Muche Magnifier

Sasha Muce
Professor Mark Anderson
Anthropology 159
12/4/09
2nd Ed.: 2nd of September, 2012

El Rosal and Integration Healing Intergroup Race Relations in Orange County

Final Exam Part III, Essay 2 Prompt:
Use insights, concepts, theories, and/or approaches to “race” from class to reflect the ways your own life is (and/or has been) colored by racial processes, such as categorization, identification, discrimination, normalization, privilege, etc.  Analyze something about the way your own life (this could incorporate people close to you such as family members) has been shaped by the social realities of race.

As a third generation Mexican United States’an and a first generation Sicilan United States’an, I understand many racial realities from everyday life.  Despite guedo (light skinned) characteristics, I am more culturally Mexican since I grew up with only my mother and her side of family.  They opened EL ROSAL, the authentic Mexican restaurant of Placentia.  My grandparents later taught me my culture; like they before utilized El Rosal to teach Placentia integration to heal Placentia’s intergroup race relations.

My grandma is first generation United States’an and my grandpa is third generation.  My family before my birth already underwent ‘Americanization’ which becomes characteristic of immigrants to the United States (not an appropriate term since Mexico is also America).  Growing up as migrant workers and orange pickers/packers, my grandparents had much discrimination against them in early life. 

El Rosal broke racial prejudices of OC, inclining dominant formerly racist white people to cross railroad tracks into the Mexican side of town to eat.  Orange County deracialization allowed by this restaurant made possible Orange County and Southern California’s increased development and exponential growth over the past 50 years.

As my grandpa had children, some of who looked very white looking (like my mother), they wanted to make these as racially “normal” as possible, to prevent them from racism they experienced.  So, my mother and her siblings all grew up purposefully raised and socialized to be ‘normal’ Americans: ‘white’.  None of them were taught Spanish in the house so none now speak the language.  Heritage’s ‘Mexican-ness’ was institutionalized for our family by the restaurant, yet it was just work. 

Outside of work, they had fun the way they were raised and socialized to: with white people, much like how my grandparents when younger had wished (and acted when possible) for themselves.  Further, our restaurant taught all their white friends that Mexican-United States’ans are the same!:  Great people who are hard workers and cook AMAZING food.

Now that side of my family has reached the third generation in the United States.  After two generations of socialization, it is hard to tell that I, my sisters, and cousins actually are Mexicans.  Since a youngster I embraced my Mexican culture, because of fondness and for acceptance from my people: who are wary of white people after much oppression.   Yet, although I sing “Volver, Volver” by Vicente Fernandez word for word with a perfect accent, my mannerisms and characteristics make me “unmarked”; others presume me non-Mexican (usually 3 mariachi songs before my people believe me).  [2012:]Now, I’ve proved with hard work and love of my good intentions for all, so I am accepted.

Identities are constantly culturally, socially, and politically constructed and reconstructed, impacted and shaped by intersecting social factors.  Despite my relation to my Mexican-United States’an heritage, my generational and geographical distance disconnects me from my Mexican ancestry.  Further, separation from my father since I was young means I hardly know Sicilian family traditions.  Traditions are continued to the extent to one is/can be connected to them.  Original identities begin to fade into the distance, and new identities and cultures form, especially through generations, making socialization in the United States melting pot.

Once distanced from origin, people can reclaim a changed identity.  One of my cousins raised in the same situation as me and even the same house married a Mexican Immigrant who moved here when young.  She began primarily speaking Spanish since she liked to.  Yet, oscillation continues: Her son is first generation again and while he learned Spanish as a first language, he refuses to speak it since “none of the other kids do” (he goes to same school as his mother, predominately white).

Even authentic “Mexican-ness” of my grandma as a first generation Mexican-United States’an is relation to history rather than actuality.  She does not know and never experienced Mexican Culture; much how I as a first generation Sicilian do not know and never really experienced Sicilian Culture.

This is equally true for immigrants living here in the United States as long as they can remember: including DREAM ACT students who continue to learn to help US advance as a country – the society they know and are part of.  While they were born in Mexico, they came here when they were very young as refugees with their families.  They do not remember and do not know their “Mexican” selves.  They are United States’ans.  For US to have U.S.A. success opportunities, we must allow all our members to help.

People are people.  It makes no difference where we were born, we all make one community.  We must work towards integration like El Rosal taught Placentia to build for success in our United Society’s Future.