Martin Espada

The poet Martin Espada writes about discrimination towards Spanish speaking people. Three of his poems, "New Bathroom Policy at English High School," "Revolutionary Spanish Lesson," and "Two Mexicanos Lynched in Santa Cruz, California, May 3, 1877" describe injustices related to these Spanish communities. Each of these poems portrays someone or a group of people being influenced by another groups’ resistance to their differences, in this case language. Some of his poems express the point of view of the discriminators while some are from perspective of the person being discriminated against. The thesis is that we should accept eachothers' differences. 

Espada's poem, "New Bathroom Policy at English High School" describes how the principal of a High School reacts when he hears boys talking in Spanish on the bathroom. He doesn't like that he doesn't know what they are saying so he bans Spanish in the bathrooms. In the text it says “The only word he recognizes...is his own name...and this constipates him...so he decides…to ban Spanish...in the bathrooms…now he can relax.”This is an act of injustice towards the Spanish speakers at that school. Just because someone feels uncomfortable around people speaking different languages doesn't mean that they have the right to ban it. The principal of this school could not accept that his students spoke different languages in school. 

Another poem by Espada is "Revolutionary Spanish Lesson." This poem is about a Spanish speaking boy who's name is often mispronounced. He imagines taking revenge on a "busload of Republican Tourists from Wisconsin." In the poem a bilingual SWAT team arrives to stop him. The significance of this is that people only made an effort to pronounce his name after he had put them in danger. If english speakers had made an effort to pronounce his name correctly, this boy would not be so angry.

One more poem by Espada, "Two Mexicanos Lynched in Santa Cruz, California, May 3, 1877" describes the scene of a race riot. The message in this poem is that racism throughout American history was not only directed at African Americans but also towards other races including Mexicans. In the poem it says “In the blur of execution,...a high-collar boy smirking, some peering…from the shade of bowler hats, but all…crowding into the photograph.”This quote shows that the rioters were more concerned with getting into the photograph than the lives that they had just taken away. The Mexicanos were killed because they were different than the rioters and if people were able to accept eachothers’ differences then these people would not have died like this. 

These three poems all by Martin Espada focus on injustices to the Spanish speaking communities. While"Two Mexicanos Lynched in Santa Cruz, California, May 3, 1877" focuses on the past, the other two poems could have taken place yesterday. The underlying message in these poems is that Americans have and are doing things that make it harder for immigrants to fit in with our society. We need to accept eachothers' differences and make an effort to allow them into our lives.