La Historia

UncategorizedCaribbean, colonialism, DEIAB, Diaspora, El Museo del Barrio, Haiti, Hispanic Heritage Month, history, Immigrant, Puerto Rico, race-based slavery, racism, Sexism, slavery

I have been ranting about the importance of history—of knowing history—for years. Learning the history of Puerto Rico and its diaspora have been central to my understanding of my own story, my father’s story, and the story of millions of others whose ancestors endured the ravishes of colonialism. We, their descendants, exist as evidence of their resilience.

It’s Economic

The current racist attacks against Haitian immigrants resulting from lies being spewed by a United States Senator who is running to serve as Vice President and his fellow candidate for President of the United States, are unfortunately neither new nor surprising. The denigration of immigrants has been a practice for centuries and in the vast majority of cases, patently ignores facts and demonizes those being targeted. A bit of Haitian history: The Haitians, like many other former European colonies were forced to pay reparations to French former slave owners for decades.[1]

Reparations for former slave owners was not limited to the French. On March 22, 1873, the Spanish National Assembly finally abolished slavery in Puerto Rico. The owners were compensated with 35 million pesetas per slave, and slaves were required to continue working for three more years.[2]

The irony is that when descendants of those whose bodies and labor were stolen make a valid argument for reparations the response is typically something akin to, “That would be impossible! It would bankrupt the government!”

A second ironic (actually bitter) point is that oppressors frequently blame their victims for the results of their victimization. Creating epithets such as Welfare Mom to describe a person who has been denied access to economic opportunity, erases of the cause and effect of centuries of colonialism, economic oppression and institutional racism and sexism. Hence, the current movement to ban the study of history and the books that document or depict that history. (Keep the people blissfully ignorant and they will be complacent.)

Why does this matter?

In order to justify the act of ‘owning’ another human being it is critical to de-humanize that person, to consider them less than yourself. So, a racial value system was created establishing a persons’ worth based on the optics of their race. The location of a persons’ birth was also part of this caste system. So, if someone of ‘pure’ Spanish heritage was born in Madrid, for example, they occupied the highest rank in society. If someone of ‘pure’ Spanish bloodlines was born in Ponce, P.R., they were lower in status. If someone had a Spanish father and a Taíno mother, they were further down in ranking, and etc. The Casta Coloniale table below illustrates this clearly:

La Casta [Spanish categorization of race in the colonies]

¡Viva La Resiliencia!

Every year during Hispanic Heritage Month, I endeavor to balance the depressing history of colonialism against the resilience and beauty of our culture—our multicultural culture. El Museo del Barrio in New York City has been providing a venue for demonstrating that resilience since its establishment in 1969. This year, el Museo is celebrating its Triennial with a large scale artistic survey titled, “Flow States”[3]. The exhibition will feature 33 participating artists working across the United States, Puerto Rico, and—for the first time—extending into new geographies that reflect the complexities of diasporic flows, with artists based in the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. In other words, the ways in which the hybrid cultures born of colonialism are fluid and interwoven and continually changing as people relocate (voluntarily and otherwise) geographically. Art as a form of resilience and resistance facilitates our evolution and our ability to emerge from legal and economic systems that perpetuate our oppression and lack of agency. The diversity and intersectionality of Hispanic culture is at the core of our resilience. We cannot assume where someone is from or what their DNA carries based on geography or optics. We can, however, find our common history, our shared experience, and our passion for creating art out of tragedy. I am really looking forward to this exhibition!

What does this have to do with DEIAB in the workplace, Wendy? EVERYTHING! The workplace is comprised of people, all of whom have a story—historia—that informs and effects how we see ourselves and others, how we communicate and interact, and how we navigate our place in the world—our self-worth. That directly impacts workplace culture, communication, and outcomes.

If you have not explored the richly diverse history of Hispanics in America, isn’t today a great day to begin?

Onward!

~ Wendy Amengual Wark

September 15, 2024

Wendy@InclusionStrategy.com
InclusionStrategy.com

[1] https://eji.org/news/haitis-forced-payments-to-enslavers-cost-economy-21-billion-the-new-york-times-found/

[2] Miller, Paul G., Historia de Puerto Rico, Chicago, Nueva York, Rand, McNally y compañía 1922. (p. 301.)

[3] https://www.elmuseo.org/exhibition/flow-states-la-trienal-2024/

What Difference Does Difference Make? Is the Candidate Qualified?

Blogaffinity, affinity group, affirmative action, Aurora Levins Morales, Black, Candidate, colonial, Color, cultural, Democract, democracy, difference, discrimination, diversity, education, Election, employers, equality, equity, feminism, Gender, hiring, history, human rights, Immigrant, inclusion, independence, Indian, Intersectionality, Jamaican, Kamala Harris, leadership, mentoring, multicultural, multiracial, Privilege, Puerto Rican, Puerto Rico, race, racism, recruitment, representation, sexual harassment, Vice President, Woman of color, women, workplace

What Difference Does Difference Make?

