La Familia
To the Editor:
Windham High School in Willimantic, Connecticut, has an enrollment that boasts 83% Hispanic students. When I attended WHS, it was less lopsided, but white kids were the minority. My high school experience has significantly shaped how I look at the world, and my friends from Columbia and I took great pride in the school’s culture, devouring empanadas, learning Spanish in the hallways, and referring to our football team, the almighty Windham Whippets, as La Familia.
And we really were family, the way we suffered together, sucking wind on Doughty Hill, getting pummeled on the practice field, and losing our summers to Passing League and the weight room. We liked to bop down High Street together for food and shenanigans on half-day Wednesdays and game days. We took so much pride in wearing our jerseys about town, hearing folks honk their horns in support. We feasted on the eve of every game at a different player’s house, and it didn’t matter if someone had a house as big as mine or if they lived in more modest circumstances; it was always a party, and every new host brought something fresh that was unique to their heritage, and no one ever favored one person’s team dinner over another, they were all different forms of perfection. We would hug each other after home wins, to the tune of Cheeseburger in Paradise by Jimmy Buffett playing over the loudspeakers. After winning on the road, the bus was a scene of mayhem, and one of the offensive linemen was sure to have Doritos to share. But times weren’t always great, and we mourned together on Saturday mornings after a tough loss, watching film, and promising not to let each other down next time.
Back then, politics didn’t matter so much to us. We knew that some of our friends might have been undocumented; in fact, statistically, it was a certainty – but we loved them because they were all good people who, with blood, sweat, and tears, went to battle with us every Friday night. We loved our fans because they showed up like clockwork and cheered us on with smiles on their faces, no matter how difficult their personal lives were, no matter what their skin color or accent, and certainly no matter their citizenship status.
The Latino (and larger immigrant) community has greatly enriched my life, and I know that others in my demographic would feel the same way if only they knew them better. I never thought that I would have to defend an entire race of people in my country, but staying silent is to be complicit in an ethnic cleansing. I think that most of the other white folks who went to Windham have similar views to mine, and if you do not, well, maybe you should remember the version of yourself that you were in high school.
Oh, and one other thing, white people are not native to North America, stop acting like we didn’t wipe out an entire race that was here for 11,000 years to acquire it.
Tyler Kania,
Columbia, CT