1. Think we know everything
2. We are always RIGHT
3. Believe the Latin American country WE COME FROM invented EVERYTHING… merengue, salsa, son, platanos, the first person to walk the moon… yeah didn’t you know all that happened in DR first... lol (please don’t comment silly responses to me… I am not an idiot and I know for a fact the first E.T. was found in Santo Domingo)…. ☺
4. WE DO NOT ACCEPT HELP…
5. We are proud - - even when we shouldn’t be… (my personal feelings about Dominican’s and the treatment of Haitians)
6. We are NOT the best business people (we have very POOR examples)…
7. DID I SAY WE KNOW IT ALL… we don’t care what school you graduated from - - we will NOT back down… BECAUSE LIKE I SAID we know it ALL…
8. Trapped in our CLOSED cultural minds… our personal experience…Mexican’s are #1, NO Dominicans are, NO Puerto Ricans are…
9. NO unity in the LATIN COMMUNITY…
10. WE ARE MISSING THE MESSAGE… the bigger picture…
The message… LEARN, learn and learn some more… we keep doing the same old stuff getting the same old results… AND WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED - - what do we have to show for it?
I just came back from the opening of BEA - - Book Expo America… I have been going yearly since 2006… (WHEN I MET OBAMA *she grins*)… and every year I come back a little disappointed Latina…
There are many reasons to attend Book Expo… publishing houses from ALL OVER THE WORLD ATTEND… wonderful panel discussions and seminars, 100’s of booths FILLED with things meant to EDUCATE, INSPIRE, or whatever your heart fancies… free books, books on fishing, comics, every genre – every country – every color… did I mention FREE BOOKS people~
But why I attend?
HELLO! Free BOOKS… kidding…
There are two MAIN reasons I attend BEA…
First – to size up my competition… as a writer I like to see what other Latina’s are writing about… I go to network… to see who I see…
Second and most importantly - - FOR MY INSPIRATION! The African American Program at BEA… it NEVER fails me… and always delivers. Each year I attend the opening night at BEA and Ms. Clara Villarosa sets it off (I missed her speak today—but I know she was brilliant—she always is… I got to the event late…)
HOWEVER, I did attend the panel discussion on “Using Social Networks to Promote and Sell Books: Face, Blogs, and Twitter” - - USEFUL information… inspiring… EDUCATIONAL… you guys following me?
What’s my problem today with my Latinos? It’s bigger than BEA… but one example was the sad turnout today for the 11th Annual International Latino Book Awards…and not just that—barely anyone attended… THIS WAS AN AWARDS CEREMONY FOR LATINO WRITERS… and in the first 15 minutes (eleven awards were called out in the Children and Young Adults books portion of the evening… and only 3 of the authors or reps from their publishing houses were present…) we are not even supporting our own people…
What are black folks doing right?
THEY TURN OUT… they support, they come together… maybe not at every event… or family gathering or their own awards ceremonies… but from MY EXPERIENCE and in MY OPINION… THEY TURN OUT…
What are we missing – what’s the bigger picture… just look at my TEN THINGS list again!
There are few things I want to respond to:
1. Think we know everything
2. WE DO NOT ACCEPT HELP…
3. We are NOT the best business people (we have very POOR examples)…
4. Trapped in our CLOSED cultural minds… our personal experience…Mexican’s are #1, NO Dominicans are, NO Puerto Ricans are…
5. NO unity in the LATIN COMMUNITY…
We DON’T know everything… There is so much we can learn from the BLACK COMMUNITY. We DO NOT have to reinvent the wheel.
When are we going to have OUR OWN movement?
When are we going to MOVE TOGETHER towards something that benefits more than ONE group/ONE flag?
When are we going to open our minds to what we have in COMMON with other LATINO cultures?
Why are we NOT united?
I am not going to wait anymore… I am going to be apart of larger movement. A movement that moves me towards a shared history with Africa where I can approach African Americans here in the U.S. to show me the way… moving me closer to people who want to walk WITH ME… those who will teach me what I don’t already know—so I can move on and teach others… I know MANY Latino’s who don’t believe in asking ANYBODY for help. “WHO WANNA GET THERE FIRST” Those who are fighting for the scraps…those who will not take someone’s hand (a black hand) and allow them to provide guidance. We have so much to learn.
You think you KNOW IT ALL… but you have NO IDEA!
Peace~
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