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Sandra Cisneros: New Mexico Needs 'Truth And Reconciliation'

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Noted Mexican-American writer Sandra Cisneros says New Mexico needs a "truth and reconciliation commission" like South Africa to address its history of violence between Hispanics and Native Americans. Cisneros told The Associated Press this week that such a commission could help bridge divisions between descendants of Spanish settlers, Mexican immigrants, and American Indians. Her comments come as Native American students are seeking to change the seal of the University of New Mexico. The students say the seal with a Spanish conquistador and white settlers refers to the state's violent past and makes American Indians students feel uncomfortable. Cisneros says she considered relocating to New Mexico but changed her mind because she felt some of the state's Hispanics looked down on down on Americans of Mexican descent.