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If You Don’t Have A Hispanic Friend…
To paraphrase Wanda Sykes, you are part of the problem.
What is the most reliable way to end racial prejudice? Especially our own subconscious prejudices? Become actual friends with people from other cultures. Real friends, not just someone you only see at work or school. And. More. Than. One.
We are all siblings under the skin.
We now know that all of our DNA was passed down to us by common ancestors. Cultures have developed separately and geographically, but we are all siblings under the skin. And, if that skin is a different shade than ours, we have to immerse ourselves in one another’s culture to realize that differences in skin tone and other features do not a stranger make.
Their culture may be different from ours. Often it’s better.
When I was growing up, we had many Sundays where my grandmothers small country house was overflowing with family. Sometimes trestles were set up outdoors to feed everybody. By the time I was grown, that never happened again except at rare reunions. I miss it.
That’s why having been adopted by a Hispanic family for holidays has brightened my life and that of my sister and son. It has given my son holiday traditions and stability after my mother died. My…