I have been asking this question for decades: What difference does difference make? It came to me when I was confronted by very privileged individuals who could not even imagine what life would be like for those who are not white, Christian, educated, socioeconomically secure, heterosexual, without a major disability, born in the USA, and for the most part, male. I needed to find ways to get through the resistance to inclusion, to create a bridge that would help those who were taught that difference is bad to cross the chasm from ignorance to inclusion. I needed to develop a methodology to help these people to unlearn the lies that they had been taught all of their lives: that they were not part of the problem of racism nor the cure; that all people who worked hard, followed the golden rule, and kept out of trouble would be able to be successful in American society; that affirmative action was unfair and helped those who were less capable, lazy, and did not deserve the jobs that they got; that the majority of Americans have not been victims of racism, sexism, antisemitism, homophobia, ableism, and other forms of hate; and that discrimination is not a cornerstone of privilege. I have been told hundreds of times by individuals who actively reinforced institutional racism and sexism that they were neither sexist nor racist. Usually, I was told this vehemently.

Intersectionality

With the announcement that Democratic Presidential candidate, Joe Biden selected Kamala Harris as his Vice-Presidential running mate, the internet and media worlds lit up with an incredible range of responses. Most of the statements, however, have not focused on Ms. Harris’ political position on various matters. Most of the statements have focused on her gender, race, or ethnicity, in other words, her intersectionality. As the first woman of Indian and Jamaican descent to be nominated (presumed at the time of this writing) Vice Presidential candidate by one of the two major political parties in the United States, comments regarding Ms. Harris’ intersectionality have abounded. Kamala Harris identifies as a Black woman. She is representative of millions of Americans of mixed ‘race’ and ethnicity. Many of us were deeply, positively impacted by having a President who was of mixed race when we elected President Barack Obama. Now, we have that opportunity again. The opportunity is to normalize and embrace our intersectionality rather than engage in debates over how Black or how Indian Ms. Harris is. At Inclusion Strategy Solutions LLC, we discuss intersectionality in many of our workshops. I, for example, cannot dissect my intersectionality. I cannot only be a woman today, without being a person who is in her 60s, or someone who is half Puerto Rican and half Irish descent. All of my distinct demographic identities combine to make me who I am. They have always shaped and impacted how others see me, respond to me, and treat me. I am the sum of my parts. I am the sum of my experiences and perceptions. I do not need to be aware of the cause and effect of those perceptions for them to exist. I, like Kamala Harris, am among the ‘offspring of the colonial embrace’ – a phrase first coined by Paul Scott, author of The Jewel in the Crown. We have European, African, Asian, and Native American DNA to varying degrees. Kamala Harris is not Indian or Jamaican or African or European, she is American, very American. I love Aurora Levins Morales’ poem, “Child of the Americas” for this specific reason: we are new and cannot go back to those elements of which we are comprised.

Is the Candidate Qualified?

We have an opportunity to pay attention to how we describe and define each other. Kamala Harris is many things as a human being. The most important things that we need to focus on in determining if she should be the next Vice President of the United States, is her qualifications for the position. As a Senator, a former State Attorney General, and a former District Attorney, Ms. Harris clearly meets the qualifications of a dedicated public servant who knows the law and has navigated the pressures incorporated in the positions that she has held.

This is not a political endorsement, but rather an illustration of the recommendations that we make to our clients on a regular basis. When asked for assistance with increasing diversity in organizations, especially at the leadership level, we are often given the proviso that the candidates need to be qualified. My consistent response is that you should never even interview a candidate who does not meet or exceed the qualifications for the position, even if the candidate is a white male. I will further argue that, based on the adversity that Ms. Harris has had to contend with as the child of a Black man and a brown woman, both immigrants, she is more qualified than one who has had a life of privilege. Privilege, for anyone who bristled when reading the previous sentence, does not mean that your life is free of grief or adversity, but that people of color, especially women of color have to deal with all of those things on top of the double edged sword of living in a world rife with racism and sexism.

Representation

When I think about the question: What difference does difference make? The answer to me is obvious: Difference makes a tremendous difference! I did not have a single Puerto Rican teacher until I was in college and did not have any Puerto Rican professors in graduate school. This is astonishing to me still as one who was born and raised in New York City. I had a Puerto Rican baseball coach as an adolescent and he provided me with an incredibly positive role model as a man of color who, despite tremendous odds, achieved his master’s degree. Kamala Harris represents so many people who are not accustomed to seeing people like themselves in positions of power. She represents so many people whose parents came to the United States because of its reputation as a democracy where anyone, everyone has an opportunity to succeed. That representation also means that issues of importance to women, Black people, children of immigrants, people of mixed race and heritage, have a greater likelihood of their concerns and issues being addressed.

To those who are threatened by difference, I want you to think about your role models, mentors, teachers, influencers. Who in your world has held a mirror up to you so that you can see your future self? Who has created a bridge for you to cross from poverty to economic stability? Who shared stories of overcoming obstacles so that you could have hope of a better, brighter future? Those of us who are the majority of the human beings on this planet have had too few of those representatives. Kamala Harris has not been successful because she is a woman of color, but despite being a woman of color who had to and continues to overcome barriers that most white people cannot even begin to imagine. Representation matters. History matters. If we are to create a future based on equity and inclusion, difference matters.

