Bad Blood Between Neighbors

By: Daniel Nardini

What happened in Morgan Hill, California, last year seems to be part of a larger trend. And a scary one. Five young men were kicked out of their high school for wearing clothes with the American flag on them on Cinco de Mayo. Days later there was a near riot at the school as tensions mounted. In Austin, Texas, a student removed and dumped a Mexican flag hanging up on a high school balcony. In growing demonstrations across the country, many people on both sides were protesting for and against Mexicans. Either the American flag or the Mexican flag was torn down, and there was and remains great bitterness on both sides.

It mirrors in too many ways the divide between Americans against Mexicans, and even Americans against Americans. In a growing number of cases it is a divide between neighbors. I find it very sad because even with the differences between Americans and Mexicans, we have much in common. We are not only neighbors, but believe in freedom of worship, freedom of speech, freedom of travel, and in fighting against repression and tyranny. Both our histories reflect that. In fact, Cinco de Mayo reflects the alliance between the United States and Mexico in fighting a colonial power.

We know that in 1862, the Mexicans temporarily beat France—one of the most powerful imperial nations of the day. But without the aid of the United States, Mexico might have been totally conquered and remained a colonial possession of France maybe to this day. After the U.S. government won the U.S. Civil War (1861-1865), the U.S. government provided massive aid to the Mexicans under Mexican President Benito Juarez. This aid turned the tide of the war against France, and helped Mexico free itself from French colonial rule. As has been true from time immemorial, without Mexico the United States would be in serious danger from a distant power. Without the United States, Mexico would be alone in fighting against those same forces that could threaten the United States.

This was true also during World War II and the fight against fascism. I do not pretend for one minute to justify the actions of either country against the other from one period to the other. However, we need each other more than ever in these uncertain times and in trying to fight against terrorism and against the drug cartels which threaten the stability of both countries. I always ask the question, “why can’t both the Mexican and American flags fly together equally for all times and all occasions?” Is not America’s contribution to Mexico’s freedom as much a part of Cinco de Mayo as it is a Mexican holiday?

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