Let’s join the immigration debate and put an end to the racist demagoguery.

They came first for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew.

Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up.

Poem by German pastor Martin Neimoeller at the New England Holocaust Memorial in Boston, Massachusetts.

* * *

This note has nothing to do with advertising to US Hispanics. And, at the same time, it has everything to do with advertising to US Hispanics.

This note is the product of anger, concern, fear, disappointment, pride and, in a humble way, an attempt to put my two cents worth in the topic of our times: immigration.

It is the product of anger because I too have seen, over the past couple of years, an unprecedented wave of racist attacks against Latino immigrants. America, a land built by immigrants, has seemingly lost its voice, hijacked by a cohort of demagogues –politicians, pundits, radio and TV commentators who are having a field day insulting Latinos in the vilest of terms.

And we, as a community, have sat by helplessly.

From the halls of Congress to the airwaves, we’ve witnessed the daily tirades of Lou Dobbs, Pat Buchanan, Bill O’Reilly, Rush Limbaugh to name some of the most virulent voices of anti-immigrant hatred. They have managed to reduce a highly complex issue involving history, geography, economics, demographics, and politics to sound bites and bumper sticker slogans. And they’ve positioned the immigration debate as one of secure borders, a tacit implication that the Latinos who come here in search of work are weakening border security, opening doors for the enemies of the Homeland.

Basically, Señores, this line of reasoning puts Latinos closer to the terrorists who flew planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, than to “mainstream America.”

And this should be cause for concern. Are we going to sit impassively and watch the erosion of our rights? Because once we’re stripped of our humanity (as in allowing the free use of the racist term “illegal alien”), what follows is third class citizenship status. Am I exaggerating to drive a point? You tell me: run the following test. Find a DMA with high ratings for let’s say, Rush Limbaugh, and walk around wearing a bilingual T-shirt (or a button) that says, “Full Rights for Immigrants,” “Plenos Derechos para los Inmigrantes.” Would you feel comfortable exercising your constitutional Freedom of Speech?

My concerns are quickly growing into fear. I’m afraid that it’s getting too late for us to change the course of events. More so, however, I am afraid of what it says about us. Because our passivity clearly states that we don’t love the freedoms embedded into the US Constitution enough to mobilize to defend them. Our silences says that no matter how legal we may be, we still consider ourselves guests; when mistreated, a guest will never speak out.

That breeds disappointment in leaders and politicians at all levels. But ultimately, I blame myself. In my concern for earning a decent living, I have often times kept quiet and separated myself from events. I didn’t want to rock the boat or make anyone uncomfortable. I’m an advertising man – I’m always diplomatic, refusing to take sides, even if the racist attacks hurt and revolt me, my family, our attempts to realize our American Dream.

And in fact, our strides toward this American Dream, have been a great source of pride for me and my family. Working hard, watching my children grow, bilingual and bicultural, makes me proud. I’m proud of being Hispanic. I’m proud of having come to this country “con una mano adelante y la otra atrás,” having made modest gains in terms of educational achievements, social position, and community standing. Proud of being made of the same stuff as those immigrants who have built and continue to build this great nation.

And that brings me to my final point. We need to flex our muscle against racism. To use a historic analogy, we’re moving backwards. Some want to bring America back to 1950’s: Jim Crow. Segregation at all levels. Separate bathrooms and water fountains. Back of the busses. Not against African Americans but against Hispanics.

We need to learn from the decades-long African American struggle for equality. Look at the Imus case just a few months ago. For decades, Imus had earned a magnificent living by mocking and humiliating the weak, those who lacked the means to defend themselves. But he crossed the line when he went after a group of young women athletes who had done nothing but distinguish themselves. Underneath the outrage there lied a potential boycott and advertisers who pulled out and Imus went black.

We all know the numbers –40 million Hispanics, US$700 billion purchasing power — in fact we use them day in and day out in our new business pitches. Let’s flex those same numbers to get the respect of the Dobbs, Buchanans, O’Reillys.

To use industry terminology, no matter what our acculturation levels are, the racist demagoguery used against undocumented workers affects all Hispanics in the US. It’s up to us as a community to put an end to it – we owe it our country as citizens, ourselves and our families and to the market where we make our living.

In the early 90s, the advertising and media communities joined hands in the Coalition for a Drug Free America, tasked with the challenge of educating young people about the dangers of illegal drugs. Today, we call on Hispanic advertising agencies and media venues to pool resources in a similar effort. Let’s create a broad coalition and, putting our money where our mouths are, let’s fund it based on agency size and revenue. Let’s mobilize the best creative talent and launch campaigns proportional to our strength to educate the Anglo communities about the need of a real immigration reform, one based on a real understanding of the people, where respect and dignity are fundamental pillars.

We’ll be knocking on doors.

By Carlos F. Torres
Partner, Directo Hispano
ct*****@di************.com
http://www.directohispano.com