Thursday, September 29, 2022

'Taco Truck Tammy' incident sparks protest—with mariachi music and tacos


Friends,

This 2019 story and video on "Taco Truck Tammy"  has gone viral several times over. The draw is that it's obviously not your usual
demonstration—as it brought together protesters, a mariachi group, a Black minister, and yes, free tacos—challenging Tammy's xenophobia expressed toward a taco truck operator in a Lakewood Dallas neighborhood. This played out when this Anglo woman named "Tammy" didn't appreciate the taco truck parked in her neighborhood and even threatened to call ICE on the Mexican workers working on the truck, as well as on a nearby home construction project.


Kudos to the LULAC Dallas chapter for coordinating this creative response to racism that promotes awareness, intercultural appreciation, and yes, a centering of the legendary Mexican taco whose popularity has traveled to the far-reaches of the planet. Heck, tacos are sold in Beijing, China, such that attacking it as a symbol is not just racist, but not really grasping its importance as an internationally-favored food item. 

Tammy's response? She said that she hoped the protesters had a "fabulous time." Great work LULAC! Fighting back hostility with culture is a great strategy for the future.

-Angela Valenzuela

#LaCulturaCura
#TacoTruckTammy
@LULAC



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