Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

5-21-90 . . . Richard Estrada is an Hispanic man who writes a column for the Dallas Morning News. I read his columns only when they con­cern something of interest to me, but that’s enough to get a sense of his values. On issues of concern to contemporary Hispanics, such as linguistic pluralism and affirmative-action pro­grams, Estrada takes an independent stance. He argues in favor of cultural assimiliation [sic; should be “assimilation”] (part of which is to adopt the English language), against affirmative-action programs, and so on. What bothers me about this is that Estrada at once embraces and re­jects his Hispanic heritage. He’s a whitewashed Hispanic. Sure, he has “made it” in the commercial world, but does that mean that it’s easy for any Hispanic to make it? No. Does it follow from the fact that he mastered English that any Hispanic person can do so? No. Estrada may have had advantages that other Hispanics lack, such as caring parents and good teachers; or he may be especially diligent and hard-working, traits that he can’t assume in everyone. Columnists such as Estrada, Walter Williams (a black economist), and Thomas Sowell (another black economist) are betrayers of their heritage and of their people. Ideally, people would be neither benefited nor burdened by their skin color or ethnic background; but the fact is that they are so burdened. Whites relate to them and treat them as blacks and as Hispanics—as inferiors. To simply ignore this and proclaim equality is both stupid and unjust. It is stupid because it sees only half of the picture; it is unjust because it perpetuates unequal bur­dens. The Dallas Morning News should hire Hispanic columnists who are not embarrassed by—indeed, who are proud of—their heri­tage; instead, we get sellouts to the white majority.