Chino is the Spanish word for Chinese; however, I’ve often heard the term used throughout the Latin world to describe all people of Asian descent, regardless of national origin or cultural identity. This term has been directed at me on numerous occasions in both innocuously (seemingly) naive and intentionally offensive ways. Several of the instances were in a joking manner but still perpetuated stereotypes and a sense of otherness. I had never challenged the statements, and instead, opted to ignore or casually brush them off and appear unoffended. However, Zastrow, Kirst-Ashman, and Hessenauer (2019) indicate that “it is important that people tactfully and assertively point out the inappropriateness of racist actions by others…[and that] such confrontations make explicit that subtle racist remarks and actions are discriminatory and harmful, which has a consciousness-raising effect.” Such an incident involving the use of the word Chino occurred recently with a well-meaning co-worker of Mexican descent. The incident was resolved with understanding and without harsh deprecation. But it caused me to recognize my internal discomfort as a barrier preventing me from actively engaging with and embracing a population so integral to the community.
Acknowledging the discomfort and understanding the implications of my interactions with this community are first steps in this learning process. The individual stated that Chino was simply a word he grew up using to reference people of Asian descent. He reported that this was attributed to his family’s limited exposure to different groups of Asians in Mexico. He agreed to a brief interview where he shared his background and perspectives.
Pedro is originally from South Los Angeles but has been living in Watsonville, CA for the last 6 years. He states that his family emigrated to the United States from the state of Michoacán in Mexico (I. Carnice, personal communication, September 26, 2019). He indicated that the transition from South Los Angeles to Watsonville, in cultural respects, was easy due to a large Michoacán presence in both areas. Pedro noted differences regarding culture highlighting more indigenous traditions in Michoacán compared to other Mexican states such as Jalisco. He reported there being many cultural differences and perceptions within the Mexican community.
Watsonville is a town whose economy is based on agriculture and is dependent on migrant laborers, many of whom come from south of the United States border. I was surprised to learn that, according to the Indigenous Farmworker Study published in January 2010 (as cited in Grusauskas, 2011), 45% percent of the workforce are indigenous migrants from Oaxaca whose primary languages are Mixteco, Zapoteco, and Triqui; not Spanish. In addition to language, many customs and traditions are distinct from other parts of “Mexican” culture. This sheds more insight into the importance of being sensitive to ethnic backgrounds and the understanding of historical and political context regarding identifiers such as Latino, Hispanic, Chicano, etc. which are used represent areas once colonized by Spain (Zastrow et al., 2019). Thus far, it has been interesting learning about myself and the different worlds within worlds I was never aware of. I can see how my ignorance of the Mexican community (assuming a uniform set of needs) could result in ineffective, insensitive, or offensive interactions as a social worker.
References
Grusauskas, M. (2011, April 13). Watsonville organizations learn more about Oaxacan community. Retrieved from https://patch.com/california/watsonville/watsonville-organizations-learn-more-about-oaxacan-community.
Zastrow, C., Kirst-Ashman, K., & Hessenaur S. (2019). Understanding human behavior and the social environment (11th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning, Inc.
Ivan Carnice 