By Dan Murphy
Last week, Goya CEO Robert Unanue was invited to the White House by President Trump for a discussion and announcement about a ‘Hispanic Prosperity Initiative.’ At the ceremony in the Rose Garden, Unanue said, ‘We are all truly blessed to have a leader like President Trump who is a builder. And that’s what my grandfather did, he came to this country to build and grown and prosper. We have an incredible builder and we pray for our leadership, our president, and our country to continue to prosper and continue to grow.”
Shortly after his comments, a boycott began against Goya Foods, the largest, Hispanic-owned food company in the United States. Joining the boycott were Congressman and former Presidential candidate Julian Castro, who tweeted, “Free speech works both ways. @GoyaFoods CEO is free to support a bigoted president who said an American judge can’t do his job because he’s “Mexican”, who treats Puerto Rico like trash, and who tries to deport Dreamers. We’re free to leave his products on the shelves. #Goyaway.” Congresswoman AOC, also added her name to the boycott, as did Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Those who called for a boycott of Goya ignored the announcement that Unanue made last week, that the company was donating millions of cans of food to help Americans across the country suffering from the Coronavirus. This donation comes after Goya has made thousands of food donations in the NYC Metro area to low income families and students in New York City schools.
Unanue, who also accepted an invitation to the White House by President Obama, asked “So, you’re allowed to talk good or to praise one president, but you’re not allowed to aid in economic and educational prosperity? And you make a positive comment and all of a sudden, it is not acceptable?”
Shortly after the Goya boycott, supporters of the President and those opposed to the Cancel Culture that now exists in our country led an effort to support Goya, a USA company that employs ten of thousands. 27-year old Casey Harper began a GoFundMe page to support Goya Foods and the money raised would buy Goya products and donate them to food banks. So far more than $172,000 has been raised.
Harper said, … I’m not surprised we have raised so much because people are tired of having to walk on eggshells in political discourse.”
“The Left is trying to cancel Hispanic culture and silence free speech. #BuyGoya,” Tweeted Senator Ted Cruz
It is interesting to note that Lin Miranda’s support of the Goya Boycott comes at a time when a boycott of his play Hamilton has also begun. That movement, #CancelHamilton, is based on the fact that President George Washington and Thomas Jefferson are portrayed favorably in the play, while not prominently highlighting the fact that both were slaveowners.
And while Alexander Hamilton himself was not a slaveowner, and disavowed slavery and was a proud abolishonist, his wife’s family did own slaves. In the play, Hamilton challenges Jefferson in a debate about owning slaves, saying
— “Your debts are paid ‘cause you don’t pay for labor/ We plant seeds in the South. We create. Yeah, keep ranting/ We know who’s really doing the planting.”
Miranda has responded to #CancelHamilton politely, saying “All the criticisms are valid. The sheer tonnage of complexities & failings of these people I couldn’t get. Or wrestled with but cut. I took 6 years and fit as much as I could in a 2.5-hour musical. Did my best. It’s all fair game.”
As a big fan of the musical Hamilton, which can now be viewed on Disney with a monthly subscription, I would say that the cancel crowd has either gone too far, or missed the point of Miranda’s masterpiece.
‘Hamilton’ the play, and the book by author Ron Chernow is about how someone who came from nothing rose to become a Fouding Father. It is an inspirational tale, and most of the play’s actors and actresses are people of color. After watching the play, send us your comments to
dmurphy@risingmediagroup.com
