La Bloga guest post by Jimmy Franco, Sr.
“There is no neutrality. You either have to be
a part of the solution, or you’re going to be a part of the problem” - Eldridge Cleaver
Within recent years there has
been a growth of cultural awareness among many young Latinos and other minority
youth. This is a positive first step toward developing a higher level of
cultural pride in one’s ethnicity, history, language, identity and traditions.
Such a nationalistic trend is a
normal reaction when an ethnic group experiences discrimination and injustice
by those who control a political system that denies equitable political and
cultural rights to all. The natural response by national minorities to any
repressive situation imposed upon them by a dominant group is a growth of
nationalistic feelings and an ideology that asserts a growing pride and dignity
in one’s roots. Yet, the ideological trend of cultural nationalism that is a
preliminary stage of awareness and activity has its limitations.
One of these can be a sectarian
attitude and a form of isolationism from other cultures. However, the major
limitation is that a cultural nationalist ideology does not explain nor propose
concrete solutions to eliminate the structural cause of a national minority’s
subordinate position in society nor the political methods of control and
policies used to maintain it. If someone remains at this preliminary cultural
stage which entails personal pride and a growing awareness of one’s ethnic
background without eventually progressing forward, then this can lead to a
stunting of one’s political consciousness and development. This stagnation may
also hinder one’s perspective and awareness of broader social issues which
often results in a reactive and culturally self-serving individualism that does
not assist in pro-actively resolving the social ills faced by the broader
community.
A focus solely on cultural
nationalism has allowed our social problems to persist
During the Civil Rights period of
the 1960’s and 1970’s, many cultural nationalist groups were created as a
reaction to the prevailing rampant injustice and discrimination existing at
that time. However, the narrow response of those involved in this trend was to
primarily focus on cultural issues and feel-good activities related to music,
history and wearing ethnic dress. This also included a good deal of time
primarily learning languages such as Swahili and Nahuatl with a focus on a
return to the past and romanticizing the cultures of Africa, Puerto Rico and
Mexico. There were many individuals who were also proud of their culture, but
in contrast, also advocated and utilized militant civil rights tactics and even
revolutionary nationalism. Their political perspective pointed out the
root-cause of the problem of ethnic rights and discrimination and this was
accompanied by action to eventually change it.
The extreme cultural nationalist
trend during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s practiced a form of what could be
characterized as a safe form of escapism in contrast with those engaging in
political activism who were more aggressive in civil rights organizing or
attempting to effect social change. This is not to say that those groups
involved in political struggle were not proud of their cultures and ethnic
groups as they were, but they did not limit themselves to cultural activities
or dwell solely upon the narrow realm of individualistic personal awareness or
a romanticizing of the past.
Cultural nationalists tend to
primarily focus on personal identity issues and abstain from the economic and
political struggles that affect our society. In contrast to this trend, are
activist cultural workers who share and utilize their musical, artistic and
writing talents to raise issues, support struggles and politically educate our
young people. Cultural activists play a vital role in nurturing a political
movement by utilizing their art to raise people’s political consciousness and
by further enhancing a culture by integrating new experiences from vibrant
social movements into it.
Dwelling on the past and on
abstract activities contributes to our social problems
The progression from cultural
nationalism to political activism is vital in order to confront and resolve the
many social and economic problems presently facing our community and improve
its wellbeing. The issue of voting rights, a lack of equal political
representation and civil rights injustices continue to persist and fester
within our society.
In addition to these, there are
scores of economic issues such as job and gender discrimination, low wages,
unjust immigration policies, a high rate of incarceration and an unequal
educational system that deprives our youth of enlightening their minds and
providing financial security for them and their future families. Lastly, the
number of Latinos who are working and visible within the media industry is
still insignificant in comparison to the demographic growth of Latinos and this
has the effect of censuring and limiting our ability to tell our stories to a
broader public as others are allowed to do.
Individualistic and personal
cultural pride are good traits, but they are no substitute for the right of a
repressed ethnic group to gain equitable entry into the overall culture of the
country and contribute to it in a significant way. This presents us with a
choice of either actively participating in the struggle to confront and resolve
this array of social problems that we face or we can retreat into the isolated
shadows and separation of individualistic self-serving pride and abstract
feel-good activities of cultural nationalism.
