Mexicans and Racism

These are some words I wrote in response to this article having to do with why Hispanics won't vote for Barack Obama and whether racism is rampant among Hispanics: Will Hispanics vote for black_people

"these comments are strictly anecdotal so caveat...

i grew up in mexico. my brother's best friend was asian. one of my best friends was black, the other asian. i remember reading "memin pinguin" comics; we all read these comics. the main character is a stereotypical caricature of a black kid with dark skin and big lips. ALL the characters were caricatures: memin's best friend was the stereotypical caricature of a really fat kid. i guess i have to remember that they were in fact cartoons after all. the only story line i remember from those comics has to do with memin going to texas with his friends but having to leave due to the racial bigotry he experienced. that was the first time i came across the term "racism." i remember feeling weird about texas and thinking why would the u.s. do that to a black kid. i remember thinking that the texans depicted in the story looked all much different than all the other characters - i'm not sure why. i don't know the statistics on race relations in mexico, all i know is what i saw in my city, neighborhood, and family.

the most revered religious image in mexico, even more beloved than jesus himself i would argue, is that of the "virgen de guadalupe" also known as the "virgen morenita" (the dark-skinned virgin). the most revered president in mexico is benito juarez, i always thought he was black. he was an in fact an indigenous native with very dark skin. i remember two other presidents who i think were part african: vicente guerrero and juan alvarez. vicente guerrero i'm pretty sure fought alongside hidalgo and jose maria morelos (another revered figure who i think was also black).

our favorite aunt had very dark skin. to this day i wonder if there i have some african lineage in my geneology.

i'm not a mexican apologist - i just started to write some thoughts i remember having to do with other races when i was growing up - hope it adds to the dialogue."