[Libs-Or] Librarians fighting racism

[Brianna Scarina]

Saludos!



I wanted to share with you an essay written by a dear friend and colleague
of mine in Lincoln City.  She was tasked with forming a relationship
between her library and Latino community and has worked hard to make that
connection.  Some members of her community have not been very supportive of
her efforts and unfortunately she has received some backlash over it.  But
instead of backing down, she continues to advocate that libraries are
welcoming spaces for all.   She is a true hero and we should all be proud
that she is a part of our library community.  Lake County stands with you.
Keep on fighting!



B.





Who am I?
I've been attacked multiple times recently over my ethnicity. It's not the
first time and I am sure it wont be the last . My early years were full of
people treating me differently because of my roots. I spent many lunches
and recesses alone because no one wanted to eat or play with the foreign
girl whose food smelled funny or whose family was, in their own words,
weird. So much judgement and hate towards a little kid that just wanted to
fit in. I let every word get to me and grew to hate what I was: different.
I spent my entire life trying to erase my roots and change the way people
look at me. And I thought I had.
But now that old foe of mine has returned once again to unravel everything
I have worked so hard to change. I am once again the other, the outcast,
the foreigner. They shout these words at me as if they are flaws. They fear
me as if my skin color makes me dangerous. But most hurtfully, they degrade
me for my belief that underneath it all, we are all the same. These
interactions have taken me back to being that insecure little girl who is
ashamed of who she is. Because no matter how tough you may be, it’s painful
to be disliked and judged for something you can't control. Something you
can’t change or wish away. I look at my daughter and I blame myself for
giving her the same hair, the same eyes, the same skin that brings that
hate out of some people and I feel like I have set her up to follow the
same lonely and difficult path that I have wandered for so much of my life.
What kind of parent would do that to their child?
But then I heard a voice within me barely whisper, "no." I heard it over
and over again and each time it would gain strength until finally the voice
grew so strong that I felt it in every fabric of my being. It shouted and
resonated deep within my soul, "no, No, NO!" Not again. I will not spend
the rest of my life apologizing for what I am. I will no longer hide who I
am so that they will accept me. I will never be ashamed of who I am and
what I represent ever again. No one has the right to make you hate who you
are. I will be a force of change. I will be the voice for those who, like
me, are treated unfairly based on their looks or where they are from. It
doesn't matter. I was born here but my American birth right was still not
enough to protect me from harsh judgments and cruel words. Enough is
enough. I will always fight for what I believe is right: equality.

To my Latina sisters who have to console their heartbroken children every
night because, "No one wants to be friends with a Mexican..."

To my Muslim brothers who are persecuted for being "Terrorists..."

To my gay and lesbian friends who are deprived the same rights as anyone
else because they are seen as "Unnatural..."

To all the other people of the world who are shunned, feared, attacked,
misunderstood and hated for being nothing other than different....

I hear you. I feel you. I stand with you. And I will never stop fighting
with you.

That is who I am and I am damn proud of it.

"37.1 trillion cells
23 pairs of chromosomes
46 chromosomes total
You

The pigment of my skin, a reminder of the humid city my family came from.
A story of how I became the first born in a country where my grandfather
was alone, working, to support a family on the other side of the border.
How my mother came to the United States when she was sixteen, leaving all
she knew, both her heart and accent heavy.
A reminder that no matter how Texan my accent may be when I speak English,
No matter how much I’ve grown used to straightening my hair and finding
jeans that fit both my height and the curve of my body,
I can’t hide my indigenous roots.
I can’t suppress the fact that my hair becomes a tangle of curls and waves
when it is wet or it’s humid outside.
I can’t conceal the fact that I don’t have long, beautiful legs and a
perfectly even body.
I can’t try and reserve the culture and traditions that shaped my youth, my
memories.
The country and history that provided the details, tones, and shades that
made me up

37.1 trillion cells
23 pairs of chromosomes
46 chromosomes total
Me"
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