporting around it is ignores an essential fact: The reason affirmative action and race/gender-based scholarship exist is because white men have historically kept resources, such as education, from everyone else.

To say that white men have the cards stacked against them is in the very least disingenuous and at the very worst wholly ignorant.

In the group’s defense they told The Statesman they have “three women, one Hispanic and one African-American” on their board, you can see a photo of them here. It also seems from the web site that Bohannan’s brother (or someone related to him) is on the board, and from the looks of it, the one Latino looks incredibly uncomfortable. The group also claims that they’ve raised $485 and hope to award scholarship by July 4.

Whatever.

If these guys want to do this, that’s fine, if he’s an Iraq war veteran like he says, I don’t know why he’s not benefiting from the G.I. bill — that’s another missing piece of this story. Why is he in such dire financial need if he’s a veteran? I know other veterans who are receiving great educations after their service.

The missing pieces of this puzzle, whatever they may be, would probably paint a much clearer picture of what everyone’s intentions are, but in the big scheme of things, I’m not sure how much this really matters in a state that’s moving toward a Latino majority.

Follow Sara Inés Calderón on Twitter @SaraChicaD

[Image Courtesy Facebook ]