#indegenous

Saw Beyoncé for the first time, it was fun. The sound was messy for the first 40 minutes but it got fixed & you could hear her voice, it was so crisp and powerful.

Steven Martinez/ Espiritu Chicano

"Why do your people call yourselves Mexican American? Why don't you just say American?"

These questions were asked of me, many years ago, by a female co-worker, a caucasian. She goes on to say, "I don't see color. I am color blind. Why do you want to cause divisions by always calling attention to your ethnicity?" (She was at a total loss when I tried explaining the Chicano concept to her.) With her questions she was asking me to deny my ethnicity. She was asking me to turn my back on my culture and exchange it for her "american" one. She's asking me to assimilate, to "melt in." And, by the way, she's not just asking... she is expecting it - for "me" to disappear! She is demanding it. What arrogance and privilege to expect me to renounce my ancestors, culture, language, history, heritage - my very essence, to become "accepted" on my own homeland, by a foreign invader! I will partner with all my fellow citizens in building a progressive society together. I will unite with all our allies to fight for a better, stronger, and more inclusive democracy. I will endeavor to live in love, understanding, harmony, respect, and peace with all the fellow inhabitants of our homeland, but, I will not assimilate!

Unless that former co-worker was literally color blind, she very clearly could see my skin color! I want her to see my skin color, my ethnicity - and respect it. I want her to "deal" with "it" - with my Chicanismo and my roots in this land; with the fact that we, as a people, are still here! I will not "hide" my cultural roots, my ethnicity by melting into a pot because my culture and/or skin color makes another uncomfortable. Nor will I allow another to dismiss me by looking through me. Soy Chicano and Brown is beautiful! See me! I am here! 

I try not to make posts like this here because I understand y'all don't follow me for political reasons. So once again this is an isolated post but a very important one.

I just got off the phone with the mayor of San Antonio by the way you can call her because she is the boss of the chief of police who's saying that this wasn't a hate crime : 2102077107

Call her and tell her that you demand that the chief of police be fucking fired. Tell her to do her job tell her to get involved. Tell her that this man is neglectful of his civil duties as a chief of police.

Call her and tell her to fire him. Call her and tell her to do her fucking job and fucking fire him. And tell her you're coming for her job next and going over her head to her boss if she doesn't take action.

Angry enough like I am?

If you want to call the chief of police and insult him and call him a bitch ass white boy like I just did, and let him know how outraged you are for his lack of competence with his work, here is his number have fun : +12102077360

I also advise that you call the actual police station of San Antonio and let them know you're outrage as well as I have done.

United State's nativism and xenophobia has its roots in an intentional and systemic genocide. ICE and the mass deportation efforts have always been about getting indigenous blood off this land as a tool of colonization.

There is a reason why natives have to be blood tested to identify as such. There is a reason latinx people are taught not to acknowledge they are of indigenous decent. We have been separated to make easier to conquer and its working.

ICE and the concentration camps didn't happen because of once racist preseident or administration, its an inevitable product of a genocidal system and only by listening to native voices regarding colonization will any progress be made on dismantling it .

THE BEAUTIFUL

I decided to make an OC, so here he is :)

He turned out to be more anthropomorphic than I would have liked, but okay...

His name is Mr. Kachiaktá, which is the name of this fish in the language of the Nanai people. The Nanai people are a small indigenous people of Asia who live on the shores of the Amur River. They are known for their inseparable connection with fishing, so that's why Mr. Kachi is a fish.

His clothes are the traditional clothes of my people. Kinda casual, nothing too fancy. I did what I could to recreate the patterns properly.

My people don't often get represented in the media (most likely because there are about 15 thousand of us. About 5,000 in China and about 10,000 in Russia, give or take), so I decided to make my contribution, even in this way

Overall, he's just a sweet old man with crazy stories from his youth. And with a cool hat. And a fancy smoking pipe.