Tonight, a kid in our complex came by to talk to my son. He stood there at my front window waiting for him. As I looked over I saw his shirt, I asked "Freddy, what does your shirt say?".

He slowly, and with much sudden self-conciousness, he said "um...I don't know". I knew he knew what it said. It said "Chicano Power" and had a Mexican flag behind a buff shaved headed, barechested, tattoed Latino male (quite the gang looking character), with a very voluptuous woman next to him.

This kid is 13 and has always been a nice kid so I had to believe he knew what it said, but really did not understand what was behind that so very racist statement.

I asked what store it came from, he said he did not know, his friend had given it to him.

I asked him what would people think if they saw a white teenager with a shirt that said "White Power" on it, in the same way his says "Chicano Power"? He admitted he did not know.

I explained that not only would anyone wearing such a shirt be considered highly offensive, but they might be subject to attacks, maybe even shootings, and police scrutiny. I said his shirt is the same and it was offensive.

He was not sure what to say, I am sure he will never wear it in front of us again. It goes to show that these kids are being raised with that mentallity and they simply do not see the wrong of it all. They assume that this mentallity is ok and is just and ethnic pride thing. I told him otherwise, it was a racist thing.