Classic cars help close cultural gaps in community

In the days when we were growing up, there was a stereotype about Mexican-Americans having old lowrider Chevys. My friend was not dispelling a certain stereotype about Mexican-Americans – but that was a good thing.

We were at the Cajon Classic Cruise car show in Downtown El Cajon.

The irony is that stereotype brought us together; we white kids loved those old Chevys. Our ancestries were different, but our appreciation of old cars and motorcycles gave us something in common.

In the days when we were growing up, there was a stereotype about Mexican-Americans having old lowrider Chevys. My friend was not dispelling a certain stereotype about Mexican-Americans – but that was a good thing.

We were at the Cajon Classic Cruise car show in Downtown El Cajon.

The irony is that stereotype brought us together; we white kids loved those old Chevys. Our ancestries were different, but our appreciation of old cars and motorcycles gave us something in common.

My trips to Cajon Classic Cruise have allowed me to learn which restaurants in Downtown El Cajon have happy hour specials. Last year I was sitting at the bar with a black man – I’d call him an African-American if he was not actually from the Caribbean because he proved himself to be like other Americans.  What mattered was not that his skin was black but that his 1964 El Camino was black. 

We did not have a skin color in common, but we had classic cars in common.

The whites, Hispanics, and blacks come together for Cajon Classic Cruise. So do the Iraqis who have established a presence in El Cajon. 

One car I was appreciating had for sale signs both in English and in Arabic. 

Many of the cars which are not for sale have information about the vehicle displayed on the windshield, and one car had that information both in English and Spanish. 

Those who appreciate classic cars are international, just as the Volkswagens and Datsuns, which join the Chevys, Fords, Dodges, and Studebakers, are international. 

Muscle cars, sports cars, woody station wagons, family sedans, hot rods, early 20th century roadsters, trucks, vans, and motorcycles provide a variety of vehicles to view. 

There is also variety in the viewers of the Cajon Classic Cruise vehicles.

Classic cars and car shows featuring such vehicles bring people together. 

We have our differences, but we have the appreciation of classic cars in common. 

Cajon Classic Cruise benefits the economy of Downtown El Cajon by bringing people from multiple geographic communities to the area. 

The car shows also bring people from multiple ethnic communities to the area as one community of classic car fans.