BY Led Black (@Led_Black)
I don’t know if people that espouse “birther” views fundamentally understand how hurtful those comments are to Latinos, immigrants and people of color.
Birtherism is basically a shrill demand to the American President, the leader of the free world, to see his papers. Yes you, the President of the United States of America, the most important man on the planet, your legitimacy is somehow in question because of the hue of your skin and the foreign sounding nature of your name. Let me see your motherfucking birth certificate.
That’s it. Because really – there is no way in the world that Barack Obama somehow was able to con the entire United States political system and in essence, steal the election.
Birtherism is not based on reality.
It is ugly, cheap and quite simply a racial slur that has gone viral and become a meme. That fact that Birtherism has had such staying power says shloads (shitloads) about the intelligence, rationality and bigotry of way too many Americans.
But Birtherism is not rational; in fact, it is racist. The attempt to delegitimize the chief executive of the nation simply because he is a Black man named Barack Hussein Obama is beyond disgusting. It is a martial dressing down, telling Barack Obama and in turn all those of million of immigrants and their children who live and contribute to this country that they will never be American enough.
So while Mittt Romney says he believes that Barack Obama is an American, his sticking his toes in the cesspool that is birtherism is quite telling. It tells me that even though I was born in this country, Mitt Romney will side with those that will insist that I am not American enough. That my mother who came to this great country from the Dominican Republic with nothing but her work ethic, vision and tenacity to create a better life for her children. Yeah, that lady who has worked her fingers to the bone, that has been an American citizen since 1989 and has voted in every election since then. No I’m sorry ma’am, you are not American enough. Let me see your motherfucking papers.
What you said about my mama? My mother is not only an American, she is the quintessential American – her story is the story of America. It is the story of a person leaving all they know behind to build a better future here in a land of opportunity and abundance. Simply stated there is no America without immigration. Immigrants have always made this a better place and will continue to do so. It is immigrants that created the American dream and who have kept it alive.
So even though Birthers and now Mitt Romney are hell bent on telling us we are not American enough, we will be telling them something too come election time. My mother and I and millions of Latinos, immigrants and hyphenated-Americans will be talking loud and clear in that voting booth. Telling Mitt Romney, the birthers, Donald Trump, the GOP and the goddamn tea Party that we are Americans too.
We will not be silenced, we will not be ignored, we do matter and we will be heard. Hear us roar!
Pa’lante Siempre Pa’lante!
Check out: The Stranger.com | Mitt Romney: The Man Without Qualities
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