"Left Out"

   This week our class analyzed the essay "Left Out" by Adrian Burgos which argued the case for the induction Afro-latino baseball players into the Negro League's award showcase. These Afro-latino players were just as marginalized from the mainstream as African-Americans. In some cases they were pushed away by their African-American teammates. Many of them were equally as instrumental as African-Americans in breaking down the racial barriers that divided and restricted baseball in the early years of the sport, but have become forgotten and ignored in spite of their accomplishments.

   This article highlights the plight of most people of mixed race. They are considered a minority of a minority, marginalized by the people who are supposed to be their brothers. This plight is addressed in Willie Perdomo's poem "Nigger-reecan Blues", where he talks about exactly what race he is considered to be and what hardships he has endured due to this ambiguity. He talks about how both blacks and latinos have had to overcome the same kind of obstacles. 

   Both of these readings provide strong insights into the struggles of those of mixed race and make it easy to see that race relations are much more complicated than many people believe them to be.


Work Cited:

Burgos Jr., Adrian. "Left Out." Social Text 98. Vol. 27. 2009. 37-38. Print.