I have been racking my brain trying to think of a specific incident of "dual existence," but I'm coming up short. I know it happens daily and I know that I have observed it happening. I do not have experience teaching ELL students, but I have taught students who were not born in America.
There is definitely a tension between Hispanic students and African American students at my school. (The white population is very minimal.) One thing that I have noticed in working with 7th graders is the tension in boy/girl relationships. It is very rare that Hispanics "go out" with someone that is not Hispanic. The same thing goes for African American students.
I can also see the huge difference between American football and soccer at my school. There are a few African American boys and a few Asian boys on the soccer team, but the majority of the players are Hispanic. I do not know of a Hispanic boy on the football team. I thought about this as I was reading chapter 8 of Quinones's book.
I believe that we must do a better job of teaching not only cultural acceptance, but the benefits and values of each culture. I also believe that we (adults) must do a better job of modeling how we treat one another. Our youth is so mold-able and some of us really mess up the moldings!
Awareness is one key factor in beginning a cycle of change. We also must become unified in our fight to put an end to hate. It all goes back to the cardinal rule, "Do unto others as you would have done unto you." Each of us is valuable, important, able to love and be loved. We all have the same basic needs for survival.
