Who yields to their influence?
Without having to venture into the back of every restaurant in
this city, you know their faces. Without having to open your
eyes as you walk down any given street, their culture is heard
and felt resonating into the consciousness of each New Yorker.
All channels of business and every aspect of society recognize
the wealth in their numbers. But who yields to their influence?
Has the unequal bargaining amongst the social and economic
classes ever benefited anyone other than the particularly
wealthy? I have unplugged myself from the machine long enough to
wander how long will this process delay before the ongoing state
of neglect and inequitable results that plague the Latinos
seize. I have always chosen to believe that the sensory issues
that have inhibited Americans from acknowledging the social,
economic, and political importance of this sleeping giant was
just a matter of sacrificing one generation of immigrants. Of
course, the kids of the Mexican cooks or Dominican dishwashers,
slaving in the Italian kitchens across the city, will take those
college credits and turn them into social capital. Then we would
all breath a sigh of relief and agree that capitalism does not
discriminate. I am measuring time while keeping the pulse of the
countries' acceptance and hoping that Latinos are not just
limited to the arts. Until our numbers threaten the American
consciousness to change or until our determination for equality
is properly cultivated, we will continue to speak our divided
colonial tongue in the service areas of this grand ol' party.
Ramon A Martinez Esq Martinez Law Group PC 277 Broadway Suite
1600 New York NY 10007 T 212.267.1200 F 212.267.1201 E-mail:
Ramon@martinezpc.com