By Maria Marquez, CSPL intern
My name is Maria and I am originally from Jalisco, Mexico but I have been living in the U.S. for as long as I can remember. I live in the south side of Chicago where it is as diverse as it can get. Latinos on one side, African Americans on the other, Whites over there, and everything else in between. Even as diverse as Chicago advertises itself to be, there are clear divisions among the different ethnicities that live here. These can range from stereotyping one another to literal district lines that determine what neighborhoods are considered worthy of funding and which ones are occupied by the “superior” race.
I speak from a position of privilege where I can pass as white because of the color of my skin. One of the ways that people can identify me as a Latina is through the reggaeton and the baladas I blast from my car from one neighborhood to the next as I drive to my destinations. I can drive from one location to the next without the fear of being singled out because I “coincidentally” don’t fit the description of a dangerous suspect. As I have gotten older and more educated about the real history of this land, the underlying reasons for systematic oppression have become clearer. This country is believed to be the land of the free, but 2020 has resurfaced the racism, discrimination, abuse of power, and ignorance to a level where it can no longer be ignored. The real land of the free would not cage up thousands of innocent families fleeing from their country, because their lives were at risk, nor would it systematically work around keeping those underprivileged communities from improving all while villainizing them. Millions of people in this country do not fall under the umbrella of what it means to be the “ideal” American, and with that comes oppression by the many established institutions that were created to maintain white supremacy at all costs. Attempting to dismantle these systems will not be successful if a division among historically marginalized communities continues. I do not know what it means to be an African-American woman who is targeted before they are even born. However, in order to be angry about what is happening, I reflect on what it means to be a human being and what it might be like to feel the pain and suffering that comes from constantly being discriminated against.
I don’t consider myself a religious person, but I do believe there is a higher power. If we were created equal and in the image of that higher power, why is it acceptable to alienate another human being? In my mind, it should never be acceptable. When we see a group of people disproportionately impacted by people in power, the least the rest of us can do is join the fight against tyranny and oppression. Today is for them and tomorrow is for us, right? As people from Latino and Black communities, we have the power to make the changes that the 1% dreads. It does not matter how little of an impact you think can be made, because at the end of the day it is a whole lot better from where it started. Change has never been easy to accomplish and it takes unity to make it happen. Perfect examples can be seen throughout history when people who were tired of taking excuses as answers began demanding change. We are once again going through a historic era where “tu lucha es mi lucha” until the pressure transforms into results that benefit our communities.
Non-profit organizations are important for this line of work, because many of them work for the people and are led by the people. CSPL brings people of all ages, ethnicities, perspectives, and experiences to the table to center those who are impacted by oppression to be at the forefront of speaking and leading the change. I am a member of CSPL because I can see the impact that our work has had in the community. I am part of this fight because there are those whose voices are belittled. We should all be part of the much overdue change for those children and families in ICE detention camps that are dying and abused every day. Be part of the change for the Black community murdered by people whose jobs are to protect all, but their internalized racism wins constantly.
The importance of being engaged with social justice organizations has never been clearer. June 18, 2020 was a very important date for DACA recipients. It was the day we won a battle against an administration with a racist agenda that wants to deny immigrants the right to equality in any way possible. That day, hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients could finally breathe again, including myself. The immense fear of being an immediate target for deportation hovered over me for months. Although the decision of SCOTUS shed a light of hope, we have a lot more work for us to do. This won’t be the only administration that will threaten immigrants. We have lived through many presidential terms where promises are made left and right, but nothing ever comes from it. I will continue to fight for not only myself, but also for the millions of immigrants that are ignored because they all have as much of a right to be here as I do. Working alongside CSPL I will continue to advocate, and demand elected officials to walk the walk and not just talk the talk.
2020 is not the year to stay quiet or to use the excuse of feeling uncomfortable when speaking about politics, because that is privilege speaking. This year is not about politics, it is about affirming our human rights and opposing tyranny.