by Alex Gonzalez
Viva Tejas and Viva Mes De la Hispanidad (Hispanic Heritage Month)
All political identities are created by the state or by cultural elites. Therefore, it is the responsibility of elites and political leaders to instill you with a romanticized myth-identity that strengthens your cultural psychological being. In this way you consider yourself as part of the myth, or the state. Elites and political leaders, therefore, need to tell bourgeois masses that they are the guardians of the “myth,” and the elites need to keep alive the linkage between the hopes of the masses to the of political party mantra or ideology of the state. Without the guidance of cultural elites, it would have been impossible for Irish-Americans to liberate and create the State of Ireland. And without the intellectual Jewish-Americans, it would have been impossible for Jewish-Americans to get excited about Israel.
Thus, any Mexican-American political leader or cultural elite who wishes that Mexican-Americans join the Party needs to instill healthy historical accounts in Mexican-Americans to strengthen their cultural character. And Lionel Sosa has answered that call.
Being a Mexican-American philanthropist is a daunting task, especially if you are a Republican. But Lionel Sosa is not afraid of the challenge.
September is Mes De la Hispanidad (Hispanic Heritage Month), or if you are in Texas we can call it Tejas Heritage Month; so Mexican-Americans in Texas should feel comfortable enough opening up their hearts and be proud of their beautiful Mexican-American history in Texas. A heritage that goes back 300 years. And one of the best revivals of this beautiful Mexican-American Texas History is the project by Lionel Sosa the Children of the Revolution. And no, Mr. Sosa is no liberal democrat. In fact, He is a proud and successful Republican who now wants to connect the Texas Mexican-American experience of the 1910s with the upcoming future generations of Mexican-Americans in the southwest. And yes, if anybody asks you why you are acting too Mexican, tell them that you you just came back from San Antonio.
If you are a Native Latino Tejano, there is a 90% chance you are Mexican-American. But most likely you have been advised not to call yourself Mexican-American, and instead, opt for homogenous term like Latino or Hispanic, even though this is a purely bureaucratic term “invented” in the 70s. Look at it this way, as a Latino you have been in this nation only since Nixon Administration invented this label in the 70s. But as a Mexican-American, you have been here for 300 years, and this is a historical account that new generations must learn about. In his documentary, Sosa introduces historical experiences of which Mexican-Americans can feel proud of their past as Mexicans, Tejanos, and as Americans, which will also build a strong psychological cultural pride.
I mean, can you imagine a politician telling the Irish in Boston or New York City telling not to call themselves Irish because it makes some nervous? So don’t let anybody tell you you cannot be Mexican-American, or Tejano, in your own land, especially on Tejano Heritage month.
Bellow are the first 5 videos of this great documentary. I suggest you watch the entire collection because it is true cultural experience of Texas’ in the 19th century.
You can watch the entire collection at the Children of the Revolution website.
Alex Gonzalez is a political Analyst and Political Director for Latinos Ready To Vote. Comments to [email protected] or @AlexGonzTXCA
