I expected a brown revolution. I expected this world to end and a new one to be formed. When Hispanics became the largest ethnic minority group in the United States, I expected a shift in power. Black History Month was supposed to be revoked in favor of Hispanic National Heritage month. Puerto Rico was going to either join the United States or demand that the United States join it. Instead, the world has remained one of black-and-white-black-and-white issues, black-and-white decisions, black-and-white politics. What I'd like to ask is: Why?
Hispanics should have more political power in this Democracy than any other minority, but they are still receiving second-class citizenship in our country. Some of this can be attributed to language barriers. In Spanish Harlem, unlike in its predominantly African-American namesake, Spanish is often the first and only language. It is hard to earn a Ph.D. or demand political power when you cannot speak the current language of power in the United States.
There are also more internal divisions among the Hispanic community than among other minority groups. Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Spaniards and Mexicans all speak dialects that are similar but different. There are also differences in ideologies and culture, which keep Hispanics apart, not in the mainstream. Many people call Hispanics \Mexicans"" in passing, but internally the differences are notable.
It could be that I am overreacting to the fact that Hispanics are ignored in the United States. If that is true, please count the number of Hispanic leads in movies. Compare that number with the amount of black leads or the number of Asian leads. Statistically speaking, shouldn't Hispanics have more leads than either group, considering they are the most numerous minority in the United States? Could it be that the U.S. is tragically ill-prepared for Hispanic roles to be more than those of dishwashers and maids?
The greatest breakthrough in broadcasting in the past decade might be ""The George Lopez Show."" It was one of the first lasting television shows that had a positive Hispanic family on television. Now stop and consider how long ago Bill Cosby and a positive African-American family was on television and then explain to me why it took so long for a Hispanic one to pop up.
It could be fear that is keeping the Hispanic population out of the limelight. How many times do you hear on the news that the ""brown people"" are crossing the border, taking our jobs and stealing our welfare? It makes sense that the United States should fear that Mexicans (part of the Hispanic population) are coming across the border, getting jobs, working hard, trying to put their kids through college and making lives in the United States.
I can understand being afraid of my friend Alexandra, who came to the United States, got a green card, works three jobs, is active in church, put herself through school and got accepted on scholarship to Princeton. I am afraid of Alexandra too, because next to her I look lazy, and I don't like that either.
I'm not saying there is a giant conspiracy. I'm not saying that there are never enough funds for English as a Second Language because the government wants to limit the political power of Hispanics. I'm not saying that government policy intends to treat Hispanics as a problem instead of finding a way to help an important part of the population. I am particularly not saying that Hispanics-who have contributed millions of man-hours and knowledge to this country only to be ignored, though they are in fact the largest minority in these United States-are not an essential part of the fabric of the United States.
What I am saying is that I would like to know, and for others to ask, why these United States have marginalized and ignored an important part of who we are: Hispanic.
Harlen L. Johnston is a third-year law student.
