White Fragility Digest #4: 16 May 2018

[aggiesal]

20. My parents came from Mexico ...

My mom from Guadalajara and my dad from Chihuahua, although he was actually born in Colorado.
So my dad was the first generation US Citizen in his family, but he lived his childhood years outside
the capital city of Chihuahua.

They both met in Northwest Indiana and got married.

I remember growing up, we lived on a street named Catalpa Ave. then years later moving about
a mile east to a street named Oak Ave., because it was closer to the schools, we would later attend.

On that street we had a neighbor named Mr. Best, who was the biggest racist I had ever met.
I remember once walking past his house while he was sitting on the front porch, when he yelled a
question at me, "Why don't you go back where you came from?"

Being the smart a$$ that I am, knowing he meant, why don't I go back to Mexico, I responded,
"What? Go back to Catalpa? That's too far to walk to school."

Mr. Best was not happy with that response.

I still laugh when I think about that incident, but racism is alive and well in the 2010's.