FRIENDS
A short story by David Alberto Muñoz “In the end we will remember, not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” Martin Luther King Jr. “Dad?” “What mija?” “A girl in school told me I should go back to Mexico. I told her I was born here. And she got real angry at me. She pushed me and for a second I though she was going to hit me, but she didn’t.” “Did you tell a teacher about it?” “Yes, I told Mr. Brown and Mr. White.” “¿Y qué dijeron ellos?” “Mr. Brown told me that I should not be ashamed of who I am. That I have every right to be in this nation like everybody else. He told me everyone in this nation is an immigrant. All of us came from other nations. Well, with the exception of the Natives, who are the real original Americans. But everyone else, has come from other places. He says that today there is a lot of anger among some members of the white community. They want a white nation, with no color. But when I see the United States, I see diversity, different colors, different religions, different cultures united under one nation, one flag. I have never been in Mexico, well, you took me once to la frontera, to Tiajuana., and that is. Why does she want me to go south of the border? My Spanish is not that good ¿verda?” “To be honest with you, it needs some improving. But that is not the point. What did Mr. White tell you?” “He told me I should understand some folks are angry at my people.” “At your people?” “That is what he said.” “Who are your people?” “I guess all brown people, or specifically Mexicans.” “I know that mija. I was being sarcastic. But why are they angry?” “That is precisely what I asked him. He says, that when he was young there were only a few Mexicans, but today, there are millions and millions of them, and more are trying to enter the States illegally and that we don’t have the capacity to take care of all of them. And the people that are angry are mostly white working people. Because they believe the immigrants come and take away the jobs from real Americans, and that is not fair and this is the reason for all the anger we see.” “You are going to have to be strong mija! There are people who cannot comprehend what this nation represents, real opportunity, a chance to have a better life, to live in a place where justice truly governs. I know there is corruption in this nation like in any other country. But not to the extremes we see in the nations we come from. All we have to do is see the politicians and realize how they take advantage of the system; how hypocritical they can be. But at least there is a principle that is at the center of this nation, that is also our nation. My father came from Mexico, I was born in Mexico and I came to this country as a little boy, and you were born here. We are citizens, with rights and responsibilities, and the way I see it, the Declaration of Independence states, that we are all created equal. It doesn’t say the white race is better than the brown, or the blacks are better than the Asians, or the purple is the best race in this world. In America, we all get the same change, the same opportunity to make it, to have a decent life. If we don’t take advantage of this opportunity, so be it, that is our responsibility. But we cannot blame other races for our problems. We live in the same nation. And we must see things with a fair eye. We make mistakes sometimes, we must accept them, and go on improving. But also, the white race makes mistakes, the blacks, the Asians, all of us make mistakes, and we must be willing to say: I made a mistake, I am sorry. And then, go forward with that lesson learned.” “Why is that so hard Papá! Where is all that anger, that hate coming from all those people? What I have done to them?” “I don’t know María, our culture is based on a model that is Euro-center, and for some reason we have not learned to appreciate the traditions, the cultures, the languages, the religions of other people. They are just like us, human beings attempting to live a better life just like anybody else. Fear cannot bring unity, dread cannot create real community, quite the contrary, it can only bring division, anguish, separation. The day we learned this we might have a more peaceful planet. Otherwise, we are doom…” “Dad?” “¿Qué pasa mija?” “Do you know what was the worst part about that kid who got angry at me?” “No, what was it?” “We used to be best friends until this semester. Her name is Linda Blanca White. And we used to play together, every day, and we used to share everything with each other. But something happened to her, and I guess to me too. She got angry at me all of the sudden, repeating the same insults her parents pronounced, and I don’t think she knows why. And I also got angry at her, because she went after me without having a good reason. I guess, we are not friends anymore.” María Guadalupe Martínez González, born in Chicago, Illinois, was talking to her father, an immigrant from Mexico. It was a morning of July 2019, while the nation continued dividing itself. © David Alberto Muñoz
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David Alberto MuñozSe autodefine como un cuentero, a quién le gusta reflejar "la compleja experiencia humana". Viaja entre 3 culturas, la mexicana, la chicana y la gringa. Es profesor de filosofía y estudios religiosos en Chandler-Gilbert-Community College, institución de estudios superiores. Archives
July 2021
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