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Esta página no está disponible en español. LETTERSPUERTO RICO HERALDThe more democracy and economic opportunity you have, the more any culture is protected
December 12, 2002 TO: PUERTO RICO HERALD RE: The more democracy and economic opportunity you have, the more any culture is protected I wanted to comment on the young man who wrote of his fears of loosing his cultural identity if Puerto Rico became a state. First of all he needs to live a while in an area that is within a state but is 80 to 90% Hispanic and always has been. In such a place like San Antonio, Laredo, or the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas, you have Mexicans that have been here for 20 years that cannot speak English nor have they needed to. They would probably be amused if you discussed these fears with them but you would have to speak in Spanish before they could understand you. If you only spoke English you might try their kids or grandchildren who would be fully bilingual and wouldn't bat an eye at the switch from one language to the next. Now, you also need to live and work in Puerto Rico and try to get a decent education and life for your kids from a socially oppressive governmental system that thrives on the backs of the people creating little "mafias" of privilege for the few. I have done both, and it is why I am living in Texas now where there is more opportunity of every kind for my family and where the Hispanic culture is exalted, respected, and preserved. The more democracy and economic opportunity you have, the more any culture is protected. Thank you for hearing the views of an aging TexaRican. Corky Alonso Hudson
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