Beautiful spring day in downtown Houston. Seventy degrees. Sunny. The Tea Partiers have gathered to vent. The usual signs—Obama is a Marxist, socialist, commie, fill-in-the blank with your favorite epithet. Huge “Don’t Tread on Me” flags outnumber American flags. “Secede Texas” t-shirts abound. Middle-aged and older white crowd. Earnest. Against taxes and the federal takeover of everything.
Young Latino brother wearing a bright red t-shirt walks in, registers, saunters over to the fence.
“Hey, who’s that on your shirt? What are you doing here with a picture of Che on your shirt?”
“Che had to take a different route for his people. I’m an American! We’ve got to stand up for America!”
“Man, take a look at this crowd. These white people don’t want you here! They want an all-white country. They don’t want you or any other people of color here. This is a racist movement, man!”
Young brother looks around. Doesn’t know what to say as he soaks up the scene. Two white friends join him. Wonder what’s going on as the conversation unfolds.
“Brother’s wearing a Che t-shirt and joining a racist rally? Amazing. What are you all doing here? All these people want is a white country.“
The banter continues briefly. They turn away and head into the crowd. Young Latino looks bewildered, unsure. Caught between new awareness and old friendships. A proverbial teaching moment perhaps. A seed of doubt planted. Che attends a Tea Party.
A young African American woman takes the microphone to dispel the notion that the Tea Parties are mostly white. The crowd loves her and she loves their applause. She is cover for the white noise and doesn’t seem to know it. They do. An older African American woman walks in and registers. Perhaps Che will visit with them…
A thirty-something white Texan hangs around outside the fence. Disgusted. Dismayed. Disbelieving what he beholds. “The only thing missing are the hoods.” He shakes hands and wanders off.
A beautiful spring day in downtown Houston. Che attends a Tea Party. Texas style. Where Alices in Wonderland and Mad Hatters abound.