Super Amigos

It takes some people by surprise. In fact, they don't
even realize it's happening when it is. There are, we
could assume, rules that govern the interaction between
people, one of them being Americans don't interact on a
personal level with Mexican nationals and vice versa.
But it indeed can and has been done.

It is granted that a preponderance of the millions of
personal friendships that are forged everyday do not
normally occur between such seemingly dichotomous
groups. One are the haves and the other the havenots
very far, far from their home element. The haves speak a
common language of English and the havenots speak
from the untrained American ear their incomprehensible
language of such velocity. The haves work with and are
indeed part of the general public. The havenots work
between the scenes, behind the "employees only" sign
and off in a distant irrigated field.

We each, Americans and migrated Latinos find
ourselves now with a common era that we all live in. It is
a period that we share together, regardless of birthplace,
spoken language and skin color. It is now that we must
embrace as one of the formative epochs we read about
in the history lessons. Shall we look back on these
years and shudder at what injustices we've allowed
transpire? Or shall we be proud that, apart from our
differences, we've located the only requisite kernel of
truth, that we indeed are all human?

Pat Buchanan notwithstanding.

Jeremy Keller

November 2000