Hispanics are fawned over for one month -- and ignored the rest of the year
By one measuring stick, Hispanics should be knocking down doors left and right, getting hired and promoted in every field, and enjoying the admiration of our colleagues. We work hard, defer to authority and put others first.
But by another measure, we don't have what it takes to get ahead. We're passive, humble and content with what life gives us. We're not good at telling our own story, and even worse at tooting our own horn. We are the last people to protest or complain. We don't make demands, or make waves.
That's a problem. The meek may inherit the Earth, but they don't get to first base in this country. Just look at who's president. If we could buy Donald Trump for what he's actually worth, and sell him back for what he thinks he's worth, the profit could pay off the national debt.
Baby boomers who run the media, the universities and the entertainment industry seem to have burned out on diversity. They went through the '60s, and they got somewhat sensitized to the plight of African Americans. They lived through the 1990s, and they got "woke" to the challenges facing the LGBTQ community. And now Hispanics show up?
Hispanics did not show up. We were here to greet you. The Spanish founded St. Augustine, Florida, in 1565. The English didn't show up in Jamestown until 1607.
This year, for Hispanic Heritage Month, let's skip the bouquets and the baloney. Give Hispanics the one thing they really crave, and the one thing America seems intent on denying us: respect.
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Ruben Navarrette's email address is ruben@rubennavarrette.com. His daily podcast, "Navarrette Nation," is available through every podcast app.
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