Texas History 101

By now you all have read, watched, and tweeted about the unfortunate racist situation that Mexican-American singer Sebastien De La Cruz endured.  Just like I did, you also read in disgust the tweets that flooded across social media.

I was so disgusted while reading the tweets! it baffles me that in this year and time, there are still so many people who are extremely uneducated about the history of our great nation, and racist beyond reasoning. Is it possible that these “Americans” are so oblivious about the history of the USA? On how immigrants helped built the nation? Call me a crazy liberal, but not only did I pay attention in History class, but my momma and my grandma taught me right- they taught me about respect towards others regardless of race and beliefs. The “Americans” bashing on 11-year old Sebastien, clearly were not brought up right.

So, in disgust of those uneducated individuals (who by the way give us Americans a bad rep) here’s some Texas history 101. Please share it with those you (unfortunately) know, who share the same sentiment as the racist trolls on twitter, or with someone who perhaps simply do not know how Texas was at some point (and shockingly to many) Mexican territory.

Cramp Course starts...NOW!

1   - Texas (Tejas) means “allies” or “friends” and during the Spanish colonial era was known as: Nuevo Reino de Filipinas: La Provincia de Texas (try saying that three times)

2   - There are three known indigenous cultures which at some point lived in Texas: civilization of Mesoamerica, Mississippian Culture & Pueblo

3   - What we now know as the Lone Star state was once French, Spanish & Mexican territory - The timeline goes a little something like this:

French Texas	1684–1689
Spanish Texas	1690–1821
Mexican Texas	1821–1836
Republic of Texas	1836–1845
Statehood	1845–1860
Civil War era	1861–1865
Reconstruction	1865–1899

In 1821, the people of Mexico FREED from Spanish colonization, and became the new country of Mexico. The temporary constitution established was known as Plan De Iguala (“Plan of the Three Guarantees”) and it re-affirmed three key points: Mexico’s Independence, the establishment of Catholicism, and…. *DRUM ROLL* social equality for ALL ethnic groups (citizenship rights for ALL races) WHAAAAAAAAAA???? 

In 1821 & 1827, American Presidents tried to lure the Mexican Presidents into selling Texas, both Mexican Presidents declined the offers.

Sadly, in 1836, and under the government of Mexican President Antonio Lopez De Santa Anna – Texas signed a Declaration Of Independence, and the Republic Of Texas was born. Finally, and after much political revolts, in 1845, Congress admitted Texas to the U.S. as a constituent state of the Union.

Well, uneducated peeps, there you have it… shockingly, Texas has had Mexican residents since its French colonization days. I am quite positive that Sebastien’s descendants have been Texans for many, many generations. If you don’t believe me, just ask actress Eva Longoria – in an interview, she once said “my family didn’t cross the border, the border crossed us…” when referring to the Longoria’s  being Texans for many generations.

Please, think before you tweet – at the end of the day, the racist & clearly uneducated remarks, and the horrific grammar with statements such as “your not American” make YOU look like the biggest MORON this country has ever seen!

In honor of Sebastien, and all of those who are very proud of him – let’s relieve his glorious rendition of OUR National Anthem (let’s face it; he actually knows ALL of the lyrics, something I’m pretty sure his racists counterparts don’t.)

And his ENCORE of today's game...

Credits: Wikipedia & Xsounders youtube page

Immigration Reform Now!

Photo Courtesy: The Dream Is Now facebook page

May 1st has become the “it” day, when voices from across the country come together to march in support of a comprehensive immigration reform - local activists, supporters, and members of the community gathered around the country to show their support.

I was at the march in Oakland, and what I saw left me speechless. I remember the first march that I attended back in 2006, where thousands and thousands of people filled International Blvd. (One of the most traffic congested and iconic streets in Oakland.) After that year, and due to the opposition of both parties to support an immigration reform, the marches lost momentum.

However, what I witnessed today was moving beyond words. Not only were there Latinos marching with their signs, but the amount of supporters from other races was heart-felt. It is almost as if, what Latinos who support an immigration reform have been saying all along, finally resonated with others. Our broken immigration system affects us ALL – white, black, brown alike. The immigration “problem” is not longer just political; it affects the very essence of families who are suffering from the separation of family members being deported.

There were Caucasians, Filipinos, Black, holding signs, chanting along “what do we want? JUSTICE, when do we want it? NOW!” “Education, not deportation!” During the march, one thing was clear, more, and more people support the cause. It is no longer a “Mexican” issue, as many conservatives who are uneducated about the issue of immigration like to believe.

There were families all holding signs, little kids wearing butterfly wings, older people chanting as the march continued. One thing is true, all these people endured the hot weather for the same reason – our immigration system is broken. The gang of eight, congress and the senate must put their efforts together and finalize the path of citizenship for the estimated 11 million people who are undocumented. 

