SUllllller Special '94

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Equipment for the Future

A CULTURAL DIVERSITY FORUMMANKATO STATE UNIVERSITY

EastVVin~ VVestVVind

MSU Box 65, Mankato,MN 56002-8400

(507) 389-2812

EditorVann Phan

Staff Writers

Victor PhilipsSamurai Phan

Cover DesignMario Quintero

PhotographyVictor Philips

Duc Nguyen

TypesettersDuc Nguyen

Vanna Nguyen

ContributorsKris Haacke

Damisha WallsEric Dollershell

Francisco 1. GonzalesNoronirina Andriantiana

Chanda ThammavongsaAngi Montgomery

Tarsh'a Jackson

Roslyn HarmonBetsy Walton

Zainab Ali

East Wind, West WindAn MSU Cultural Diversity Forum

Summer Special '94"

'Equipment for the Future'

TAB.LE OF CONTENTS

From the Editor pg. i

Accomplishments in Recruitment and Retention pg 1

Family Values, Latino Style pg 2

Rape in Marriage: What's Really Going on? pg 3

Poems by Noronirina Andriantiana pg 8

There Should Be More Programs like this PCSI pg 8

Unveiling Islam pg 10

What You Can't Miss pg 13

To Maria and the Office of Multicultural Affairs pg 17

Picture News: Cultural Diversity Activities pg 19-20

Profile: Gregorio Mendez-Ortega pg 25

The Vietnamese Society under Communism pg 27

East Wind, West Wind News pg 35

Welcome Returning and New Students pg 39

Acknowledgments .inside back cover

I---~~_--------------------CROSS-CULTURAL ISSUES

By Francisco J. Gonzalez

Editor's Note: Since its Spring 1994 issue, East Wind,West Wind has been presenting viewpoints on some cross­cultural issues or issues related to values that are held in

high esteem in other countries. As Mankato State is thecenter of many cultures brought in by thousands ofinternational students from all over the world, the columnmay serve as a forum for writers who wish to present theirviewpoints on matters concerning values they considerworthy of being shared by people from other cultures.

East Wind, West Wind sincerely hopes that, through thfscolumn, the exchange of cultures among people of differentbackgrounds in our community could be carried on, and theideal of cultural diversity will be served.

In this Summer Special '94 issue, Francisco Gonzales, acontributing writer for the MSU Cultural Diversity newsletter,will be presenting his viewpoint on ""Family Values, LatinoStyle."

In the last couple of years, a new term has entered theAmerican vocabulary: Familyvalues. Politicians of allideological orientations, from former Vice-PresidentDan Quayle and Minnesota's radical right leader Allan

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Quist, to President Bill Clinton, all talk ofthe importanceof the family and the need for solutions to the problemsthat result in the loss of values and disintegration ofthe family.

The media also in influences our perception of thechanges in family structure and values. TV shows like"Roseanne" portrays a somewhat dysfunctional two­parent family, "Murphy Brown," a professional singlemother, and "Grace Under Fire," the problems of ablue-collar single mother, to name just a few.

However, all these different media portrayals anddiscussions among political, social and religiousleaders tend to focus mostly on the White/Anglofamily. The problems and strengths of the familystructures among people of color are only discussed,it seems, by other people of color. And if the mediaand the mainstream politicians deal with our familyvalues, theirversion of the issue is only in the distortedcontext of crime and welfare.

In the United States there are between 25 to 30 million

Latinos, all sharing a basic language (Spanish), cultureand social organization. The !irst thing that must bepointed out is that the definition of "family" is different,for Latinos, compared to white population.

The traditional white family is the "nuclear family,"formed by a married couple and their children living intheirown house apart from other relatives. In contrast,the traditional Latino family is the extended familyformed not only by the married couple and theirchildren, but also by other close relatives, all livingtogether. These relatives are most frequently theparents or grandparents of the wife or husband in thecouple.

There is also great respect for the elderly whoseexperience and knowledge are always sought as theyare an integral part of the decision-making process inthe family. The elderly also help to raise the children,allowing both parents to work, and raise largerfamilies.Also, they transmit the culture and traditions to thenew generations in the process.

Latino children, like children in any other culture, aregreatly cherished and loved by their family. Commonto other cultures, but absent from White/Americanculture, are rites of passage, ceremonies or landmarksthat signal the transformation of a child into an adult.For Latino girls, it is the "quinceanera" the celebrationof her 15 years. This is an elaborate series of publicevents inwhich the young woman is officially introduced

to society as an adult. Most "quinceaneras" attenda Mass or similar religious service, this followed bya dance and other festivities.

For boys, there is no specific ritual. A boy isgenerally considered a man when he attains somecommunity-defined standard for what a man issupposed to be. These standard vary according tothe social, geographical an economic backgroundof each community. For example, a boy can"became" a man when he gets his driver's licence(if he lives in an urban area), or when he venturesalone into the sea to fish (if he belongs to afisherman's family that lives in a small. coastaltown).

Religion is another very important value for Latinos.For historical reasons, most belong to the Roman .Gatholic Church. In the U.S., close to half of allCatholics are Latinos. The religion practiced byLatinos, both Catholics and Protestants, is based ona personal relationship with God. The figure of theVirgin Mary is the vehicle used by most to conversewith God. In Mexico, the Virgin of Guadalupe isspecially revered, and Mexicans ask her to intercedebefore God so that he assists them in their troubles.

Another crucial family value is that of "ganarse el pancon el sudor de la frente" (earn your bread with thesweat of your brow), or working for your living. Formale heads of families, it is specially important asfailure to supp·ort your own family is considered adisgrace, and the man be branded as an inadequateparent. This is also why many Latinos, unable to findwork to feed their families, migrate to the U.S., oftenrisking their lives in the process.

To conclude, the Latino community have strong "familyvalues" based on a deep and long-standing culturalbackground that stretches for 500 years. The value ofthe extended family, the respectforthe elderly, a deepreligious faith, a profound love for their children, andthe importance of honest and hard work are all part ofour common heritage.

Some factions of the so-called radical religious right inthe United States, while claiming to work for theprotectionH of. these same "family values", want todestroy our distinctive Latino culture, our Spanishlanguage and our ethnic pride, by calling it "un­American" and a "threatto traditional American values".

These people must understand that it is our culturethat gives meaning to these values that they want topreserve. We cannot have one without the other, andwe are determined to preserve our culture and values

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despite all their attacks. As they say in Los Angeles,we Latinos !"somos un chingo, y pronto seremosmas"!.