This might be my most provocative blog in a while. Let me first state that I am happily married to a beautiful gringa. My kids are half- White and some of my best friends throughout my life have been White, so don’t let the title of this blog throw you. This is an important but rarely discussed issue. The theory of White Validation has been around since the sixties. Essentially, it is the belief that for some people of color it doesn’t matter how good we are, success is not real until it is acknowledged by the White community. Latinos as a rule, don’t like to talk about racial discrimination, and for the most part, I subscribe to that mindset. It’s a healthier way to live. However, White Validation Syndrome is not about discrimination because it is not about the way people perceive us, it’s about the way we perceive ourselves, and the effect it has on our advancement as a community. That is not to say racism does not exist. We know it does, especially in more implicit forms.
