The Lincoln Heights Xmas Parade was as exciting as ever, probably way better than the HLP one since I’ve heard no reports back from that event. If somehow, for some strange reason, you managed to miss it, follow the link below to check it out. Yes, a bit late but whatever. You know you wanna.
Great pictures. I thought the white guy with the Confederate flag was interesting. As far as I know, there was little to no reaction to his display. It made me think, if you had a couple of Chicanos in a Christmas parade in some small town in Alabama, and they had a Mexican flag waving from their truck, there probably would have been a riot. The mostly Chicano crowd in Lincoln Heights, however, just ignored the “good ol’ boys” and continued enjoying the parade. I think it goes a long way to show which community has more class.
Maybe you need to get out more, Rob. Maybe you need to rethink your stereotypical image of the South. I think your imagery reflects some old Buford Pusser movie rather than today’s Alabama.
I had occasion last month to visit Mobile, Montgomery, and Birmingham along with plenty of small towns along Hiway 65 and really didn’t experience any friction. I wear a deep brown w/sculpted Toltec features (my wife’s description) so there’s no mistaking my origin. I’m not chastising you pal, just suggesting that maybe you upgrade your impressions. Latinos are here to stay, so also are the Caucasians. Peace
Gustavo – is your wife Black or Asian… or even White? Because interracial couples still get stares. I suspect some get more than others. That’s more of a friction point with them. Because as far as minorities go, there have been all kinds of people in the South since the start. They’ve just been kind of separated.
My wife’s a born and bred Chicana from LA, alienation. She didn’t travel with me as it was a business trip, so I really can’t speak to the mixed racial question. I really didn’t sense any predjudicial vibe, ate plenty of good comidas, and felt pretty much at home. Like everywhere else the economy is the biggest glitch in the works, in the South as here at home.
Gustavo, I’m glad you found some more progressive parts of the south. I’ve heard people say that some of the small cities are growing and becoming more diverse. But the small towns? If you say so. I’ll have to check it out for myself, as you suggested. That being said, my point still stands. I want to see the reaction from a mostly white crowd in the south when two Chicanos in a parade wave a Mexican flag in their pickup truck, without an American flag, as the guys in the above photo album waved a confederate flag in Lincoln Heights in front of a mostly Chicano crowd. If it ever happened, and the white audience in the south had the class to allow the display and continue enjoying the parade, as the mostly Chicano crowd did with the confederacy display in the LH parade, at least as far as I know (haven’t read any reports about spectators being hostile with the parade participants), then I will humbly admit that you’re right and the south is a new south. I’m certainly not seeing it on television, with all of these tea party and minutemen nut jobs down there. And most people I know who’ve been to the south tell me that it’s still pretty much the same old south, especially in the rural areas. But as you said, people have to see it for themselves. I hope to do so someday, because I know there’s a lot of good people down there. Peace.