A little Beirich bashing

Last month, we reported on how the SPLC's Heidi Beirich flagellated columnist John Derbyshire for translating La Raza as "The Race." Her Most Tolerant Majesty announced she was not amused at such ignorance, and publicly instructed him that "La Raza" is better translated as

“the people” or “the community” and it is intended to be inclusive, encompassing the blending of European, African, and indigenous peoples in the Americas.

But hold! Seems one Ruben Navarrette, a Latino journalist who's scolded immigration restrictionists as being motivated purely by fear, breezily assumes "La Raza" does indeed mean "The Race" -- and specifically, his race, Latinos. In an article entitled, "What La Raza is really about," Navarrette deals directly with this question. He even confronts Janet Murguia, the National Council of La Raza's president, with the suggestion that she change the name of her organization. And how does she react? This passage is worth memorizing:

After all, critics ask, doesn't "la raza" mean "the race"? So this is, the National Council of the Race? How crude.

"We take a lot of heat for our name," Murguia acknowledged. "But, historically, I think it's something that our community feels wedded to."

Does that sound like a denial to you? Me, neither. But read on -- it means "race" and a whole lot more:

So I was surprised when Murguia said, "We've actually talked about the possibility of changing our name." Yet those conversations stalled. The consensus was that, as Murguia put it, "(the term) is one of those things that is symbolic and represents a broader meaning" than many people assume.

I think a name change is warranted, however. The term -- la raza -- is a musty throwback to the 1960s. A lot has changed in four decades. The context is different. In the last 40 years, Hispanics have gone from being a fledgling minority to, in some parts of the country, an emerging majority. It's a sign of the importance of the Hispanic vote that both Barack Obama and John McCain are scheduled to address NCLR's 40th annual conference in San Diego this week.

Catch that? Navarrette knows "La Raza" refers to Hispanics, not Heidi's imaginary multicultural embrace. But here's the kicker -- by advancing Hispanic interests, the National Council of La Raza really helps America. Here's how:

I asked Murguia if, absent a name change, she wasn't always going to have to combat the perception that her organization cares only about la raza to the exclusion of everyone else.

"As long as people just look at the surface, and base it on what they seem to interpret from our name, that may be the case," she said. "But if you look at our record, it's very clear that we've fought for inclusion and advancement -- not just for an important segment of the United States, but in advancing that community, we feel like we've been helping strengthen America."

Soooo -- forcing Americans to accept the de facto invasion and cultural makeover of their country is going to strengthen America. Uh-huh. Plus we should just accept that "La Raza" refers to Latinos "to the exclusion of everyone else." Ok.

But of course, the real point is that the president of La Raza, far from denying the translation of her organization's name is "The Race," openly admits it. Rather than including Europeans and Africans, the term refers to "our community." As she says, her people, who are "an emerging majority" in many areas of the US, "are wedded" to the name and all it means to them. End of discussion.

That's why the SPLC prefers to do all the talking for immigrants and minorities. Those people just don't know how to stick to the script.