The Pueblo Chieftain

Rivera: Stitched together by destiny, history

Suddenly the nation has rediscovered Hispanics. Over the years, their invisible presence belied their increasing numbers as they lived among us.

More to the point, a flood of other people more or less like them are flocking to the shores of the “land of the free and home of the brave,” and the politicians are at a loss to determine the next strategic move for resolution.

This statement will certainly not settle that dispute, and there is no evidence the Congress will either. In the meantime, it is certainly worthwhile to get re-acquainted with Hispanics.

Their numbers have made a difference in several Presidential elections and in countless states, city and national races. They were virtually politically ignored from the 50s through the ‘90s; however, the tide started shifting after President Bill Clinton appointed three Hispanics to his cabinet.

The United States is one of the very few countries whose early history of settlement involved immigrants from many countries. Many of those immigrants were leaving oppressive circumstances or seeking a new adventure by building lives for their families and eventually creating a new form of government. Perhaps their dreams could be best symbolized by the painting of the four freedoms by Norman Rockwell: Freedom of Speech; Freedom from Want; Freedom from Fear; and Freedom of Worship.

Volumes of books have been written on the various immigrant groups, and about their adventures and challenges in the United States. These volumes document each group’s trials as they settled the vast, mostly undeveloped lands they encountered. With each groups’ historical migration, the United States wrote laws and policies that welcomed and safeguarded them, including setting up quotas for almost all nationalities coming to the United States.

Moreover, through this elaborate process, federal laws were also established to welcome refugees from homelands where their livelihoods and their families were in danger. This is one of the more significant policies that distinguishes the United States from other nations.

The history of Hispanics in the U.S. is far more complex because of two major factors.

First, many Hispanics were here before the United States became a country in 1776. Second, our neighbors to the South — Mexico, Central America and South America — are mostly comprised of Hispanic cultures that are as different and unique as those nations in their own right.

One size does not fit all, yet the residents of these diverse countries are generally viewed as “Hispanics.” Or — more recently — as “Latinos.”

Hispanics, with their unique history, are regarded as a minority group in the U.S. And like other immigrants to the United States, they have struggled to contribute to the fabric of the new country.

Even so, there was a time when the Southwestern United States — including parts of Colorado — was Mexican territory. Because of this fact, Hispanics their families were here to welcome the American pioneers more than 200 years ago.

With every immigrant group, the United States has historically been welcoming. We as a nation intuitively understood the contributions of diversity and how it made the United States a stronger nation.

In addition, the U.S. has a history of helping any people fleeing political upheaval and unrest. Our historic stance has been to welcome such refugees. But this policy could be at risk today, which clearly negatively impact Hispanics.

Immigrants seeking access to the United States are coming from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico. Many of these Hispanics are seeking refugee status. This migration is one of the major national issues confronting President Barack Obama.

Because the U.S. Congress has failed to act on a comprehensive immigration bill, critics claim this is a contributing cause to the recent flood of Hispanics to the U.S. While the jury is out on this question, the critics may be right.

Alvin Rivera, a long-time Pueblo resident, is a civic and political activist. He previously served on the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, the U.S. Department of Education, as the executive director of the National Institute for Resources in Science and Engineering, among others.

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