My open apology letter to Omaha South High school

As this will be posted on my blog and people from outside of southeast Nebraska will read this let me first explain what happened. The Nebraska State soccer final game was played this last week. Omaha South, a predominately Hispanic area of Omaha was one side of the game. The other team, an almost all white team, Lincoln East High school, was the opposing side. Lincoln East ended up winning the game, and at the conclusion of the game some of the Lincoln East students from the stands threw green cards onto the field as celebration confetti. Now I must assume, as everyone else, including the media, that the green cards were meant as an insult to the Omaha south Hispanic team, and community at large of the southern area of Omaha, due to the fact some of them and their parents are illegal and legal immigrants of Mexico and South American countries who are required to have 'green card' to work.

Some Lincoln City officials, and school administrators were so outraged they sent letters of apology to the school. There was also a rumor that the Lincoln City council had passed a binding resolution that every resident of the city of Lincoln was to send an apology letter to Omaha South High school (which was found to be untrue) , so even though I don't live in city limits, I work there and have many stakes in the community, here is my letter:

Dear students, staff and friends, relatives of Omaha South High School,

I understand that an incident occurred at the Nebraska State Soccer Final tournament that some may feel was an blatant racism or at least great disrespect towards the Hispanic community. Some students of the Lincoln community insulted you, your family, and extended family. As a family man who is Hispanic, and has roots in the Mexican community, I must tell you this. Get over it. This is not racism. Racism was when people in the south would hang black males based solely on their race. When German nationals would identify their neighbors as Jews only to have rounded them up and sent to Sobibor. And when Japanese Americans were sent to Internment camps during WWII .

Now I am sorry that Mexico is such a beautiful country with unbelievable vacation opportunities, and unreal natural resources, that families must risk arrest, death, and separation to come to the United States, for the sole benefit of eight dollar an hour jobs instead of two dollars an hour. I am also sorry that that the American government has allowed Mexicans and similar brown folks into the country for the simple fact that these Hispanics will cut open cows, shovel black asphalt on a hot interstate, and replace the roof of the house you live in so the overall economy improves.

I hope that you and your families can understand that this was an attempt to piss off your teen age players, as they have pissed us off many times, and this will continue between our teams long after all of us are gone. I don't understand and don't care if you are offended. Tell your team to get thicker skin and welcome to the real world.

Your friend

Ben Faz

P.S. If you are illegal and can cook a decent taco or torta, I will vouch for you. If you are bringing in or transporting drugs in the US please kill yourself now.