American culture still intrigues Carlos Castro
WOODBRIDGE, Va. -- Carlos Castro was 25 years old when he fled civil war in his native El Salvador in 1979 and entered the U.S. illegally. He was caught and deported, but entered again the following year.
After a brief stint in California, he headed east to Washington, D.C., where he toiled as a factory worker, a janitor, a restaurant dishwasher and bus boy, and a Realtor. In 1990, he achieved his dream: he became a U.S. citizen. That same year, he opened Todos Supermarket in the Washington D.C. suburb of Woodbridge, Va. to cater to the area's growing number of Latinos.
Today, the 60-year-old entrepreneur oversees a multi-million dollar business with two area supermarkets. An advocate for Latino empowerment, he became particularly vocal in the late 2000s after Prince William County, where he lives and works, passed stricter and more discriminatory rules against illegal immigrants.
When did you first become aware of your race?
It was when I first came to the U.S. that I saw the big difference, in customs and habits. It's not like in El Salvador where we are all Latino. Here you could see the differences in everything, not just the difference in how we conduct ourselves but also how we eat, drink or even how we have fun. But I'd always been intrigued by the American culture, even when I was in high school. I loved history and was always reading books written by Americans. I thought so many of the economic marvels of our times happened here in the U.S.
What has been your best experience and/or worst experience with someone of another race?
I will tell you about my best experience. I had a friend, an older white American woman, who lent me money so I could get out of debt. That was eye-opening. When I first opened the grocery store, I also worked as a Realtor. I was the rookie in the office. My co-worker, she was 30 years older than me and one day asks, 'What's wrong Carlos?' I tell her nothing. But she jokes and tells me they call me Sunshine in the office because I'm always smiling and happy. Recently, she said, I hadn't been. I tell her I'm in deep debt because of the store, $20,000 in debt. And do you know, she writes me a check for $20,000.
How did your experience of race change you?
Hispanics, we sometimes have a short fuse. We might explode over the smallest things. But American culture isn't like that. And that's been a great influence on me. It's helped me learn to analyze situations more, to talk more.
How are your feelings about people of different races, and your experiences with them, different from those of your parents?
My parents don't really see race differences, but they did not come to this country to work. I brought them here when they were older to take care of them. They always felt so privileged to be here. My father has passed away, but he always regretted not learning to speak English.
What has been your generation's biggest challenge as it pertains to race?
There is a certain feeling of relief or satisfaction that my generation has opened doors for younger generations of Latinos. We were stuck with the hardships and discrimination and our children, they don't see any of the racial differences among themselves. They don't see black or Chinese or any of that.
What do we need to do, as a country and as individuals, to move past race as a way to divide and define us?
We all have strong feelings about our race, but we also are all human beings. As for Latinos, there are two barriers, in my opinion, that we need to get over to become part of this country, language and assimilation. Hispanics tend to stay separate from the day-to-day life in the U.S. I'm not saying forget our culture, but it is important to understand the culture here. We have to get to know Americans here and the way of life here. For example, he says, it's damaging when we do not participate in our children's education. You go to a parent-teacher conference and you don't see a lot of Hispanics… Or voting. Voting gives you power in the country. That's the fastest way to ensure that politicians see that we are serious.