As it turns out, Jews do not control the banks, do not have a secret plot to take over the world and, for the most part, do not have horns on their heads.
What a difference a few decades make. It wasn’t that long ago when millions of Americans actually believed those lies. Anti-Semitism has been around as long as the Semites, along with all forms of human discrimination and bigotry. But for the most part, the yarmulkes came off, the lies faded and we all moved on. Judaism versus whatever is about as controversial as Miracle Whip versus mayonnaise in Aurora these days.
But illegal and legal Mexican immigrants? We’re getting there. Aurora, and the entire country, made a long-needed leap forward during the past few months as Congress started relenting on the inevitable legal integration of millions of illegal immigrants. There are easily many thousands of those immigrants here in Aurora. For years they have been the consternation of a wide range of fellow Aurora residents, complaining about the appearance of signs in Spanish, thick Mexican accents, Mexican radio stations and foods never before seen by middle-class Front Range eyes. Big slabs of cactus and chunks of chayote? Yep, it’s a thing.
Just a few years ago, a shrinking contingent of residents in northwest Aurora and their city council representatives were furious that dozens of Mexican men would congregate along East Colfax Avenue parking lots while construction trucks stopped by and picked them up for a day’s labor. To me, it pointed out the fact that these illegal immigrants would do any kind of work and were stymied because they had no credentials to get better, safer jobs. These guys would often get stiffed, stranded and stigmatized just trying to get by. “Getting by” often meant living in a house with several families, working far harder and for far more hours than most Americans for far less money.
And with all these Mexican immigrants came the lies. Local bigots told each other that Mexican immigrants were sucking off government agencies. No they aren’t. Bigots told each other that Mexican immigrants are illiterate and don’t want to learn English. Another lie. Who doesn’t want to speak the language of the place you live? Local businesses weren’t forced to offer services and signs in Spanish. They do it to entice Spanish-speaking customers. It’s good business because Mexican immigrants are big money. Bigots tell each other that Mexican immigrants don’t pay taxes. Of course they do. If they have jobs, they pay income taxes, but they don’t get tax refunds. They pay sales taxes just like we do. They pay rent to landlords who pass that money back to the government as property taxes.
They just can’t do things legally because we have an intellectually constipated Congress that won’t create ways for Mexican immigrants to have some kind of legal status to stay and work here.
That’s changing. Here in Aurora, Councilwoman Sally Mounier, a Republican, is asking the city to help create a center where illegal Mexican immigrants can come to get help with finding a job, a home, health care and education. While her predecessors have fought tirelessly against similar ideas, the times and attitudes have finally changed. The wisdom of seeing that these immigrants are not going anywhere and that we all benefit from their integration is apparent to almost everyone.
It turns out that businesses like hiring people who like to work hard and do a good job without demanding huge salaries. It turns out police like a community where people watch out for each other and innately follow the rules. It turns out we all like street tacos, ice-cold horchata and homemade tortillas for next to nothing. It turns out we can figure out which number to press for English.
As it turns out, they’re just like us.
Reach editor Dave Perry at 303-750-7555 or dperry@aurorasentinel.com
I keep hearing these screams of racism and discrimination against hispanics but i never hear who’s doing all the racism…all i hear is blanket labels like republican or tea party ….but i never hear any specific people or names concerning what racism they say is happening at that moment to them…..just “we are just being discriminated against….just don’t ask us who or what”…..NO…..what i see is a bunch of reverse racist screaming wolf when there is none there and using that scream of reverse racism to mooch off people and be able to be stupid and commit crimes and use that racism excuse to get off….get off you’re crack smoking a$$es and do something for yourself.
Yep. Must be bigotry. There could possibly be no other explanation for wanting immigration to be done in a controlled and legal manner.
Please allow this legal Mexican to lay it out for you here in Aurora.
It turns out our Police Chief couldn’t care less about communities that watch out for eachother. He only cares about us following the rules. Nothing more than that.
It is not a sign of bigotry to ask this city to enforce code concerning too many human beings piling into too little square footage, which there is a city ordinance against doing.
When you entice (Chief), illegal Mexicans to work with the police in exchange for more leniency on their illegal status, guess what will happen? There will be an increase of illegals filing false reports.
Home Hispanics In Focus A Psychotherapist’s View: Hispanics as a Melting Pot for Two Cultures
A Psychotherapist’s View: Hispanics as a Melting Pot for Two Cultures
Hispanics in Focus
Posted in Hispanics in Focus on Hispanic.com
I am a mental health clinician and a former refugee from Nicaragua —
raised in two cultures or shall I say “two worlds”…”this one” and “that
one” or “The Latina” and “The Americana”.
Upon
arrival in the U.S. from Nicaragua – I experienced firsthand the
difficulty of acculturation and assimilation into a new culture. As latino immigrants we are often faced with the fact that we are a product of two different cultures.
We have
had to or chosen to leave our native lands in hope of a better future
and establish a new culture with and for our families in a new and
different world. Oftentimes we’ve been faced with language challenges,
economic hardship, and hope for a better life.
The Challenges – Barriers
Language was a barrier keeping the foreign apart from the new. As
Hispanos or Latinos we have had to survive and adjust to a new world
with a foreign language with different culture, norms and way of life. I
can personally identify with the emotional struggles Latino immigrants
have endured. These struggles that at one point in our lives may have
brought depression, financial hardship, anxiety, and exacerbated mental
health issues as we adjusted to our new lives.
The Emotional
It is very important to acknowledge and pay respect to the efforts and
journey every Latino immigrant has made. If you are a Latino immigrant
feelings out of place, lost, sad, depressed, and like you just don’t fit
it, these feelings I have found both from personal experience and my
clinical work – are completely normal.
The Adjustment & Joining the U.S. Community
There
is a period of adjustment that depends on several factors. Your desire
to become part of the dominant culture versus isolate yourself from
those different than you will play a major role. In many cases – we
learn the English language in order to make living and become part of
the workforce. It is very important for those new immigrants to
establish a sense of community as soon as possible. Some helpful things
are to attend church, live near family or a supportive network of
friends. Familiarize yourself with your surroundings, don’t be afraid to
go out and enjoy yourself, after all you are an important part of your
community.
Remember
you are living in a world created by immigrants – the U.S. – and there
are people from many different countries around you feeling the same way
you are, you are not alone. Latinos have played a major role and
history and you too are a part of this. Learn to develop and recreate a
new culture for yourself take pride in being a bi-cultural Latina/o. You
don’t have to be from neither here nor there but simply just be!
-Ana Champagne
Ana Champagne is an Aurora, Colorado based psychotherapist who practices psychotherapy at Insightful Solutions Counseling. For more information on Ana Champagne and her psychotherapy work visit: ana.champagne.com