We ALL Are The 11 Million!

The subject of immigration is always a tough one and controversial to discuss, but I have always felt that it is my duty as a member of the media to discuss the subject. I, perhaps have an extremely open mentality about it, and fully support a comprehensive immigration reform. Some of you reading this, probably oppose illegal immigration. But, if you take the time to look into the subject in depth, you will realize that this critical issue affects you more than you think.

All of us know someone who is undocumented, a friend, a relative, a neighbor, even a co-worker. Have you taken the time to understand their stories? The reason why they came to the country undocumented? Yes, call it cliché, but those undocumented immigrants risked their lives in search of a better future.

I can write a lengthy post about immigration, but instead I invite you to talk to an undocumented immigrant, hear the story, listen from the heart, and reason with your ideas – you will be surprised and maybe persuaded to support an immigration reform.

By the time you read this, thousands of courageous warriors, community activists, political and religious leaders will march in Washington in support of a comprehensive immigration reform.

The videos below are a perfect example of the 11 million reasons of why we need an immigration reform. Define American is doing a terrific job at discussing immigration, and La Santa Cecilia created a majestic, yet sad rendition on the immigration issue.

Jose Antonio Vargas – The Restless Warrior

It was through the wonders of twitter that I found out that Jose Antonio Vargas, the Pulitzer award winner and immigration activist would have a Q&A at his former high school located in Mountain View, California (45 minutes south of San Francisco).

I could not hide how ecstatic I was to know that I would be able to be in the same room as Jose, whom I have been following on twitter for almost a year now. Jose Antonio Vargas recently “came out” as undocumented, and ever since doing so he has been working towards creating awareness towards the sensitive topic that is immigration. In the months that follow after his announcement as an undocumented American and with the help of friends, he created the website Define American.

I arrived at the High School auditorium anxious to get seated and excited because I would hopefully have the chance to meet Jose. I wanted to let him know what an honor it has been to follow his courageous battle with this whole immigration mess that our political leaders, and those affected have been debating. It was overwhelming to see the amount of followers, friends, former teachers, locals and curious who showed up to hear Jose discuss immigration.

Jose took to the podium and looked nervous; here he was back at his former HS, ready to speak about what is like being undocumented, ready to take questions from the audience and twitter. Perhaps his knowledge and personal tie to the subject would enlighten some who have a negative stance about immigration. His battle to bring awareness and understanding about the undocumented population who currently resides in the United States seems never ending.

Jose’s speech was heart-felt, sincere and brave; his story resonates with those kids and young adults, who like Jose have no legal status, but yet, belong in this country that they call home. Jose mentioned  how all these undocumented people contribute by paying towards social security, and because they lack a valid social security, the money gets into the “pool” of social security funds. They could have been working their entire life, and when it is time for them to retire, they will not see a dime from all of the money that has been deducted from their paychecks.

Another very valid point that Jose brought up was how a broken immigration system affects us all; cheap labor has been taken by undocumented people (agriculture, cleaning amongst others). If it were not for those people who are willing to work for very low wages and no benefits, there would be no successful agriculture or booming cleaning services in the United States - No American citizen would be willing to take on such jobs.

Jose spoke candidly about how his life turned around after he revealed his legal status. He lost his job, and his driver's license revoked. The very same journalist who has interviewed politicians and celebrities was now in the midst of covering the biggest story of his journalistic career, his life out of the shadows and how he could help others in his very same situation. Rich Fischer (who has become a father figure for Jose) asked why was it that he decided to reveal this very personal secret. Jose said that he had been following the stories of thousands of “dreamers” who have been traveling across the country fighting towards the approval of an immigration reform. He said that he felt like a coward for not joining the fight, with those who like him do not have a legal status.

He also asked from all of us, what would you do if you found out that someone you know is undocumented? If someone is undocumented, a friend, someone from church, your neighbor, a co-worker – would you think less of them? I answered the question in silence, an undocumented person who contributes to society, pays taxes, has good morals, contribute to make this a better world. Well, that person is not less or more an American than you or I. In my eyes, that is exactly what defines being an American.


The hour and forty five minutes that Jose spoke to the audience was not enough, there was so much more to be discussed, so many more questions to be answered. When the Q&A ended, he received a standing ovation, the love and admiration that the people in attendance felt for Jose were palpable. He is a local hero. Jose gave a heart-felt hug to Rich Fischer and waved to the audience. A lot of people stayed behind, wanting to tell him how much they admire him, wanting to take a picture, or simply (like a young man did) tell Jose that he was undocumented just like him.  Jose’s journey will take him to five states over the course of next week; his battle (and that of many) is just getting started.

If you have a question for Jose, email it to Jose@defineamerican.com, and if you get a chance, visit Define American’s website and upload your video telling “How Do You Define American?”