RrAaCcEe SsPpEeAaKkSs!
Are you listening?
Edición Especial: Experienca Latin@
Center for Multicultural Affairs | Duke University | 0010 Bryan Center | Box 90917 | Durham, NC 27708-0917 | 919.684.6756
(GLWRU·V1RWH
As I prepare to write this, I am suddenly overcome with a sense of
hesitancy. Seemingly, this is frequently the case. In most other contexts, the
words flow with such an ease;; as if my fingertips typed them, even before
the thoughts occur to my mind. Yet, no matter how I may try and allow
this same fluidity regarding certain issues, the words seem less eager to
come out;; more fearful to be expressed
I am Latina. The declaration of my ethnic identity garners a sentiment
of inner-pride. However, my thoughts start to slow down as soon as I set
out to share the layers of such a self-identity. Sifting through intersections
of race and gender, the word Latina presents complexity. It is not as if I am
at a loss for words. Rather, there are numerous thoughts and emotions, all
struggling to be let out in some purposeful and organized manner.
This is the circumstance I currently find myself in: what message do I
envision for the readers to keep in mind as they meander through the pages
of this issue? In the midst of my own struggle for expressive clarity, I find
the answer: DGHHSVHQVHRIDGPLUDWLRQ7RVKDUHRQH·VH[SHULHQFHRIVHOIunderstanding is an act of social justice;; a generator of self-empowerment
through the means of vulnerability. Each writer within this publication,
anonymous as they may be, understands that their message is ultimately in
the hands of the readers WRLQWHUSUHW<HWWKHHGLWRU·VWDNHDZD\LVDQ
emphasis on the courage it takes to actively involve oneself in the sharing of
experiences, and thus in the sharing of knowledge and understanding. This
active participation includes the readers to the same extent as it does the
writers. Thus, I encourage you to engage with the text, to challenge yourself
to begin a dialogue with complexity, and to foster the continued
opportunity for such sharing spaces.
Center for Multicultural Affairs
Yvette Vasquez
Sonam Aidasani
Sean Novak
Yvette Vasquez
Race Speaks! is a franchised publication sponsored by the
Center for Multicultural Affairs at Duke University. The views
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reflect the opinions of the magazine or Duke University.
1
Contents
The United States began to formally commemorate
Hispanic heritage in 1968 by setting aside a week for
observation and celebration. It would take another
twenty years for the week to be extended to a month, and
on August 17, 1988 the observation of Hispanic
Heritage Month was enacted into law. Each year, from
September 15 to October 15, the nation takes time to
recognize the contributions that Latinos have made
throughout the centuries. These contributions range in
scope and include, but are by no means limited to,
achievements in scholarship, politics, and the arts. The
starting and ending dates of the month are far from
arbitrary as a number of Latin American countries
celebrate their independence throughout both September
and October. While the month allows the nation a
designated time for this recognition, the breathe of the
many contributions the Latino community provides the
United States reaches far beyond the span of thirty days.
Oye, ¿Como te llamas?
3
¿Qué eres?
4
El Idioma Que Hablo
5
Chicana
6
Janus
7
$'XNH/DWLQD·V7RS10
Favorite Questions and Comments
10
The Race Speaks! publication is one corner of the
pyramid that comprises the larger Race Speaks!
Initiative which operates out of the Center for
Multicultural Affairs at Duke University. Together, a
semesterly publication, a digital storytelling
campaign, as well as our En/Countering Racism
dialogue series comprise the whole of the initiative.
The collective mission of this initiative strives to
offer spaces for thought-provoking discourse
regarding the role that race plays in our world. By
encouraging respective expression, our work
highlights the voice of the individual within the
context of their lived social
experiences.
Fall 2013
Oye, ¿Como te llamas?
Now, you ask, you ask how does race speak to me?
When you should be asking how do I find the courage for
it to speak through me.
Now imagine living in a world where the hero is the face
that stares back
Clueless as the mind that got you here;; hoping to make
two or three stacks
Race speaks.
Oye, como te llamas? Tienes I.D?
Realmente le echas ganas o me quires mentir?
Que haces por tu famila pera que para de sufrir o pero, no
morrir?
Esperando el momento perffecto pa uir, salir adelante y
possiblamente estar feliz.
Race speaks.
Is WKHUHVXFKDWKLQJDVOLYLQJIUHHZKHQ\RXFDQ·WHYHQSD\
for your cheese?
Who are you to come at me with the suspended belief that
we all might not be here, ready to eat;; ready to take what's
ULJKWIXOO\PLQHMXVWEHFDXVH,FRXOGQ·WSURYLGH.
Race Speaks.
El mundo no es logico, nunca parados parallelo
No mas mirando para bajo y nunca para al cielo
1RWKLVLVQ·Wspanglish;; this is two writing for one, one
fighting for two.
Race Speaks.
What does it mean to be here next to you?
Who am I to say I belong when I came right out of the
blue?
