The
school is encountering difficulties, again. It seems that no matter
how much money I pour into it, we are always two steps behind. Even
with the backing of the consulate it seems that very few people in
the community support my goals. I hope you will send the attached
missive to Mexico City. Our goal of fostering Mexican patriotism will
be beneficial to the Mexico, but we need as much support from the
government as we can get.
--------------------------
Estimado
señor,
My name if Zeferino Ramirez and I am
the founder of the Mexican School in Belvedere, Los Angeles. Through
the support of your consul and my activities on Comision Honorifica,
our school has been the most successful of its kind. However, we
still face some issues regarding support from the community.
Many
of my neighbors want to forget everything about Mexico except music
and food. The old celebrations in the Plaza would draw crowds of
happy, smiling families, but talk of returning to Mexico draws sneers
from most I ask. They say, “Why would we leave Los Angeles? We
aren't treated with the most respect, but at least there is work and
a chance for my children to have a better life.” Even the single
men don't want to leave, even though they will spend months on the
railroad, searching for a job. But how can we blame them, when the
Revolution and its bloodshed is still fresh in mind? Even so, I
believe that the Mexican immigrants here are so quick to turn their
backs on the country that raised them, that they don't even want
their children to remember it. The best solution to this issue of
rejecting Mexico and losing its culture is the Escuela.
The
idea of a Mexican school, specializing in teaching our native
language and history, is not a novel one. Throughout the city I see
Hebrew and Japanese schools working to keep their children's sense of
national, ethnic pride alive. These establishments are very
successful and mo one grumbles about them being fronts for
“lucrative” businesses. If only the detractors knew how little
money this “enterprise” actually makes, as it's not about money.
My true hope is that through the Escuela, Mexican children,
particularly those of the second generation, will develop ties with
the fatherland.
Some
of my more confused opponents see the Escuelas as an extension of the
Americanizing “home teacher.” These detractors pick and choose
from the textbooks to support their arguments, saying that the
curriculum celebrates Anglo values and middle class aspirations
instead of fostering Mexican pride. To that I say, why can't we teach
both? Even the most ardent supporters of Mexico like yourself cannot
deny that the United States has an extremely powerful economy. There
is a saying in America that “the streets are paved with gold.”
Why not bring that mindset to Mexico as well? So, I see no problem
with promoting a new Mexican culture that incorporates a respect for
our history with a progressive, American mindset. This isn't
Americanization, to me, since I don't want our children to become
Anglos. I want them to become Mexicans with American knowledge, ready
to take their skills home to Mexico and bring unity and prosperity to the land.
As
you can see, the Escuela is ready to serve as an extension of Mexico,
but without support and funding it will fall apart. I sincerely hope
that you mgiht be able to bring up these concerns with the
appropriate members of the government, so that we may continue to
operate the school and begin to open more like it. The Mexican family is our future, and we won't let our hope die out.
Atentamente,
Zeferino Ramirez
"An ideal Mexican family" - Ramirez
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