You know, it is somewhat funny, the story behind this issue. When my 1st husband and I found out we were having a baby, we wanted to raise him as both a New England-er and a Southwestern-er so that he would know the heritage of the parts of the country that his parents came from. He was of Mexican and American Indian descent and was born in Arizona and I am Scotch-Irish, Italian and American Indian and was born in the Boston area.
After he was killed and my son was born, the hospital, the Navy, Social Security office and a variety of other bureaucracies were insistent that I racially identify my son. Was he "white"; "Hispanic"; "Indian".... Well, that got my red-head in an uproar. I checked "Other" and filled in "Human". No amount of phone calls would change my mind. That was it. He was of the "human" race. (I can be a little stubborn)
When I moved to Texas, his last name was more common than in New England. His beautiful skin tone became even more 'coffee-and-cream' colored and his hair, unlike mine, didn't bleach out lighter in the hot Texas sun. As he has grown up, his features have come to resemble my husband's so much that it takes the breath away from those who knew his father.
When he went to Middle-School, he came home one day with paper-work for me - and he was quite angry. I asked what was wrong and he slapped the papers down onto the table. The principal (who has since been replaced) had sent home papers that needed to be filled out in order to exempt my son from ESL classes. They had (erroneously) assumed due to his name, that he would need to be in ESL classes in order to help him along. Not only that, I had to explain myself if I wanted him out of those classes! They also sent home information on getting immigration assistance!! Upon calling the school and identifying myself as "My Son's Mom", I was asked if I needed a bi-lingual speaker on the phone. ~ You can bet I adjusted their thinking. :-)
My oldest son, child of an MIA/KIA US Sailor, had been pigeon-holed and racially profiled as "Hispanic" and potentially illegal or having illegal parents who needed consular aid. He constantly rails against this assumption and he gets quite irritated that people assume he supports illegals and "Mexican causes". My son is very conservative - more so than I am when it comes to the illegal issue. There is no 'gray' for him. It is black and white - if you are illegal, you need to leave. He has no issue showing his school ID, license or military ID. He would rather do that than have illegals run rampant in the streets.
Like his father, he is vehemently against illegal immigration as he feels it lowers people's perception of Hispanics, especially those of Mexican descent. It also causes suffering in the form of human trafficking that is abusive and exploitative of people who, in many cases, can't protect themselves. Many Hispanics he has crossed paths with have dissed him for his stand, but he does not waver. He feels being American is a privilege ~ and he is proud of the sacrifice his father made.
My son deserves better than being profiled by the left as 'sympathetic' to their cause. My husband damned well deserves better than a legacy that requires his son to be harassed by liberals as 'not Hispanic enough'.