,·PWKHRIIVSULQJWKDWFDPHLQKHUHWRPDNH\RXUOLIHODVW
You care more about your future than the damaged past.
Race Speaks...
3
¿Qué
eres?
Before ,UHFHLYHGP\QDPH,ZDVODEHOHGDQLPPLJUDQW·VFKLOGILUVWgeneration-American
and a statistic. Growing up with a bi-cultural lens has its challenges...and its challenges. You
are not American enough and you are not Latino enough...Where do you fit in? The truth
DERXW$PHULFDLVWKDWVKHLVQRWVRNLQGWR´RWKHUVµ7KHUHLVDEODFNDQGZKLWHELQDU\WKDW
exists and it makes it extremely challenging to operate within these confines because
HYHU\RQHZDQWVWRNQRZ´:KDWDUH\RX"µ When I was first asked that question, I was
puzzled because I always felt that I had a grasp of who I was. I had parents that had
immigrated from the Dominican Republic and we were a typical Dominican family who
spoke Spanish at home and ate delicious Dominican cuisine. At school, I was smart,
articulate, fun and got along with people;; until they asked me what I was...The mere question
was enough to send me into an identity crisis because the more I looked around, the more I
had a hard time seeing folks that looked like me...
Today, the question gets asked a little less because there has been a Latino explosion in the
media, in sports, in news, in politics...We are everywhere...Latinos are taking over...
6RZKHQ\RXDVNPH´:KDWDUH\RX"µ,VLPSO\VD\´,am Dominican-$PHULFDQµ
Fall 2012
El Idioma Que Hablo
$GPLWWHGO\,·YHQHYHUUHDOO\SXW
any thought to it, but being Latino
has actually made me who I am.
,W·VLQIOXHQFHGZKDW,·PWU\LQJWR
accomplish, both academically and
professionally. Even though my
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striving to be all that I can be.
Each day I step out into society,
,·PDZDONLQJVWHUHRW\SHWKDW·V
associated with the Latino culture.
Just because one may hear me
speak Spanish out in public does
not mean that I nor my family are
undocumented immigrants, nor
am I an anchor baby. My family
and I may speak our native
language when amongst ourselves
and the reason we do so is simply
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Americans, our native language
and our upbringing concerning
family values and morals connects
us back to our native land. My
family and I are working, schooldriven Americans attending
universities across the west coast,
earning degrees in Nursing,
Mechanical Engineering,
International Relations, Business,
and Criminal Justice.
3
Captain Universe
Gabriel Vargas
Roots: Mexican
Superpowers: Superhuman
Strength, Transmutation of
Elements, etc.
First Appearance:
Late 1970s
Publisher: Marvel
Chicana
´Hablas como una $PHULFDQDµEstaban tells me.
´<RXVRXQGOLNHDQ$PHULFDQµ
His words crawl into the spaces of self-doubt
WKDWOLQJHUZKHQ,UROOP\U·V
´1RPHdigas esoµ,H[FODLP
Yet, as the Spanish flows out of me,
in awkward accents
and broken syntax,
It sounds as foreign as it feels
When I try to hold a conversation
With my abuelita from Oxtoti,
Or like how I imagine going skiing would feel.
3
Janus
Janus, the Roman god of two faces
The god of beginnings, of transitions, of endings.
Look to your past, look to your future.
choose one, choose the other.
Yo soy Jano, tengo dos caras
cara Mexicana, cara Americana.
Ustedes son como buitres, escogen lo que prefieren
un poco de aquí, un poco de allá.
¿Qué queda cuando terminan? ¿Qué dejan
para que yo pueda identificarme?
You pick and choose what you please,
a little here, a little there.
But no matter what you choose, be it American
be it Mexicana,
You always seem to find some flaw
in who I am.
Mexicana, Aztec blood,
coursing through my veins.
Soy guerrera, soy soldado, soy orgullosa.
By chance I was born on the other side,
´HORWURODGRµ
<HW,DPVWLOOIURPWKLV´RWKHUµVLGH
Hablo español, nunca dije que no.
Así yo soy, así seré.
I see my people, slaughtered in their homes
But I also see my people
rising from the ashes
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Diego Rivera, Lázaro Cárdenas,
Benito Juárez
Juárez, uno de nosotros, líder de su gente.
el Lincoln Mexicano.
I am Mexicana, con la m minúscula.
This is Janus, of México
U.S. American, my birthplace
Cedars Sinai, Beverly Hills.
Movies, actors, healthcare, education.
Everything people idealize.
But what about me? What about my family?
Barred by your rules, your laws.
,FDQ·WGULYHWRWKHPRYLHVZLWKP\PRPZLWKRXW
remembering
,·Pcommitting a crime right then and there
You create these laws to protect people,
but all they do is separate us.
Who am I? Where am I from?
I look to the past;; mom here in the 80·V
Janus
crossed a Bravo river to have me here
If I look to the future, where do I see myself?
Am I one of you? Am I one of them?
Esta es Jano, de los Estados Unidos.
¿Quién soy yo? Who am I?
