The presidential race has created a political firestorm over many societal ills that plague this country. One of the most interesting and troublesome for me is the “Black and Brown Divide.”
As the primary moves to Texas, pollsters, pundits, and papers nationwide have chose to zero in on the question – why don’t black and brown people get along? The response to this question feeds into a bunch of other questions – can Obama woo the Latino vote? Why do the Clintons have such a stronghold on this voting bloc? The answers to these questions will only be answered at the end of the primaries when all the votes are counted and the nomination is in.
The one thing that I do know is this:
We are not the enemy. Nosotros no somos el enemigo.
Some Black people have a tendency to look at Latinos and focus on the differences – some Latinos have more European features, longer and straighter hair, and the most obvious, a different language. Many brothers and sisters feel as if Latinos are taking jobs away from Black people. Many have strong opinions about illegal immigration and most of it surrounds Latino illegals.
Some personas latinas believe that they are better than Black people in the United States because there seems to be a higher level of acceptance of them in this country. They are some that would rather their daughter come home with a nice young white boy than to come home with a black boy. Even in their native countries, Black hermanos y hermanas are looked down upon.
Guess What?
We are not the enemy. Nosotros no somos el enemigo.
What many seem to agree on is that this is more than an exercise in race relations. It is ultimate struggle for power in this country - power that is in its absolute form NEITHER ONE OF US HAVE.
So where does that leave us?
Well we are more alike than we care to admit – we both live with exuberance and love with intensity. We want the next generation to do better than us. Unfortunately, we have both been disproportionately impacted by racism, teen pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, chronic disease, disparities in healthcare, and drug abuse.
We have the power through collaboration and our vote to work together to move forward with our common agenda. We should work together to eliminate this chasm that gets in our way.
As the primary moves to Texas, pollsters, pundits, and papers nationwide have chose to zero in on the question – why don’t black and brown people get along? The response to this question feeds into a bunch of other questions – can Obama woo the Latino vote? Why do the Clintons have such a stronghold on this voting bloc? The answers to these questions will only be answered at the end of the primaries when all the votes are counted and the nomination is in.
The one thing that I do know is this:
We are not the enemy. Nosotros no somos el enemigo.
Some Black people have a tendency to look at Latinos and focus on the differences – some Latinos have more European features, longer and straighter hair, and the most obvious, a different language. Many brothers and sisters feel as if Latinos are taking jobs away from Black people. Many have strong opinions about illegal immigration and most of it surrounds Latino illegals.
Some personas latinas believe that they are better than Black people in the United States because there seems to be a higher level of acceptance of them in this country. They are some that would rather their daughter come home with a nice young white boy than to come home with a black boy. Even in their native countries, Black hermanos y hermanas are looked down upon.
Guess What?
We are not the enemy. Nosotros no somos el enemigo.
What many seem to agree on is that this is more than an exercise in race relations. It is ultimate struggle for power in this country - power that is in its absolute form NEITHER ONE OF US HAVE.
So where does that leave us?
Well we are more alike than we care to admit – we both live with exuberance and love with intensity. We want the next generation to do better than us. Unfortunately, we have both been disproportionately impacted by racism, teen pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, chronic disease, disparities in healthcare, and drug abuse.
We have the power through collaboration and our vote to work together to move forward with our common agenda. We should work together to eliminate this chasm that gets in our way.
The Black/Brown debate is personal to me because as a product of a Black American mother and an Afro-Latino father, I would love for these groups of powerful people to form a coalition that transcends race, nationality, language, or ethnicity. As one, we become more than a political bloc that would fuel media madness – we become a force to be reckoned with. Now that's true power!
With that I wish you all the best today and always.
G
3 comments:
I just learned something after reading your blog. