Latinos Should Make A New Year’s Resolution Not To Remain Silent

By Carson Councilman Albert Robles

News stories that will unfortunately carry into 2015 will be the ill treatment of African-Americans by our justice system.

While everyone is outraged at the injustice, particularly deafening is the silence of Latinos at rallies demanding justice.

While every racial, ethnic and demographic group is guilty of screaming louder for their injustices than the injustices suffered by others, it seems Latinos are more hypocritical.  For example, (1) Latinos were silent when the fundamental right to marry was denied to gays, (2) Latinos were silent when the right to freedom of religion was denied to Muslims, and now (3) Latinos are silent as Justice is denied to African-Americans.  Yet, Latinos are outraged when others are silent at their injustices?  In 2015 Latinos should make a New Year’s resolution to stop being hypocritical.

Latinos, as a group, are the most diverse in terms skin color, religion, sexual orientation, or any other categorization, but inexplicably Latinos fail to see how our fate is tied to the justice of others – so Latinos do not protest when others suffer injustice.  However, when the right to citizenship under the 14th Amendment is denied to Latinos or Latinos are victims of anti-immigrant bashing, the very same Latinos who are silent at the injustices suffered by others are hypocritically outraged at the silence of others.

Published shortly after the World War II Holocaust, the following poem eloquently describes what happens when one group of people remains silent during attacks on another group:

First, they came for the homosexuals,

and I didn’t speak-up because I wasn’t gay.

Then they came for the blacks,

and I didn’t speak-up because I wasn’t black.

Then they came for the Jews,

and I didn’t speak-up because I wasn’t Jewish.

Then they came for me,

and no one spoke-up because no one was left to speak for me.

The original wording, i.e., the groups and the order, is not known because the poem is derived from numerous speeches given in 1946 by a prominent anti-Nazi theologian.  What is clear, however, is the poem’s message of the consequences of remaining silent as others suffer injustice, a lesson that seems to be forgotten, especially by Latinos.  Consider that (1) when gays were being attacked and people voted to deprive them of the fundamental right to marry, poll after poll showed that Latinos overwhelmingly supported the ban in greater percentages than the general population; (2) when Muslims were attacked for their religion, Latinos stood quietly by or, even worse, joined the attacks on Islam because they were “good” Christians; and (3) when the anti-affirmative action fervor was at its highest a few years ago, the majority of Latinos thought such programs should be abolished because it only benefitted African-Americans or more recently when African-Americans were victims of the criminal injustice system, Latinos quietly believe that these African-Americans must have done something to deserve it.  In other words, because Latinos did not oppose the anti-gay laws, did not speak-up to stop the anti-Islamic rhetoric, did not speak-up against anti-affirmative action or the injustices suffered by African-Americans, it should come as no surprise to Latinos that there is not greater opposition to the anti-immigrant rhetoric because there is no one left to speak out for Latinos.

Whether the impetus for turning a blind eye to injustice was the dire economic conditions after the Great Depression then, or after the Great Recession now and/or the lack of a good public school system then, or the broken public school system now, whatever gives rise to the phenomena of people remaining silent as another group suffers injustice is not clear; but, what is clear is that we must stop turning a blind eye and come together to fight injustices everywhere, especially Latinos.

All peoples of diverse backgrounds must come together to make our country a more perfect union.  In the 1960s, as another group of people was attacked in Germany, people from all around the world who valued freedom stood united against the USSR because remaining silent was a mistake that was not to be repeated.  This sentiment was best captured by President John F. Kennedy’s famous declaration as the communist encircled Berlin and he stood with them to say, “I too am a Berliner.”

As we approach the 70th year since the end of the greatest injustice caused by remaining silent, today Latinos should follow Kennedy’s example, and re-phrase the Holocaust poem as follows:

Next time an anti-gay statement is made, or someone gay is the victim of a hate crime, all groups, but especially Latinos, should speak up and say, “I too am gay.”

Next time a Muslim is attacked for their appearance or cultural beliefs, or their religious freedom is threatened, all groups, but especially Latinos, should speak up and say, “I too am Muslim.”

Next time an African-American is the victim of police abuse, or racism, all groups, but especially Latinos, should speak up and say, “I too am African-American.”

Latinos should make a New Year’s resolution not to remain silent at the injustices suffered by others, so maybe next time someone attacks Latinos there will be others to speak up too.

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
– Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.