Two directions: a detached
cultural nationalism or involvement in a political movement
If a better world existed where
conditions within the US were more equitable than what presently exists, then
self-cultivating cultural activities and an individualistic detachment from
social issues would not pose a problem. However, since we live in an imperfect
society which inflicts economic and political harm upon certain sectors of our
people and communities, this means that we have a moral and ethnic duty to
contribute to the elimination of such social defects. Involvement in a
political struggle is not a hobby or merely some type of therapy to fill the
time with, rather it is a social responsibility that has been historically
thrust upon us by the defective conditions and injustices of the social system
under which we live.
This developing trend of cultural
nationalism that a growing number of young people are receding into involves a
romanticized attachment to the past and even an assortment of mystical
practices. Such a one-sided perspective and mental detachment can become a form
of therapeutic escapism that is split from objective reality. Another aspect of
this cultural nationalist obsession involves a type of dogmatic book
worship and personal self-cultivation which borders on selfishness by divorcing
book knowledge from its application to the practical experience and vibrant
knowledge of solving real social problems. In opposition to such a passive
worship of the past, an ideology is presently required that reads and analyzes
information from a scientific perspective and creatively applies it to address
people’s needs within our communities.
A method of persuasion needs to
be used to link cultural awareness to political activism
We need to respect the choice of
those who are entwined within this revived trend with its cultural pleasantries
and a mystical longing for the past. A dialogue needs to be created that
utilizes discussion, persuasion and an exchange of views on this issue. It
needs to be explained to cultural nationalists in a respectful manner that
their decision to abstain from the political struggle and recede into a
pleasurable self-cultivation on the sidelines creates a strategic problem by
objectively assisting those who wish to harm our community.
Many college students in ethnic
studies programs around the country are being introduced to cultural
nationalism by their instructors, and this ideological trend can be a beginning
phase if they then use this knowledge to proceed forward and integrate it with
political activism in the real world. If both professors and students remain
bogged down in abstract academic speak, intellectualizing and culture for culture’s
sake which is often disconnected from the real needs of students and the
community, then this type of cultural nationalism becomes a retrograde and
toxic trend that does not contribute to our future wellbeing.
What is presently needed are more
individuals of all ages who are pro-active and involved in constructively
changing our communities and improving the lives of its people. A person can be
proud of their ethnic identity, culture and history, yet this knowledge needs
to be linked and enhanced through practical action and experience which
involves cultivating our community’s educational needs, organizational level
and political consciousness.
This
article originally posted by Jimmy Franco Sr. on
LatinoP.O.V., on Nov 12, 2015. Copyright, November 12, 2015: Jimmy Franco Sr.
Facebook:
Jimmy Latinopov Twitter
@xicanomc
Jimmy Franco Sr. is a
long-time educator and community activist who was born in Texas and grew up in
the Lincoln Heights area of Northeast Los Angeles. He attended Cal-State L.A. where he
was an active member of M.E.Ch.A. and did graduate work in history and
education, including his thesis entitled Chicano
Trade Union History of the Southwest: 1919 to 1929. He has taught
elementary through twelfth grade, adult school, at the university level,
classes at Chino Prison in California.
Jimmy
began writing in 1967 for the community newspaper “Inside EastSide”which at
that time was geared toward high school students and assisted in preparing the
groundwork for the 1968 East L.A. high school walkouts or “Blow Outs”. During
this time, Jimmy was active in the Chicano Moratoriums of 1970-1971 against the
Vietnam War. He has also been involved in various community organizations and
written for other community-based newspapers such as El Machete and El Pueblo
Obrero.
Jimmy
became a member of the Retail Clerks Union at the age of sixteen and has been a
member of three locals of the United Steel Workers of America Union. He was
also a member of the United Teachers, Los Angeles and received a N.E.A. award
for his civil rights contributions. Previously, Jimmy was the California State
Civil Rights Chairperson for the League of United Latin-American Citizens
(LULAC), and the past president of its NorthEast L.A. Council.
He has
been involved in bilingual education, drop-out prevention, affirmative action,
educational reform, labor and anti-war work, and educational outreach to
promote systematic reform of the educational system.
No comments:
Post a Comment