Why I oppose flying the Mexican flag in protest of American initiatives

When I was 12 years old, California voters passed Proposition 187 by a large margin. I know now that in 1994, whites comprised about 57% of the population of California, yet made up about 80% of voters. I also know now that the proposition would’ve denied health care and public education to children of undocumented immigrants. It would have required suspected cases of illegal immigration to be reported to the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which would have, in my opinion, been cause for racial profiling, much like SB1070 would today. However, at 12 years old, I knew none of this, really. I just saw brown faces with dark hair, outraged and decrying the bill on the evening news.
   Something about Proposition 187 seemed aimed directly at me. I was born in America and my parents were now naturalized citizens, yet somehow I felt targeted. And so, I walked out of class one weekday afternoon, along with the majority of Hispanic students at my middle school. We marched, chanted in Spanish, and waved Mexican flags. I felt proud and rebellious, and I felt angry. But at what cost?
   Growing up Chicano, as Americans of Mexican descent have come to call ourselves, it’s hard to know where you belong. I think that is the primary reason we coined the term Chicano. We are not Mexican, but growing up, I didn’t feel American, either. I didn’t see people who looked like me on television. In grade school, I didn’t learn about Mexican influence on the history of the United States. My parents worked too many hours to be members of the PTA, or head a Girl Scout troop. I was, in fact, under represented. Latinos in California in 1994 made up only 8% of voters, despite comprising 26% of the state’s population. I guess we were all under represented then. Maybe that’s what stirred my pre-adolescent anger.
   But the times, they are a-changing. Latinos are now approximately 38% percent of the Californian population and can make up as much as 20% of the vote. Not only that, but George Lopez has a late night talk show, America Ferrera won the Emmy, and Dora the explorer teaches all American toddlers to speak Spanish. We have arrived. We have fought for our place in politics, the workforce, and the American landscape. It is now more than ever that we should raise our voices and be heard. However, we must be careful what we say.
   Although at the time I was ignorant of the facts regarding Proposition 187, if I could go back to the sixth grade I would still walk out of class and protest that un-American initiative. I would chant, I would feel rebellious, proud, and angry, but what I would not do is wave a Mexican flag.
   I’ll be candid; I think it sends the wrong message to opponents and I think it sends the wrong message to our youth when we march with Mexican flags. I believe it feeds the notion – voiced or not voiced, but definitely expressed by anti-immigration supporters – that we are second-class citizens, not fully American. It gives ammunition to people who claim Mexicans come here to have anchor babies whose allegiance will in the end be to Mexico. Instead of promoting ownership of our Constitution and our duty to be involved in reform, I believe flying the Mexican flag in protest tells our youth that we are indeed not full Americans, resulting in their further withdrawal from our legislative processes.
   I understand that flying the Mexican flag to some is a measure of pride in their heritage, and a sign of protest against unconstitutional treatment of Americans of Mexican descent. I have heard arguments that it may be my own insecurity in my citizenship that feeds my opinions, that maybe I fear being disregarded for flaunting my Mexican ancestry. I’ve honestly considered this and I have to disagree. I’m exuberantly proud of my Mexican heritage, but I’ve lived in Tijuana and I know that there I’m considered American, a . I think my stand on this issue comes from knowing exactly who am I: an American of Mexican descent. And, fellow Chicanos/as – let me tell you, being an American is a good thing. That is why some groups are trying to rob of us our constitutional right to citizenship.
   I fly the Mexican flag during our holidays, during concerts, and celebrations, but I do not fly it during protest, because — sorry, guys — I am not Mexican. I inherited from my mother the language, the beautiful culture, the amazing dishes, the hardworking mentality, the resilience and perseverance of my ancestors. I beam with pride because of that. But I am blessed and just as proud to be an American. I love our Constitution and guard its principles with the same ferociousness I guard the cultural and moral heirlooms from my mother. I am an American of Mexican descent, and as an American I will fight oppressive propositions that threaten my rights and that target Mexican natives like my mother, who immigrated to work hard and insure a prosperous future for their children.
   Further, I wholeheartedly believe that if young Chicanos grasped the significance of our sheer number, the power in our vote, and above all our status as the future face of America, our movement would be unstoppable. We could revise the penal systems which keep generations of our men frivolously incarcerated, our school systems which favor the rich, our health care system which forgets us, and more. And I believe one way to help speed this change of heart and mentality in our youth is to create stirring images of Chicanos flying their flag — the AMERICAN flag — in protest for our civil rights. With this in mind, I can’t help but conclude that waving the Mexican flag in protest is counterproductive to our movement of assimilation on our terms.
   So today, I call on all Chicanos in protest of racist and unconstitutional efforts not to wave a Mexican flag but our country’s flag instead. We, American children and grandchildren of Mexicans, are not attempting to hijack this great nation and claim it as our own – for it is ours. Therefore, we should fly Old Glory higher than all other flags and boldly declare that we are unequivocally American. We are not in any movement to warp the constitution for our unfair gain or to our bias; we are simply demanding equal representation and protection under it.
Julie Corrales is a first-generation American, San Diego native, and mother of two boys.