The invisible line — What do I know about being Mexican? | Guest Opinion

Recently, someone asked a mutual friend: “What does Brian Moreno know about being a Mexican?” in response to my status as a commissioner with the Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs.

And you know what? They’re right. What do I know about leaving one’s country to pursue a new life? What do I know about navigating unknown barriers in a new language? Nothing. But that isn’t my story. It’s my Dad’s.

I came to the Tri-Cities almost thirteen years ago, because like so many of us from the more rural parts of the state, I wanted to move to the “big city.” In many ways, it has not disappointed. In the last four years, I’ve been in same room as the Dalai Lama, hiked Mount Kilimanjaro with our Lieutenant Governor, and met numerous inspiring people. I have been lucky enough to participate in life-changing events and meet local leaders who bring incredible passion to what they do.

But in that same time, I’ve watched us all grow further apart.

Between the gamification of politics and the furthering of extreme values and ideologies, the spectrum grows broader and ever more polarized. The world has never been smaller, and we are paradoxically the furthest from one another than we ever were before. Thanks to technological advances and social media, I can know the most intimate details of village life in rural countries thousands of miles away — while only knowing my weekly hockey buddies by the memes they share on Facebook.

We see that play out here in the Tri-Cities. Our community is within easy reach of ground-breaking research laboratories, world-leading wine sciences and production, the gravitational-wave observatory, a thriving agricultural sector, higher education, outstanding community organizations....the list goes on. Other communities have far different lives and experiences. We are separated by this imaginary line that keeps us from even scratching the surface of each other's stories and building relationships between neighborhoods or cultures.

So how do we cross that line?

We need to start by listening.

We won’t find a path forward if we don’t start talking to each other and equally if not more importantly, listening. I can’t learn 30 years of police service by reading a tweet or a Facebook post. I must engage with our police chiefs, sheriffs, and officers. I can’t learn what it’s like to grow up without the promise of upward mobility, or to be persecuted because of my last name or the color of my skin...unless I sit down and listen to those who have survived such adversities.

What has been the most eye-opening experience for me in these last four years is how many incredible, talented, and inspiring leaders are right here in the Tri-Cities. They don’t all have the same viewpoint. They don’t all express themselves the same way or resonate with every single person. What they share in common, however, is the intention to serve others.

We are all a part of a system and that system, by design, breeds bias. It draws these lines between people and ideas so we can more efficiently work with those on our side.

My question to the community is; what do you lose by crossing that line? What do you lose by learning about the person you would just as soon “unfollow”?

Don’t make the excuse that someone has to listen to you first, or that you’re not the wrong one and they don’t want to hear your story. Listen first, cross that line, and maybe one small gesture will be enough for them to see the world from your side.

And back to what is my story? My story is about erasure. Our father had a particular set of circumstances and experiences that told him the best thing to do was erase our heritage, to learn one language, and to adopt traditionally American names. I wish he taught us Spanish. I wish I knew his culture. I wish he could have found a balance between integrating into a new country and giving us a sense of where we came from. That loss is what connects me to the Hispanic and Latinx communities.

But you can’t know any of that unless we sit down and have a chat.

This story was originally published July 27, 2020 at 1:56 PM with the headline "The invisible line — What do I know about being Mexican? | Guest Opinion."