Latinos

Re "A call for unity, not hate," Column, June 16 Bravo. Your column about our debt to the African American community, with the historical background you provided, was a wake-up call to all Latinos to acknowledge this group's contributions to our own social development in this wonderful country. But I wonder whether most of the people who need to know these facts read or care? Many first-generation Latinos feel more allegiance to their hometowns and ignore their neighborhoods, while African Americans continue to provide leadership in our communities, creating programs that often benefit the Latino residents more than themselves.

Hillary Rodham Clinton easily won the Nevada caucuses Saturday, seizing the upper hand against Barack Obama as the Democratic presidential race heads South for their next showdown in six days. John Edwards, once regarded as the favorite in Nevada because of his union ties, finished a distant third, pushing him further to the margins of the contest. On the GOP side, Mitt Romney prevailed in a nonbinding straw poll that had no bearing on the awarding of the party's nominating delegates.

Re "In L.A., speaking 'Mexican' to fit in," Column One, Nov. 3 I read this article with both amusement and dismay. I'm Guatemalan, and my husband is Salvadoran. It's a point of pride for us to be Central American in a Mexican-dominated city. My socioeconomic circumstances have allowed me the luxury of wearing my nationality on my sleeve, and I don't lose sight of that. Still, it's pretty tragic that Central Americans can't be themselves in front of other Latinos for fear of discrimination.

Re "Immigration debate puts up a wall in the GOP," May 27 This article demonstrates the problem with the latest immigration bill. Both parties are interested in getting the millions of votes that would come with amnesty. Perhaps our representatives should do something radical, such as put the best interest of American citizens first. If that were done, the fence that was approved last year already would have been built, the border would be secure and there would be workplace enforcement.

Re "My sinful Spanish syntax," Opinion, Aug. 28 If mastering Spanish has no benefits for Latinos in this nation other than the ability to communicate with other Latinos, perhaps Gustavo Arellano should abandon Spanish altogether and pick up another ancient tongue: Chinese. Arellano and his "successful Mexican American peers" can then forge lucrative business deals in Beijing, leading their \o7raza\f7 to long-deserved economic glory without bothering to make a single Chinese friend in the process.

Re "Why Latinos Are Walking Out on the Democrats," Commentary, June 6: It tickles my fancy that Dan Schnur believes that Latinos are "walking out" on the Democrats. He brings up very important points, primarily the disputed numbers from the last presidential election and the undisputed strong history of American military service by Latinos. If Schnur is describing a political war of attrition between the major parties for rich Latino votes, he is frightfully deceived. Latino Americans are just as diverse as Americans in general, and a few may vote Republican from time to time -- some even consistently.

Re "Latinos don't need a made-up identity," Opinion, Sept. 29 This article points out a broader phenomenon -- reinventing ethnic identities in the context of the American civilization. "Multiculturalists display tremendous imagination," writes Jose Enrique Idler. I must add that this is not just limited to Latinos. People (especially immigrants) just make up things about their roots because they are forced to have a vivid, politically correct ethnic identity. And in one or two generations, these hastily and carelessly created identities become authentic, historically undisputable facts.

Re "Things That Bedevil Our City of Angels," Voices, April 26: Jon Gerloff's attempt at a lighthearted indictment of Los Angeles' foibles comes off like the sour griping of a stuffy old man. In his haste to list the well-worn Los Angeles detriments -- high rents, rudeness, traffic, crime, lack of integration and liberal actors -- he forgets that not all of us choose to live on the white-bread Westside. If Gerloff ever ventured east of Vermont Avenue he'd see a different world. In my neighborhood of Echo Park, for example, Latinos, Koreans, blacks and whites all manage to live together in integrated harmony.