Zoila Contreras
Victor Villaseñor
Many many
things are meaningful to me from Victor Villaseñor’s words that
I could write a book too! Victor Villaseñor’s talk was very strong;
he has a very strong voice that makes me feel proud of who I am. Villaseñor
inspired me and many other people to feel proud of our culture and values.
Victor Edmundo Villaseñor, his complete name, is an example of self-advocacy
because he effectively promotes a cause, and he represents the voice of all
Mexicans and other people with responsibility. He said that all are good people.
Villaseñor said too that we should not classify people into races because
we are all part of the human race. Mexicans, Americans, Asians -– all
are equal. He said in his lecture at SBCC, “I understand that together
we can create harmony in the world.”
One of the most important values for him is his family, and for me too. Maybe
that is why I identify with him. For him, everybody is a genius and everybody
a burro. The definition of burro in my country is very different; it means
“truth”. A burro is strong and refers to someone who never gives
up; no matter what happens, he will survive. It is the reason why he wrote
his book, Burro Genius. I like his book a lot.
Some teachers were so hard and mean to him, but they were an inspiration for
him to write and now to be an excellent and famous writer. He was so mad with
some bad teachers, but also he has had other really good teachers. Finally
he understood that he was not angry with teachers, but with injustice. Victor’s
father told him, “Everybody loves us,” and “Spanish is a
lovely language.” However, he suffered many struggles in school. Even
so, education is wonderful. He became a famous author, even though forty years
ago, nobody believed in him, including his publicist. But with his grandmother’s
phrase, “Mañana es otro milagro de Dios” (“Tomorrow
is another of God’s miracles”), Victor Villaseñor left
his fear aside and with his writing, he broke the silence. This excellent
person supported Cesar Chavéz. Victor Villaseñor will continue
writing with his grandmother’s support, feeling her at his side in each
moment and wearing his father’s hat for every speech. I’d like
to end with Victor Villaseñor’s words: “Wherever we are,
we must really love, if we’re going to live a life worth living! Because,
you see, real teaching is inspiring your students to have heart … compassion,
guts, understanding, and hope!”