Please let me begin by saying that I am mortified by the rift that this incident has caused between our communities. I think the choice of cartoon for a postage stamp was ill advised for the now obvious reason that it could be so easily misunderstood.
I beg you to help me heal the rift by trying to see across the cultural chasm that divides our communities and try to see that no offense was intended even if one is perceived. People in Mexico are just as baffled as you are by the reaction to the cartoon, because they do not see it from the same frame of reference. The majority of Mexicans do not see themselves as separate and apart from Black people, they see themselves as kin. As do I.
The Mexican community, and the Mexican-American community are not the same. Although we share a common heritage we are different in many respects, not the least of which is racial attitudes. People of pure Black heritage are rare in Mexico not because they were shunned, but because they have integrated by marriage into the community as a whole. I cannot speak for the Mexican-American community in LA, I know very little about them. But I can tell you a little bit about myself and my experience with Memin growing up in Mexico.
Memin is a heroic character in Mexican culture. His appearance is unique to him, and is not meant to represent a class of people. There are other Black characters represented in the Memin magazine and other magazines from the same publisher, but they are not drawn to look like Memin.
I remember one particular series of episodes dealing with Toussaint L'Ouverture, the Black general of Haiti considered Napoleon's military equal, where Memin learns about him and takes justified pride in this great man. There are other episodes dealing with travels in Texas where Memin is the subject of ridicule and scorn. This is what Sixto Valencia, the present artists drawing Memin had to say:
"In one story, Memin and his friends travel to Texas to play soccer. They go for ice cream, but the place refuses to sell to Memin, because it doesn't serve blacks, Mexicans or dogs," he said.
"His friends, stood up for him, got into a fight and ended up in jail. I liked it that such a difficult issue was addressed in such an entertaining way. They (the comic book's detractors) should know that Memin always stood for family unity, love and friendship," he said. The associate director of education of Mexico's National Council to Prevent Discrimination, Jose Luis Gutierrez, believes the U.S. protests "trivialize the struggle against discrimination."
http://www.mexico.com/notimexico/?method=una&id=3290&lang=engAnother story deals with Memin's encounter with a mean boy who tells him there is no point in taking communion, because Blacks cannot go to heaven. Convinced that this is true, Memin becomes a mean boy himself and does cruel things. There were howls of protest from the readers, so the publisher had to abbreviate the story and rush to the plot point where Memin learns that he too is a child of God and deserving of salvation.
The main point I want to make is that I saw myself as Memin. When I was a child, I had no concept of race and I identified with him because he was different from the rest and I felt different too. I think many Mexicans instinctively identify with Memin. I do not see Memin as out of the range of human appearance. I do not see him as ape-like, as he has been described by some horrified Americans. His features are exaggerated, but I saw them as exaggerations of human facial features, not otherwise.
Memin is a beloved and cherished character from my past. I loved him, and what is more important I admired him. Not because of his appearance, but despite it. His personality, heart, and nobility transcended physical appearance.
For what its worth, I offer my humble and abject apologies for any offense and distress this cartoon may have caused you, my brethren.