An interesting reaction to my Dallas Morning News' Op-Ed

A few days ago I received this email  from a young lady in Dallas regarding an article I wrote for the Dallas Mornining News:

From: Verónica [I am ommiting her last name for privacy reasons]
Date: Jan 25, 2007 3:10 PM
Subject: Comment on "Hispanics' story is one of upward mobility"
To: Juan Guillermo Tornoe

Hi! My name is Veronica; I attend H.S. in Dallas, TX. In my English class we read your article. I agree with your opinions about MacDonald's essay. You said that the Italians, the Jews, the Chinese and so many other groups migrated to this great land during different periods in history; not only Hispanics. You see, Ms. MacDonald's statistics are only about Hispanics and the birth rate of Latino women having kids out of marriage.

We come to this land for a better life. Not for people to dislike us for who we are. "There is good and bad within any group in society." We Hispanics are part of one big cultural group and are unique and different in many ways. The constitution says, "We are all created equal..."

I have two questions for you, if you don't mind…

Do you think that Hispanics should go back to Mexico?

What do you think about the birth rate of women having kids out of marriage?

I thank you for your time and am looking forward to your answers. Have a nice day.

Sincerely,

Verónica

Here are my answers to her questions:

Dear Verónica,

I believe that migration to the U.S., from the most unemotional viewpoint, is a matter of supply and demand. Due to numerous reasons, there is a continuous supply of persons coming to this country (not only from México) looking for a better future. This inflow is met by the demand for labor that these persons are willing to do, for the wages their employers are willing to pay.If these two realities didn't coincide the immigration situation would not exist. Let's always remember that there are many Hispanic families that never crossed the border, but the border crossed them.

Regarding your second question, it is alarming. It truly saddens me that many young women are cutting short their childhood/adolescence by, for whatever reason, having to confront the responsibilities that come along with bringing a new life into this world. Every stage in life contributes to the formation of one's self and these girls are simply growing up too fast, missing out on so many experiences life had in store for them. I hope and pray that these children learn to love and respect themselves, not having to reach out for approval in all the wrong ways.

I hope to hear back from you soon,

Juan

Comments

[Raul Ramos y Sanchez]

YES, VERONICA...
there are other Hispanics besides Mexicans.

I was quite impressed with your answers to Veronica's questions, Juan. However, I was alarmed by the assumption in her first question that "Hispanic" and "Mexican" are synonymous. (Do you think that Hispanics should go back to Mexico?)

Hispanic is a term used exclusively in the United States to designate a person whose origin is from the Spanish-speaking nations of Latin America or Spain—a collection of over twenty nations in all. Clearly, not everyone classified as Hispanic is from Mexico. Sadly, the mainstream media and even our educators have often failed to make this distinction, as Veronica’s assumption can attest.

Raul Ramos y Sanchez

[Rick Campos]

Juan-where can i read MacDonald's
essay? Hispanic Trending just keeps getting "better and better"!

El Guapo