VivirLatino

Throughout the Katrina ordeal, America’s eyes were opened to two ugly realities of our country’s Gulf Coast region: poverty and racism. We’ve come to know that in many cases, these two things go hand-in-hand. Community leaders were vocal about the link between the goverment’s slow response and the fact that the affected area was largely populated by poor black people.

Now Katrina is over a month behind us. Cleanup is moving along, slowly. New Orleans is getting back to normal, but there is still a lot to do. So much, it seems, that FEMA isn’t able to find enough workers to keep up with the demands of the job.

Enter: Mexican immigrants. Hundreds of Mexican workers have arrived to New Orleans to do the job that no one else can do or wants to do. This is nothing new. Hard labor is no fun, and few us of would sign up for this kind of a job. We aren’t signing up. In the meantime, Mexicans are picking up the slack, and the Mayor of New Orleans screams “invasion”:

The new norm for New Orleans in terms of demographics is what concerns some city officials. Earlier this month, both Nagin and City Council President Oliver Thomas weighed in on the topic. Nagin was widely quoted as asking local business people, “How do I ensure that New Orleans is not overrun by Mexican workers?” But the mayor later sought to distance himself from that remark. His comments were focused on the question of whether Louisiana companies were getting their fair share, Nagin said.

“Overrun by Mexican workers”. Words that evoke images of chaos. Words charged with racism. Ironic.

Workers, Mexican or not, will be responsible for restoring New Orleans and giving Mayor Nagin (who, incidentally, won’t have to worry too much about the invasion, since he’s purchased a home in Dallas) back his once non-Mexican city. But for those who’d rather not hear Spanish in the streets or see brown faces on their block, life just isn’t that simple. After the reconstruction of the city is behind us, Latino workers will be in New Orleans. They will be in Mississippi and in Georgia. They will be everywhere because their labor is what is behind that glass of Chardonnay you are sipping and that faux French meal you’ll be sitting down to later tonight. Like it or not, Latinos are here to stay.

Via / Nola.com and Hispanic Tips