Friday, November 14, 2008

The Young Misfits - No Chicanos On TV

The Young Misfits

   This morning as I walked into my regular store to get my coffee and newspapers, I noticed a couple of young Latinos from the local Santa Ana high school walking in front of me. Both were “weird” looking and wearing dark tight clothes. But one had on a black t-shirt with the name The Misfits on it.
    It dawned on me. These kids, like a lot of youngsters identify with these words, and this image. The Misfits. Where do you see them on TV? Where do they fit? Who are they? Are they Chicano/ Latinos? Are they legal or undocumented? Are gay or straight? So many choices, so many possibilities.
   They don’t know who or what they are. That’s why they feel like misfits. 
   So like President Elect Obama, they are “mutts” or misfits.


Frank R. Castillo   © 2008

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Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Faces of Color on TV

    It was great seeing last Tuesday’s election results. I was gathered in downtown Santa Ana with the local Santa Ana Latino Democrats watching the results. And when they broadcasted that CNN had declared Obama the President of the US a little after 8 pm, everyone in the room burst into loud applause like we had just scored a game winning touchdown.  It was incredible.
    But what was more incredible was when Obama and his family came down to the stage in Chicago to address the crowd, the nation and the world. It was so emotional to be watching on TV, the first black President of the US. Most of us never imagined it would happen in our life time. We dreamed of it, we wished for it. We longed for it. But like everything else, it seemed that this too would be just a dream. But it wasn’t. Now you could see the proud, gleaming faces of people of color on TV. The cameras were focused on these people of color and on the happy spectators.
    And the people of color of the world could see themselves and us in the faces of the new First Family of the US. That night we knew that we can all achieve all of our impossible dreams.

Frank R. Castillo    ©  2008

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