Hispanic Americans
Our class had the opportunity to listen to Antonio Huerta speak of his experiences as an Hispanic American and some of the hardships and triumphs throughout his life. Antonio was born and raised in a small town called Lagunillas in Mexico where he lived with his mother and father and his nine siblings. What I first found interesting about Antonio's presentation was he discussed his relationship with his parents and how he noticed early on in his life how his parents would never have an argument in front of him or his other siblings. He really emphasized how everyone in his community looked after one another. If someone needed help with finances or someone needed medical attention, everyone in the community would do whatever…show more content… This presentation was really amazing because Johnny did a great job of interacting with the audience and getting us out of our comfort zone. Johnny really did a great job of diving into the details and history of culture and how it relates and impacts everyone’s lives. He began his presentation much like the other pre senators and giving a little background on who he is and where he comes from. Early in his education, Johnny described how he loved going to school and being with people who made him comfortable. He described this comfortability because he went to an all black school. Going into fifth grade, Johnny’s mother made him go to a primarily white school and he remembers how different the experience was. He described getting into a fight the very first day of school, but then he eventually found friends and was able to be more comfortable. In fact, he discussed how the kid who he go into a fight with went on to being one of his best friends going into his senior year of high school. Furthering into his presentation, Johnny had the chance to discuss the whole concept of stereotypes and how they are dangerous in our society. Johnny stated, “Stereotypes are real and we try to map them around our lives.” There was funny story that involved stereotypes that Johnny mentioned that really helped dissect the ideology of stereotypes around the world and especially in the United States. He discussed how after arriving in Eugene, he would be approached by many children and he would ask them where they thought he was from and they would say he was from Africa. He proceeded to ask them why they thought he was from Africa and they said because he was black. Not only do African Americans have to live with these types of stereotypes, but they also have to suffer through the high poverty rights many go through. For example, Lum states in reference to the older generation of African Americans that,
