1/15
“We didn’t cross the border, the border crossed us.”
It’s a common expression among LatinX Americans, and it was what I heard earlier this week when I was in San Antonio for my latest Velshi Across America conversation. #velshi
“We didn’t cross the border, the border crossed us.”
It’s a common expression among LatinX Americans, and it was what I heard earlier this week when I was in San Antonio for my latest Velshi Across America conversation. #velshi
2/15
The conversation was centered around Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from the middle of September through the middle of October. And they are not wrong. #velshi
The conversation was centered around Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from the middle of September through the middle of October. And they are not wrong. #velshi
3/15
The people we know as Hispanic or, more commonly now, Latino, Latina or LatinX, have been in America longer than there has been an America. Much longer. #velshi
The people we know as Hispanic or, more commonly now, Latino, Latina or LatinX, have been in America longer than there has been an America. Much longer. #velshi
4/15
The Spanish empire in what is, today, America, included almost all of today’s California, Arizona, new Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, and several more states. #velshi
The Spanish empire in what is, today, America, included almost all of today’s California, Arizona, new Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, and several more states. #velshi
5/15
There were Spanish speaking people in Texas while it was a Spanish colony, then a Mexican province and, briefly, from 1836 to 1845, when Texas was an independent country. #velshi
There were Spanish speaking people in Texas while it was a Spanish colony, then a Mexican province and, briefly, from 1836 to 1845, when Texas was an independent country. #velshi
6/15
In 1845, Texas joined the Unites States, and Mexicans –who had been citizens of the Texas Republic, became outsiders in their own land. #velshi
In 1845, Texas joined the Unites States, and Mexicans –who had been citizens of the Texas Republic, became outsiders in their own land. #velshi
7/15
White settlers from the rest of the United States came down the Mississippi river or walked down the famous Natchez Trace from as far north as Nashville, Tennessee, along with many immigrants from Europe - moved in and essentially started to take over. #velshi
White settlers from the rest of the United States came down the Mississippi river or walked down the famous Natchez Trace from as far north as Nashville, Tennessee, along with many immigrants from Europe - moved in and essentially started to take over. #velshi
8/15
The Tejanos—Texas born Mexicans - were soon outnumbered in the nation’s government. And so, Anglos restricted Tejano’s access to voting, made it more difficult for them to hold on to land and used police violence - including by the famed Texas Rangers - against them. #velshi
The Tejanos—Texas born Mexicans - were soon outnumbered in the nation’s government. And so, Anglos restricted Tejano’s access to voting, made it more difficult for them to hold on to land and used police violence - including by the famed Texas Rangers - against them. #velshi
9/15
From there, the political discrimination against the native Mexicans kept intensifying. Sound familiar? It could be the textbook definition of colonization except it probably wasn’t in the textbook you were reading in grade school. #velshi
From there, the political discrimination against the native Mexicans kept intensifying. Sound familiar? It could be the textbook definition of colonization except it probably wasn’t in the textbook you were reading in grade school. #velshi
10/15
You - like most people with an American education - were probably fed fables about courageous white settlers like Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone defending the Alamo against a Mexican invasion. The Mexicans just wanted their land back. #velshi
You - like most people with an American education - were probably fed fables about courageous white settlers like Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone defending the Alamo against a Mexican invasion. The Mexicans just wanted their land back. #velshi
11/15
But they lost, and to the victor goes the spoils, and the historical narrative. Spanish speaking peoples— both descendants or Spaniards and native Americans who were converted, willingly or unwillingly by Spanish and Mexican missionaries…#velshi
But they lost, and to the victor goes the spoils, and the historical narrative. Spanish speaking peoples— both descendants or Spaniards and native Americans who were converted, willingly or unwillingly by Spanish and Mexican missionaries…#velshi
12/15
…And their often-mixed descendants, were in this country long before the pilgrims, but their history is often overlooked, or whitewashed. #velshi
…And their often-mixed descendants, were in this country long before the pilgrims, but their history is often overlooked, or whitewashed. #velshi
13/15
To be LatinX in this country could mean you are a recent migrant, or it could mean you are descended from people who have populated America since Ponce De Leon founded St. Augustine, Florida, America’s oldest city in 1513, more than 500 years go. #velshi
To be LatinX in this country could mean you are a recent migrant, or it could mean you are descended from people who have populated America since Ponce De Leon founded St. Augustine, Florida, America’s oldest city in 1513, more than 500 years go. #velshi
14/15
So, when folks tell LatinX people in this country to “go back to where you came from!” For those living in Texas - the land they live on literally used to be Mexico, and a Spanish Colony before that. They didn’t cross the border, the border crossed them. #velshi
So, when folks tell LatinX people in this country to “go back to where you came from!” For those living in Texas - the land they live on literally used to be Mexico, and a Spanish Colony before that. They didn’t cross the border, the border crossed them. #velshi
15/15
Having an accurate grasp on this country’s history is essential to our identity - especially for the black and brown people whose history is being ignored, simply because it makes America look bad. #velshi
Having an accurate grasp on this country’s history is essential to our identity - especially for the black and brown people whose history is being ignored, simply because it makes America look bad. #velshi
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