Onward!

Wendy Amengual Wark
Partner
Inclusion Strategy Solutions LLC

New York City
August 16, 2020

Wendy@InclusionStrategy.com
www.InclusionStrategy.com

I am Latino in America

Blogaffinity, Caribbean, civil rights, cultural, democracy, discrimination, diversity, El Museo del Barrio, Hispanic, Hispanic Federation, human rights, inclusion, intercultural, Intersectionality, Latino, Media, Perceptions, Puerto Rico, racism, Rosie Perez, slavery, Soledad O'Brien, Taino, Voting

“I Am Latino In America”

On Monday evening I had the great pleasure to attend “I Am Latino in America” at El Museo del Barrio here in NYC hosted by Soledad O’Brien. The event is part of an ongoing national tour with performances and conversations about being Latino in America with celebrities, national and local advocates, business leaders, and academics.

Learn More: http://www.iamlatinoinamerica.com/

Monday evening’s panelists included: Rosie Perez, Actor and Activist, Jose Calderon, President of the Hispanic Federation, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, President, National Education Association, Carmen Fariña, Chancellor, New York City Department of Education, Anna Maria Chavez, CEO of the Girls Scouts of America, and others.

Ms. O’Brien shared statistics on Latino-Americans ranging from voting trends to educational accomplishments. The presentations and conversations illustrated how diverse Latinos in America are and how rapidly we are changing as a constituency. Most of the speakers agreed that there is a general lack of representation of Latino interests even by Latino politicians. Immigration was #5 on the list of political priorities among Latinos polled, but is the #1 issue discussed regarding Latinos on news/media programs. There seemed to be a general consensus among the speakers that without increased participation in the political process by Latinos, there would not be a change in this trend.

The value of this event is that there is an open dialogue from multiple perspectives and those perspectives, whether agreed with or not, are respected. Ms. Perez made a powerful point when referencing Latinos who, although in a qualified way, agreed to some extent with negative statements made about Mexicans. She cautioned those ready to endorse negative stereotypes that they could be the next target of slurs and insults.

I hope that Ms. O’Brien and Starfish Media Group continue and expand these events as it is vital to have a forum for open, honest dialogue among those who share an identity as complex as Latino in America. I propose that future events include examinations of the impact of the intersectionality of most Latinos. Many of us are Afro-Latino (Blatino), Hispanic-Asian, and White-Hispanic. Then, of course, there are differences with sexual orientation, gender identification, national origin, regional location, generation, class, education, etc. In other words, our diversity is multi-dimensional, a concept that has been explored and discussed for decades, but can get lost among headlines and trends.

You Don’t Look Puerto Rican!

I certainly fit the title of intersectional as the daughter of a tri-racial Puerto Rican father and a mostly Irish-American mother. A native New Yorker who grew up in a public housing project, I am also a woman in my 50s with a graduate school education who has traveled the world, including spending a summer studying at Cambridge University in England. So, what peg to fit me in?

Most of my life people respond uniformly when they learn of my ethnic background with: “You don’t look Puerto Rican!” To which I usually respond, “What does a Puerto Rican look like?” As a descendant of a Caribbean Island populated by Tainos, (an Arawak tribal group) and the Caribs who invaded periodically for more than 800 years before the Spanish arrived; who were followed by other Europeans as well as the African slaves who those Europeans abducted to the Caribbean, I reflect my ancestral history. Based upon that history, what does a Puerto Rican look like?

I share my personal experience and a bit of Puerto Rican history with you because the conversation that is being facilitated by Soledad O’Brien, another half-Latina-Americana, and one who embodies intersectionality, is critical for all who have yet to understand that it is precisely the lack of communication that generates exclusion and reinforces discrimination and hate.

A Multi-Dimensional Conversation

I am in the people business. My job is to engage people who are resistant to change and difference in conversations about those very subjects. The most rewarding and affirming work that I do happens during training sessions when participants come up to me during breaks and tell me that they are pleasantly surprised that they are enjoying the experience – having fun, even! Being able to share that ‘aha’ moment with people of all races and backgrounds when they realize that we all are diverse and can all benefit from inclusion, it is amazing! This is what inspires me to keep doing what I am doing, even on the most challenging of days.

Often, when examining the impact of our perceptions on our relationships at work and elsewhere, we discover that someone may have a Hispanic name, but not be Hispanic, (such as my sister-in-law, Julia Garcia or several of my Filipina friends). Furthermore, someone might have a name like Wendy Willow Amengual Wark and be culturally more Puerto Rican than she is Irish.

So, what does it mean to be a Latino in America? For me, it means belonging to a group, like other immigrant groups who were treated with disdain, hatred and abuse in the past and have reached a tipping point where we cannot necessarily be identified by our names or appearance as native born or immigrant, as legal or illegal, as a member of any particular racial group – in other words as very American!

Is your organization looking beyond appearance and listening for more than surnames in your search for inclusion? If not, isn’t this a great time to begin a multi-dimensional conversation?

Please share your story and opinion on this subject as this blog post is part of that conversation.

Onward!

~ Wendy

Wendy in NOLA 10 2014