Posted on 05/06/2006 6:46:14 PM PDT by Graybeard58
As Caucasian Americans (with ancestors who obviously, at some point, immigrated to the United States) my husband and I went downtown to Civic Center this week to attend the "Day Without Immigrants" rally in support of meaningful immigration reform. We took with us handfuls of our "Native of Earth" bumper stickers to share our version of the same message - that we are all immigrants, all human beings, all native to the Earth and connected by something much larger than our town, state or country.
To our surprise, the vast majority of people who seemed to connect with this global message of unity were not the Mexican immigrants, but rather other Caucasians. Perhaps it was because Caucasians do not necessarily feel inherently excluded by the word "native." Or maybe it was that other Caucasians do not feel suspicious or distrustful of me as a Caucasian messenger with a native message. Regardless, something was being lost in the translation with Mexican immigrants.
I finally decided to approach a Hispanic man, draped in an American flag holding a sign saying, "We are all immigrants!" From my perspective, I felt that he and I were both saying the same thing but with different words. After telling him how much I liked his sign, I asked if he would want to have one of my Native Earth bumper stickers. He kept trying to tell me that he could not take a native bumper sticker because he was not native. I persisted by pointing to the Earth on the bumper sticker as I tried to explain that he indeed was native.
Finally, I asked him where he was born and he told me, "Mexico." "Ah ha," I said, "Then you are native! Native to Mexico and also the Earth." And as I pointed to the picture of Earth, I told him, "We are both natives of the same place - Earth!" He finally broke out with an understanding smile and accepted my gift of the native Earth bumper sticker.
As I walked away from him and the rally, I felt troubled, realizing that the word "native" has become so loaded that just seeing the word itself (even next to a picture of our world, the Earth) makes people - especially recent immigrants - feel excluded.
I believe that the time is ripe to rethink the scope of what it means to be native. To be human is to be native! And as human beings, it's time to embrace all people as natives and treat everyone with respect, dignity and honor. By taking down our guards and stripping away our labels, it is possible to identify with all people simply because of our native roots. When we fail, as a human race, to acknowledge and accept the roots we all share with one another, and choose instead to focus only on our differences, we allow prejudice, fear and hatred to poison us as a people.
While our differences do make us unique - and are cause for celebration - our strength as a human race is knowing that despite our differences, we are all connected to every one of our brothers and sisters on this planet.
I'm proud to be a native and I hope that others will join me at www.BeNative.org or blog at benative.blogspot. com to spread and share in this inclusive native vision.
Susie Schreiber is a Littleton resident and a native of Earth.
A "native of earth" AND a moonbat.
If you care about the environment, then let America drill for oil!
We'll keep it cleaner than any other nation in the world!
What a bunch of sappy, melodramatic goo.
i.e. Leaving things as they are.
Please cram it with this "we are the world" feelgood crap, lady, unless you're taking in as many illegals -- I mean, fellow natives of Earth -- to live in your solar house as it can hold.
What did you come back as?
Record projectile vomiting.
Bless Susie's heart, she doesn't have a brain in her head. Since she's an "Earth Native", I suggest she take a trip into Syria without a passport. After all, we are ALL citizens of the earth. They'll understand.
The problems with liberals is that their ideology is NOT based in reality. It's based entirely in a made up fantasy world where terms like "Earth Native" mean something. Intellectually stillborn.
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