Friday, September 5, 2008

Diana Schoutsen: Miss Latina Canada 2009

Congratulations goes out to Diana Schoutsen from Binbrook ON, who won the national title of Miss Latina Canada 2009, 2 weeks ago. I have finally had an opportunity to meet with her family, and it really is so nice to meet a family that has found ways to unite their cultures in such a caring and supportive envoirnment.

Diana is the second of 5 children, and was raised a dairy farmer. Her father is from Holland and her mother is from Honduras. Diana is not the first title holder that we have had that happens to be bi-racial, but she is the first that has not had that strong of a background in speaking Spanish. This is only a small factor in her reign.

I would like to speak on some social commentary regarding language. Language is important all over the world, and understandably within any ethnic or cultural setting. Defining the requirements of entrance to the national event has and will always be based on equal and non-discriminatory practices.

Our event rulings require that participants be at least 25% Hispanic. The reason for this is simple...as the Hispanic community continues to grow and immigrate from South America it is important to acknowledge that people will meet others from different cultures fall in love and have children. Many people, especially those with Latin American heritage have very strong family ties, including grandparents. It is our grandparents that have instilled the values in our parents, including the passing ons of culture. For this reason we will continue to honour their influence in the continued devleopment of cultural practices within the family sphere.

We allow single, married, or divorced women to participate, including those who may or may not have children. We strongly believe that a persons ability to function as Miss Latina Canada is not preset or determined by their marital or family status. Latin American culture is extremely family focused and centred, and for this reason it must be acknowledged that love for family is an inherent part of cultural practice and pride, therefore having no bearing on our decisions for participants.

It is not a requirement to have to speak Spanish, but participants must be able to speak at least one of Canada's official languages, or an official Latin American language. Therefore you need to be able to speak only one of the following: English, French, Spanish or Portuguese. If you are able to speak more than one, than that is always a bonus - but it has no bearing on the judging. This one is always is a hard one for cultural communities to wrap their heads around, but here are the reasons why.

Firstly and obviously, this is Miss Latina CANADA. Note the stress on Canada. This is a pageant that celebrates the Latin-Canadian expereince of our cultural community. We have people who have just arrived to Canada that do not speak a word of English, we have 1st and 2nd generation Latinos who have been born here and may have lost their strength to speak it perferctly if even at all, we have people in Quebec that were raised in a francophone environment and may not know English or Spanish. For these multiple reasons, we must look at, and consider all of the variables. We are not in the business of having anyone justify just how much more Latina than someone else they are... what we are looking for, is someone who will fairly, justly, and appropriately represent the Hispanic community here in the country.

It is unfair and one sided to assume that all Latino's in Canada only have one type of experience, background or upbringing. We have to recognize that despite changes and differences that occur within the communities, that these shape and develop each individual Latin-Canadian experiences. If you live in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Hamilton, or London you may be blessed to always have the language, ethnic markets, and large communities to keep you in close range to the culture - but what happens if you are Latino and do not live in these places?

Canada is a big country with Latin people spead out all over it, and many who live in communities where they may be the only Hispanics residing there. They may be forced to converse in English, and may raise their children to speak English to help with adjustments of fitting in, in their school environments. Language is only one part of what determines culture. Culture is such a deeply engrained practice that sometimes we forget that culture also determines food, religion, music, dance, and family values.

We are an inclusive pageant, we do not practice discrimination, and we recognize the celebration of cultural pride in those who are willing to put their name, face, and family on the line to rise to the occasion to represent all of that in a national and public capacity.

I acknowledge and recognize the discomfort that those who may not be strong with their grasp of the English language feel - but I ask that you also acknowledge this. We do not discriminate against entrants who are not able to speak English, and living in Canada this is by far the most important language that we need to be able to communicate in. If we are willing to look past this, and believe that not being able to speak English does not determine one's ability to represent Canada fairly as Miss Latina Canada, than it must only be fair that we accept those Latin Canadians who may not be as fluent in Spanish. We do not fail to understand just how important knowing the language is, and see that as a benefit in so many different ways. We know those because we have had winners that were fluent in English and Spanish, English and Portuguese, even those who knew other languages like Italian, German and French!

Here in Canada, we have the Charter of Rights and Freedoms - and we must all learn to understand, that we cannot discriminate on abilities, ethnicities, races, or languages. This is everyone's right as a Canadian citizen, and the Miss Latina Canada Organization believes in practicing what is inherent to this country's foundation and legitimation of freedom for all our citizens.

Labels: , ,

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home