The 12th of October, the day of the Virgin of Pilar and the Festival of Hispanidad (Hispanic-ness), has arrived once again. It is a celebration which Joe Biden and his collaborators completely misunderstand. Why we celebrate Columbus Day is very simple:
Spain in 1492 was a country marked deeply by a Christian worldview. When Columbus arrived in America, he set out to conquer and evangelize these vast lands. He held a vision in which the indigenous peoples were considered children of God, to be treated with the same dignity as those who came from Europe. It was not easy, and tensions and failures were inevitable, but it is this same universalist and Christian idea that has made the West the great power it is. The Testament of Isabella the Catholic, the Laws of the Indies and the Valladolid Controversy are written testimony illustrating how Columbus's civilization was one of the most respectful to human dignity in Earth's history.
The diversity of Hispanics is, in fact, evidence of this very idea. We exist in all skin colors because we share a common dignity. Hispanics are not a race; we are the exact opposite. We do not fit the narrow and impoverishing scope of identity politics that wants to separate us into appropriately victimized racial groups.
When the Spaniards brought the Christian faith to America, the fire of a new civilization was sparked in the New World. This new civilization brought about innumerable wonders, most importantly a freedom entirely unknown in other cultures.
To believe in a Christian worldview, anti-identity politics and dignity of all human beings is simply too much for Joe Biden.
Unable to comprehend, Biden and his ilk celebrated Columbus Day by congratulating Italians and ignoring Hispanics. It's rather ironic, since the Italians did not reach the American shores until several centuries after Columbus. Yet Biden acts as if nothing had happened in all those centuries; as if the Hispanic contribution had not been fundamental to understand what the United States of America is today. Long before US independence, Hispanics held a notable presence that has endured in Florida, Texas and California. Further, Spain played a considerable role in the Revolutionary War which resulted in said independence. But most important is that during the life of the United States, Hispanics have spread their influence from shore to shore. All of this, evidently, does not matter to the president.
Biden has left aside millions of Americans. But We, those who are aware of where we come from, must not fail to celebrate Hispanic-ness. When the Spaniards brought the Christian faith to America, in spite the consequences and miseries that accompany any human initiative, the fire of a new civilization was sparked in the New World. This new civilization brought about innumerable wonders, most importantly a freedom entirely unknown in other cultures.
