I just can't resist writing about this. I would like to dedicate this writing to Victor, the man I spoke to on the phone. Victor, you know who you are!
So a week or so ago I received a letter from my insurance company. The letter stated that the files were being updated and they needed a copy of my husband's "alien" card.
"ALIEN" CARD! What! Are they serious? I'm sorry, but he must have lost it the last time he went home to Mars.
Immediately we searched high and low for any signs of the "alien" card. It was nowhere to be found. We were, though, able to find a card that had the words "Permanent Resident" written boldly on the front. They couldn't have possible been talking about that...Could they? No, surely they know what that is called. Well, we thought we might need to take a closer look at the permanent resident card, just in case we were mistaken. So we got the magnifying glass out. Nope! Nothing! We searched it thoroughly and we couldn't find those words anywhere.
Ok! Where am I going with this?
I just hate it when people are so shallow. I'm sure that if you asked anyone they would tell you that they don't want to be referred to as an alien. This is such a cruel way to refer to anyone. We are all people.... all children of the same God...... all equally created. As far as I know, none of us are from Mars. Maybe the word alien is being used correctly. Who am I to say? I still don't think it is a very nice way to refer to anyone.
Oh, but this story gets sooooo much better. Today I made a call to the insurance provider. To my surprise the voice on the other end was most definitely that of a person who did not speak English as their first language. I explained that I had received a letter asking for a copy of my husbands "alien" card. I then asked him if he new who had written this letter. I must say his response did take me by surprise. He had written it. I then suggested to him that this was not the name of the card and that it did come as a surprise that a person that obviously did not originally come from this country would use this wording to request a copy of this card. He immediately responded that he was a citizen not an "alien". I then mentioned to him that it was clear that at some point he had come from another country. Some of you may be saying to yourselves...... "Oh no, she didn't.' You may even think I'm evil.
I need to explain that my purpose in doing this was not to put this individual down, but to merely remind him that he also was once from somewhere else. I asked him how he felt when people referred to him as an alien? Things became very quiet on the other end of the phone.
I think that prosperity can sometimes make even the best of us forget where we came from. My husband always says that he never wants the eagle to erase from his forehead. In other words, he never wants to forget that he is Cesar Rivera Perez from a poor village in Mexico.... a proud Mexican. There is no question that Cesar loves this country. He would be the first one to tell you how much this country has done for him. I'm sure he would lay down his life for this country if he had to. Nevertheless, Mexico will always be his home.
Victor, have you forgotten where you came from? As my husband says, "Has the eagle been erased from your forehead?"
No, maybe your not from Mexico, but you know what I mean. I'm sure you have, like many people from other countries, felt the pain of inequality and discrimination. Don't turn around now that you are a citizen and forget that you too were once, as you would say, an "alien" just like Cesar. ( I really hate that word!)
Cesar, you are my hero for so many reasons. I know that you will never forget the hard unpaved road you had to take to be in the position you are in today. I know it is your desire for all individuals to be treated equally. I believe that someday you will be a great leader in society. To so many people in your community you already are a great leader. You are Cesar! Just a simple man from a poor village in Mexico and I love that about you. Thanks for reminding me everday to be proud of who I am and where I came from.
