Si Se Puede

May 1st is traditionally the day were nationwide Latinos exercise their political right to rally. Some of the older teachers are very aware that May 1st is the world wide day for Marxism. Others just hate it, saying that the illegals are taking advantage of the schools, and then taking advantage of the day to leave schools.

I thought it was remarkable. Went in and only half the students showed up. Almost every hispanic student was gone, gone with their family and people.

After school I headed downtown to try to catch the end of the rally. I thought I was too late, but I managed to catch the parade at the very end. It was breathtaking, to see all the streets of downtown Chicago closed, walking down the middle of any street.

And then to see so many people. The Latino community was somewhat disappointed by the turnout: only 200,000 people. To see them all marching, endless, was stunning, a progression of people as history is a progression and intersection of people. I saw my own history there, and once again the abstract concept of American that was tossing me back and forth.

By shear dumb luck, after ten minutes, I saw my students. They were all walking together at the front of the column. And by another miracle, they all saw me and started screaming. I walked with them for a little ways, but you never want to get to close, you want them to experience this for themselves. It is one of the hardest things about teaching, we share the failures, but most of the successes are private and happen when we are already in the student's past.

But I am glad that they had their moment. I am glad to see some families, some youth, work together for the idea of what it is to be a people.

And from that point on, the Latino students always found me and say hello, or what they were thinking, or just to giggle at my Spanish.