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HACKENSACK, N.J. — Sen. Bob Menendez is an American success story — a son of poor immigrants from Cuba who became one of the most important political leaders in New Jersey, and in Congress.
But as he rose to prominence, the New York-born Democrat encountered people who were surprised he could speak English well, that he was not Mexican and that he could speak masterfully about topics other than immigration, welfare and Hispanics.
And so Menendez decided to heed the advice friends and colleagues have given him over many years and write a book, “Growing American Roots: Why Our Nation Will Thrive As Our Largest Minority Flourishes,” that aims to clear misconceptions.
He sat down recently to talk about his book.
Q. What prompted you to write this book?
A. I wrote the book not as a memoir; that may come later. I look at the Glenn Becks and Lou Dobbses of the world, and how they and others would have the nation believe that we Latinos all just crossed the border yesterday. There are people who want to make Latinos scapegoats, such as what happened with the Irish when you had signs saying the Irish need not apply for certain jobs, and the terrible names that Italians were called.
Q. In the book you speak about how little is known about many important Latino historical figures. Can you go over some examples?
A. The oldest city in the nation, San Augustine, Florida, was founded by Pedro Menendez de Aviles. Bernardo de Galvez, who was a governor of Louisiana, helped stop the British advance on George Washington in the American Revolution. Admiral David Farragut was the first admiral of the Navy in the Civil War and helped fend off the confederates and uttered the famous phrase “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” We’ve fought for this country in every war. About 80,000 Latinos fought in the Vietnam War and more than 15,000 died. One of the first U.S. casualties in the Iraq war was Jose Gutierrez, an immigrant from Guatemala, who was not a U.S. citizen yet, he was a legal permanent resident.
Q. What message do you want to readers to come away with from those facts?
A. That we as a community have been here for a long time, since before the founding of the United States. Our roots here are deep, from helping to create this country’s liberty to, as patriots, being in defense of it from then to today. This isn’t just for Latinos, it’s for all Americans. We need to reflect the full history of America in all its dimensions. A lot of the information you present is out there, it’s been available for a long time. Why is it still unknown by so much of the nation?
Unless people have social interaction with us, they have a perception but not reality. There’s greater social interaction now, so it’s changing. There’s greater understanding and, because we’re now the largest minority group, there’s greater interest. I wanted to open the window on the community so that the nation has an understanding of who we are.
Q. What else do you hope to accomplish through this book?
A. That going forward, if our community thrives, the nation thrives. We’re a trillion dollar market. In the next 15 years, our children will be a third of all schoolchildren. That means that a third of our competitive future is going to depend on how well-educated those children are. And the fact that we’re a decade younger than the rest of the nation, as the nation grays, it will increasingly look to our community. We’ll be the caregivers for senior citizens, we’ll be the surgeon holding the tools in the operating room, we’ll be teaching the next generations of Americans.
Q. In your book you say Latinos must bear responsibility in chipping away at the misunderstanding of their population, and dealing with the community’s challenges.
A. We’re partly to blame for the misunderstandings. We frown on boasting, on pointing out our accomplishments. If we don’t provide understanding and insight into our community, others will characterize us and fill that void. We also have a high dropout rate. Latinos also must go to PTA meetings, get to know the teachers, contribute, but also make demands when schools aren’t performing well. And Latinos who have succeeded need to mentor, to be role models, and reinvest in their communities.
