Who Is Cesar Chavez?
Tony Castro writes 4/1/04:
You know when you asked me if I had ever faced discrimination for being Latino, the reason I hesitated -- 10 seconds you said -- was because I hadn't really been on the receiving end of the discrimination that some people have faced. I mean, my first in-laws didn't exactly like that their blonde, blue-eyed German daughter was in love with a Mexican-American. But other than that, I didn't face the kind of problems that many youngsters encounter.
The discrimination I faced came later, when I was a grown man and a working journalist. I think the 1970s were a period when many in our profession resented minorities entering the news media because so many of them got their jobs seemingly only because they were minorities. I can't say I disagree. I saw it myself. I also found myself constantly proving myself to editors and fellow reporters. At the same time, I was always stuck with the assignments dealing with minority coverage. It was a double-edged sword. It gave me an opportunity to undertake some stories that many others overlooked -- and to do them well -- but it also pidgeon-holed me. I felt that I was never going to be allowed, for instance, to be a political reporter but rather a political reporter covering the minority angle or minority politics. It reached the point where I felt that, had I known this, I would have just stayed a sportswriter, and it's one of the reasons I enjoy sportswriting so much more today.
Continue reading "Luke Ford: The Tony Castro Interviews" »
