In Edward Delgado-Romero’s The Face of Racism, Delgado-Romero describes what he has learned about racism and how it has affected him his whole life. He recounts his experience growing up with his father who has focused on trying to fit into the American society by becoming racist. He recalls haunting memories of his father’s anger and explosions due to his obsession of trying to be a white American. As Delgado-Romeo grew older, he noticed that his father became jealous of his ability to adjust to the American culture. He became racist, very similar to his father; he was even embarrassed by his own Latino culture. Delgado-Romeo had a turn-around of feelings towards different ethnicities after the divorce of his parents. He was able to learn about his own culture from his mother and even visited Colombia, where his mother had emigrated from. As he progressed further into life, he found peace in the word liberation; he was freeing his self from his father’s legacy. He concludes by saying that he can understand what it is like to be a perpetrator and a victim of racism; the question he needs to ask himself is “How racist is he?”
Edward Delgado-Romeo’s The Face of Racism was very compelling. I could understand why Edward Delgado-Romeo and his father were racist. Edward Delgado-Romeo’s father was racist because he wanted to fit into the American society more than anything. He was fixated on the idea that if he was racist along with others of that ethnic group, he would be accepted. His obsession with being accepted by racist ways had greatly influenced his son, Edward Delgado-Romeo as he was growing up. I was glad to see Edward Delgado-Romeo rethink his actions and become a better person. My answers to the discussion questions are: Question one: Delgado-Romeo’s father justifies his racism because he was descended from the Spaniards, which he had thought was European, a better and higher status than being South American or Columbian. He was also from the Delgado family which was virtuous and carried a long tradition in Spain. Delgado-Romeo’s father’s actions tell us that class and race was highly valued in his native Colombian culture; it was your race and class that defined how great you were as a person. Question two: The very words that had insulted Delgado-Romeo gave him a sense of control/or power in the racial struggle because he felt that he can use it against others in and out of his ethnic group. Other groups have adopted this approach to facing discrimination. I am sure that at one point or another, members from other ethnic groups had done similar things in terms of racism. Question three: Delgado-Romeo’s sense of his own ability completely influenced his view of others. When he was younger, he was racist because he thought he was like a white American and must be racist to fit in. As he got older, he realized that his ethnic is different, enabling him to think broader. Delgado-Romeo changed from a very racist person to an open minded person.
In How Does it Feel to Be a Problem by Moustafa Bayoumi, Bayoumi exposes racism against Arab Americans following9/11. He describes the feelings of outcast he had felt after the bombing of 9/11. Views about Arab Americans and Muslims were degrading; some people even suggested that they will be taken like the Japanese into camps. Bayoumi ends his account calling the fear and prejudice after 9/11 the Green Scare.
The information presented by Moustafa Bayoumi was very interesting. Through his descriptions, I felt his confusion as he became a target of discrimination based on how he looked and what he believed in after 9/11. I think it is very sad to be stereotyped as someone who had committed crime/wrong doing when in reality they have not done anything of the sort. My answers to the discussion questions are: Question one: The events of September 11, 2011, also known as 9/11 redefined Arab Americans as a terrorist group. Many people were outraged by the tragedy; they blamed it on the Arab Americans. Question two: The Arab Americans’ experience compares to the Japanese Americans during World War II because they both were stereotyped as bad minorities due to the actions of a few members of their ethnic groups. Both the Arab Americans and Japanese Americans were labeled as terrorists and bad because of the wrong choices made by a few people of the same ethnicity. The Arab Americans experience is different from the Japanese Americans because the Arab Americans were not forced into the camps like the Japanese Americans. Arab Americans were not directly forced to leave their homes and immigrate to another place like the Japanese Americans.