On Sept. 28 2023, Dr. Delia Fernández-Jones blessed us with a visit to the Handlon Campus. During her time with us, Fernández-Jones gave a lecture on her book, “Making the MexiRican City: Migration, Placemaking, and Activism in Grand Rapids, Michigan (Latinos in Chicago and Midwest).” She did a fabulous job summarizing both Mexican and Puerto Rican history in the Midwest, specifically in Grand Rapids.
Although she did not embark on the history of the entire Spanish-speaking experience, during the Q&A, Fernández-Jones emphasized the myriad of nationalities within the umbrella of the Spanish-speaking community. In general, people — usually those not of Latin descent — cannot distinguish the different Spanish-speaking cultures (e.g., Guatemalans, Hondurans, Dominicans, etc.) and tend to bundle us together. In fact, she added that the terminology “Latinx” is an all-inclusive word to include all of those cultures, plus the Latin-LGBTQ+ community.
As Fernández-Jones mentioned, every single culture has its own history –– a history that undoubtedly intersects in many levels. It is important to distinguish these nationalities as well as these communities. During the Q&A portion of Fernández-Jones’s visit, we talked about a feeling that several people –– especially people of color –– have felt while in Handlon, as well as in different communities throughout their life. In this discussion, the phrase “the ‘elefante’ in the room” was mentioned. This saying refers not only to a rivalry between Mexicans and Puerto Ricans, but also to how there is the expectation for someone’s identity to look a certain way. And if it doesn’t look the right way, then that person becomes the “elefante” in the room.
In prison, those who are seen as not brown enough, have multiple racial identities or cannot speak Spanish, are made to feel inadequate –– making them feel as if they are the “elefante” in the room. My upbringing has allowed me to be the exception to being the “elefante” in the room, and it has allowed me to explore the beauty of being a part of multiple cultures and communities.
Being in prison, I cannot help but find it ironic that the last 20 years of my incarceration do not bother me as much as witnessing my Spanish-speaking community failing to speak or know their native tongue. When I use “Spanish-speaking,” I am referring to all nationalities of the Americas whether they speak Spanish or are descendants of those who speak Spanish including native tribes in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. Growing up in an all-inclusive Spanish-speaking community, culture meant the world to me. Sharing in each other’s cultures cultivated comradery, something that I pride myself in continuing these past twenty years in every prison I was warehoused.
My background history is unique. Back in 1983, at four years of age, I arrived in the Humboldt park area in the West Side of Chicago. Although I am Mexican by birth, I am MexiRican by culture. MexiRican is in reference to two cultures, Mexican and Puerto Rican, being fused together.
Growing up, the “el elefante” in the room was caused by the vitriol between Mexicans and Puerto Ricans. Unfortunately, this dislike and mistrust is a theme in many different Mexican neighborhoods, as well as many Puerto Rican neighborhoods and households, throughout the Chicago area. However, I was fortunate; my cousins and I grew up in one of the few neighborhoods where many Spanish-speaking nationals from both Mexico and Puerto Rico arrived. My upbringing was unique because while Chicago is one of the most diverse cities in America, it is also one of the most segregated.
I experienced Puerto Rican culture on many different levels: my family attended a Puerto Rican church and I attended a Puerto Rican alternative high school where I learned about their history and culture. My uncle –– Salvador “Chava” Gonzalez, a PhD –– shared his Puerto Rican culture with me by infusing his culinary expertise on my siblings and myself. Through these three sources, I am the exception to “el elefante” in the room. I have been able to walk in and out of any Spanish-speaking culture with ease, while there are many other people who do not have this same opportunity and are made to be the “elefante” in the room.
Within the prison context, “el elefante” in the room extends to Chicano vs. Mexican, Spanish-speaking vs. non-Spanish speakers. I had the advantage. I am a Mexican national, I was educated in America and I know Caribbean and Chicano culture and lingo, giving me a recognition unlike any other. I could go in and out of every circle imaginable in the Spanish-speaking community. These advantages allowed me to break the barriers of “el elefante” in the room.
There were times, with the help of others, when we united the Spanish-speaking communities through organizations like the Hispanic American Striving Towards Advancement (H.A.S.T.A) and/or the Latin American Spanish Speaking Organization (L.A.S.S.O). Both of these organizations are present throughout the Michigan prison system, and they both aim to gather the Spanish-speaking population and teach them about their heritage. Other times, we united simply through comradery. The problem with “el elefante” in the room has to do more with not being acknowledged rather than with hate or prejudice. This is why it is important to acknowledge each individual’s culture.
In her lecture, Fernández-Jones mentioned that African ancestry intermixes not only in the Caribbean, but also in Mexico, Central America and South America. This is important to note because racism is not inclusive to the United States –– racism exists in all Spanish-speaking nations. Even more so, in the twenty-first century, racism and prejudice towards the Spanish-speaking community comes in various fashions. The sad thing is that it does not only come from the so-called elites (Europeans/Spaniards); it also comes from the very communities that experienced racism and prejudice. Therefore, “el elefante” in the room has to do more with not knowing each other’s history.
Just as the Spanish-speaking experience in America is truncated by the African American experience of slavery and racism, lynching and prejudice is not a facet unique to African Americans. More so, the ability in not relating to one another also causes biases, as the “el elefante” in the room. Regardless of my environment, I take pride in helping the Spanish-speaking community. I strive every day for us to understand and encourage each other to learn not only one’s history, but also one’s culture. Additionally, programs in prison such as (H.A.S.T.A. and L.A.S.S.O.) aid in learning about the diversity that is the Spanish-speaking people. We need these organizations to teach each other about our individual cultures.
To me, the key aspect to take from Dr. Fernández-Jones’s lecture is that every minority group in the United States has, in one way or another, experienced oppression. For those reasons, it is important to comprehend and understand one’s history and realize that many of our cultures intermix in some form of fashion, perhaps in our nationalities (e.g., MexiRican, Blackxican) or through our cultures. Overall, God mandates us to live in harmony with one another. Therefore, we should look past race and idiom and look toward a future filled with colorful hope, regardless of “el elefante” in the room.
