Ed Vega’s character, Sixto, in “Spanish Roulette”, attempts to utilize education and art to empower himself instead of letting the stereotypes of his Latino heritage hinder him. Sixto’s battle with moving beyond racial barriers shows his effort to move towards postracialism, according to Hua Hsu’s usage of the term. Hua Hsu, in “The End of White America?”, defines the term, postracialism, as “triumph of multiculturalism” (Hsu 52). By this Hsu means that in being postracial people can find a utopian-like fulfillment of the diverse needs and representation for all races. This “triumph” for Sixto would ideally help him achieve his dreams without his race being an obstacle. Sixto, as a well educated poet and activist, thought he had beat the…show more content… Hua Hsu mentions this broad ideal of postracialism while discussing successful African-American entrepreneur and rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, “whose ultimate goal is some vague notion of racial transcendence, rather than subversion or assimilation” (Hsu 49). This “vague notion” represents an American dream-like ideal of race not being an obstacle or issue for one’s own progression or daily life. For rapper, “Diddy” his idea of postracialism was an all-white dress party attended by wealthy people of varied races. In this occasion race is not at the forefront but instead a commonality of wealth is. Still, with Diddy’s ideal race is not an obstacle for the interaction and networking of a multicultural audience. For Sixto, having race be a matter in the background and not forefront of his life means that his art and his sophistication take precedent. This American ideal leads Sixto on his own pathway towards “postracialism”. He wanted to feel empowered enough to the point where race wasn’t a defining factor of his life but instead his knowledge and artistry were. In contrast to rapper “Diddy”, Sixto doesn’t desire wealth to lead him to postracialism. Instead, Sixto believes that the power of education, poetry and activism will lead him to postracialism. Although he later considered it to be “liberal American jive” (Vega 70), Sixto’s American education influenced his way of thinking and his motivations in life. Instead of loitering around the neighbourhood or being involved in gang activity, like other young males in his neighbourhood, Sixto spent his time marching, “against the war in Vietnam, against colonialism and capitalism, and for the Chicano brothers cracking backs in the fields” (Vega 70). With this act, Sixto hoped to incite peace over war and basic human rights for his people. He wanted his Latino heritage to be associated with more than just labor and being victims