I am neither here nor there,
ni de aquí ni de allá
I am Janus;; I can see different things,
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´<RX·UHQRW$PHULFDQ\RXOLVWHQWRWKDWVKLWW\0H[LFDQPXVLFµ
´0H[LFDQD¢W~"1LFRPHVMDODSHxRVµ
What do you want from me?
,DPZKR,DPGRQ·WIRUFHPHWRFKDQJH
,ZDONWKURXJKWKHVHVWUHHWV,·YHQHYHUEHHQVRDZDUH
of all the hate I get for my pride
Soy orgullosa, I am proud,
$LQ·W nothing gonna change that.
<RXFDQ·WWHOOPHZKRWREH\RXFDQ·WWHOOPHZKDWWRIROORZ
I chose to accept this mix,
this capirotada de razas;;
LW·VILWWLQJDFWXDOO\, porque nací en temporada de
cuaresma la fecha de la capirotada.
I break these laws, these rules you impose on me
not because I want to defy the law,
but because you make me
Son mi familia, ¿qué quieres que haga?
son todo lo que tengo, lo único que tendré
Al final del tiempo, con tus leyes divisoras,
ellos son lo que me hacen seguir adelante
No me puedes definir,
because I am Janus, of two facets
%XW,·PGRQH,DPVRGRQH
,·PGRQHZLWKILJKWLQJ,·PGRQHZLWKSXVKLQJ
,·PWLUHGRIKDYLQJWRVD\RYHUDQGRYHUDJDLQ
why your rules hurt me so,
why your rules hurt others
Ya basta, ya no más.
6WRS7KLQN«
´6HWLHQHTXHDPDU
para poder trabajar
en conjunto con el mundo
y poder progresar
Janus
No se debe odiar
ni nos debemos pelear
hay que amar uno al otro
y tener paz entre nosotros
Somos brothers, somos unos
tenemos que amarnos
Sin amigos ni vecinos
1RSRGHPRVWULXQIDUµ
Funny, how these verses sound so familiar,
2K\HDKWKH\·UHIURPP\11th JUDGH´UDSµ
that won me first place in Modern/Classical language.
Funny, too, how at 17, I understood so much,
of ZKDW·VJRLQJRQQRZ
Fighting, hating, it has to stop
Nada triunfará si continuamos así
Es tiempo de unirnos, juntarnos
Become the community we all fight for
the community we yell for at protests.
No more divisions, no more separations.
No more picking and choosing what pleases us.
We are all Janus, we all have two faces.
Es tiempo no de escoger, pero de acoger
nuestras razas, nuestras identidades.
Es tiempo de ver nuestros futuros.
:H·YHVHHQRXUSDVWVQRZLW·VWLPHIRURXUIXWXUHV
What does it hold?
<RXWHOOPHIRU,«
no, WE are Janus.
A Duke /DWLQD·V Top 10 Favorite Questions & Comments
Throughout my time at Duke so far, I have been asked
ridiculous and at times, offensive, questions and have heard
comments that have saddened me. If I have learned anything
at Duke, I have learned that Duke is in dire need of more
than just a 7% Latino population, and that Duke Students are
very ignorant in general, especially about race. Here are only
some of my favorite top 10 questions and comments that
have been directed towards a friend or me about our Latino
identity. Enjoy and laugh at the ignorance. I certainly do.
1. ´<RX·UHP\EHVW/DWLQDIULHQG:HOODFWXDOO\\RX·UHP\
RQO\/DWLQDIULHQGµ
2. ´2K\RXUSDUHQWVDUHIURP0H[LFR"$UHWKH\LOOHJDO"µ
3. ´<RXGRORRNNLQGRI LQGLJHQRXVµ
4. ´Mi Gente is for 5th generation Mexican-Americans trying
WRJHWLQWRXFKZLWKWKHLUURRWV'RQ·WJRWRWKHLUHYHQWVµ
5. ´,QHYHUVHHPDQ\/DWLQRVDW6KRRWHUV:KHUHGR\·DOO
KDQJRXWRQ6DWXUGD\QLJKWV"µ
6. ´So, they speak Spanish in Brazil, ULJKW"µ
7. ´&DQ\RXWDNHPHWRWKHEHVW/DWLQ$PHULFDQUHVWDXUDQWV
in Durham and teach me 6SDQLVK"µ
8. ´<HDKWKHUHZHUH/DWLQDVDW&RPPRQ*URXQGEXWQRQH
RI WKHPWDONHGYHU\PXFK7KH\ZHUHQ·WYHU\
PHPRUDEOHµ
9. ´6RZKDW·VWKHGLIIHUHQFHEHWZHHQ/DWLQRRU+LVSDQLF"
And what should I call \RX"µ
10. ´+RZGR\RXQRWNQRZKRZWRGDQFH"<RXDUHQ·WDUHDO
/DWLQDµ
Center for Multicultural Affairs | Duke University | 0010 Bryan Center | Box 90917 | Durham, NC 27708-0917 | 919.684.6756