Latinos need representation

Re: “New columnist is ready to fight for lo bueno,” Sept. 16

I want to congratulate the L.A. Times for adding Gustavo Arellano to your fine roster of columnists. I’ve been following his career for many years here in Orange County. He has always strived to enlighten the public as to the ins and outs of the lives and customs of Mexicans and other Hispanics/Latins in our midst by using humor to explain our culture.

I want to add we Hispanics are part of the fabric of the U.S. now and we have been for quite some time.

I am a naturalized citizen who has lived here since the age of 18 months. I am now 70 years old. I have never failed to love my adopted country, even when overhearing snide or mocking remarks at my expense because of my Mexican heritage.

Having been a civil servant in Orange County for over 34 years, I have always worked hard to get ahead and to raise my children to be honest and law-abiding. I endeavored to treat everyone with care and empathy, no matter the color of their skin or their economic background.

Many of us are attorneys, doctors, artists, actors, filmmakers, nannies, cooks, fieldworkers and first responders. Many of us have died alongside the children of those who came in through Ellis Island or arrived on the Mayflower. Yet we are often overlooked, demeaned and taken for granted.

We do not disparage or forget our Hispanic roots, nor do we want to. We are proud of our heritage and also proud to help this, our country, succeed in maintaining a democratic and fair government for all. MARIA SANCHEZ-GIBBS

Placentia

I was pleased to see Gustavo Arellano’s column on the first page of the paper this morning. It’s about time. As a cisgender white guy I need to hear different voices who don’t look, and almost always think, like me. I was sorry to hear that he is the first Latino columnist in eight years and only the sixth in 139 years.

Living in a city that is primarily Latino, we need to hear voices like Gustavo’s. And a lot more of voices like Erika D. Smith, too.

Gustavo’s columns gave an important human perspective on the Los Angeles reality. They spoke to who Los Angeles is today. I look forward to hearing more from Gustavo, and to The Times being a paper that more adequately represents our great city.

PATRICK KEYES

Whittier

Thank you and congratulations for bringing Gustavo Arellano on board, and even more so for introducing him with two of his columns the same day.

From the looks of his first columns with The Times, he’s risen to the challenge of writing about how the current crisis is affecting all of us, particularly those with whom he shares his heritage, both ethnic and cultural.

BILL SECKLER

Riverside