My grandfather was born and raised in Mexico. He became an ambassador in his early twenties and never lived in Mexico again. At the ripe old age of 94, he has lived the majority of his life in the United States. He married an American and had six Mexican-American children, and the youngest barely speaks Spanish. While I know that my grandfather is a Mexican, he has so many other layers of identity piled on top of that, his Mexicanismo often fades into the background.
I was reminded of my grandfather last week at Quintana's. Two immigrants sat before us, designated to represent Chileans in America, but neither seemed to put a premium on the fact they were Chilean. One had left in his twenties and the other at the age of three. They were able to speak to aspects of Chile with interest, but not necessarily investment. They recognized Chile as part of their history, and worthy of recognition and respect, but not as a significant part of their present or future. They have built their lives in the United States.
At the Multicultural Festival last Saturday there was a table for the United States with an American flag flung across it, with no one behind it to represent. We joked and said, there's nothing special about the United States, and then realized that what's special about the United States is that all those other cultures were represented here. And I believe our culture, ambiguous as it is, retains that richness because we have welcomed people like Alex and Ricardo.
I was reminded of my grandfather last week at Quintana's. Two immigrants sat before us, designated to represent Chileans in America, but neither seemed to put a premium on the fact they were Chilean. One had left in his twenties and the other at the age of three. They were able to speak to aspects of Chile with interest, but not necessarily investment. They recognized Chile as part of their history, and worthy of recognition and respect, but not as a significant part of their present or future. They have built their lives in the United States.
At the Multicultural Festival last Saturday there was a table for the United States with an American flag flung across it, with no one behind it to represent. We joked and said, there's nothing special about the United States, and then realized that what's special about the United States is that all those other cultures were represented here. And I believe our culture, ambiguous as it is, retains that richness because we have welcomed people like Alex and Ricardo.