Dr. Robert Mendoza is a psychologist who has been working in the field of forensic mental health for fifteen years. Born in New Mexico, he has moved to the East to pursue a very successful career. He is also a forensic neuropsychologist, having completed his fellowship in neuropsychology at Harvard Medical School. He performs over 100 assessments a year for criminal and civil cases involving exposure to toxic substances, dementia, as well as criminal responsibility and competency-to-stand-trial evaluations. In addition to being a Partner in Boston Forensics Associates, Dr. Mendoza is an Assistant Professor at Tufts Medical School and is on the staff of Tufts-New England Medical Center in the Department of Psychiatry. Robert sits on the board of several organizations, including Latin Roots.
This is a time when America commemorates the Hispanic heritage. What is the importance of the Latino presence in mainstream America?
In a word: pride. It wasn’t too long ago, when I was a kid growing up in New Mexico, that if you wanted to go to the nice schools, the ones with good education, in many ways you had to turn your back on your backtrack, your culture. You didn’t want to look too Mexican, you didn’t want to dress too Mexican; you didn’t want to sound too Mexican. It could be a cultural backlash. People would treat you poorly. I remember my parents reminding me: you are what you are in the inside; they would say all the things that would make you feel better. It was very difficult time. But this has changed in a very short time, because of the work of organizations and the work of leaders in our community who set out to say: we can be leaders in our communities, we can be leaders in education and we can still be very proud of our heritage. This month is a reminder of who we are, understanding of course that we are integral part of the community and that we have so much to offer: education, health care, and even the vibrancy of our community. It’s a good month to remind ourselves how far we’ve come and how much more we need to do to make sure that everybody is credited with the same opportunities.
Tell us about your personal history, because we don’t find so many people of Hispanic descent that have made a fine professional career. How did the Hispanic condition play out in your particular situation?
You know, it’s very difficult in my field. I do a lot of training to doctors and others and I often have to remind how there is a delicate balance: do you want to be identified as an individual, a doctor who happens to speak Spanish and who happens to be Latino or do you want to be a Latino doctor? It’s a very important distinction because too often in training doctors define someone’s pigeon hole. If a Latino patient comes, then they say: let’s give it to the Latino doctor. I try to encourage people who train to really be good at what they do and then do good to all, no matter the culture. We’re as good as any doctors in any language and any culture and that’s important. We also gain respect because they we’re not just trying to be good doctors for Latinos, they see that we’re good doctors, period. And because of that they respect our work. But it also means that Latino people and professions also make sure that we reach out to people disadvantaged in our neighborhoods, in our cultures and help lend a hand at them. The more we have, the more we need to give and sometimes it’s easy to forget. We get some success and than you say, well I’m taking care of my family and my folks, and that’s it. That’s another lesson to learn: be powered on yourself and be gentle with others.
As I Psychologist, how can the US overcome the fear of Hispanics that seems to be boiling underneath the debate over immigration?
Well, I think we started that process in a significant way in January 2009 with the election of a president that has set a new tone for this country by saying, we can challenge ourselves to be the best we can and move forward as a community and continue to reach for the better in ourselves. It starts with leadership, there needs to be a national awareness of the best in people. It’s also very practical. I think it comes with hammering away in education, demonstrating that immigration is not just the coming of Latino culture to this country, but all cultures have been major contributors to the growth and success of this country. It’s those immigration classes from all parts of the world that have actually made us the country we are. And if we believe we’re the best country in the world, which some of the opponents of immigration suggest, if we believe we’re this wonderful country, by extension we’re acknowledging the contribution of all ethnic cultures that have immigrated to this country, including Latino culture. I think we have to remind people about that and we need to push forward with legislation and hold politicians accountable, that the decisions they make: on health care to immigrants, education for immigrants, for fair housing and employment laws for immigrants. That’s what a fairness doctrine needs to be infused in our policy, and we need to hold politicians accountable. And we do that by voting, by becoming politically active, by standing by the people who abide by those fairness doctrines and those politicians who disagree we need to verbalize our disappointment and support those individuals that promote fairness. I’m not talking about one race, one culture, or one society or the other. I’m talking about fairness for everyone, about equality. And I’d like to believe that’s fundamentally American.
May just one final question. What would be the one contribution that Latino culture brings to this new making of contemporary America?
One of my personal favorites is literature. You know, I remember as a young man in high school reading Miguel de Unamuno or Federico Garcia Lorca, in English or Spanish and finding the descriptions, the language, the emotions, the description of the human condition. I think that was remarkably insightful. Our cultures, our music, our writing is full of life, so positive and affirmative. It would be wonderful to continue to include in our culture. A lot of the current entertainment and media is so negative sometimes. You wonder if there’s any hope and any meaning any more. You go back and read some of those classic works, and boy, I’ll tell you, sadness yes, but the description of the human condition is fascinating.
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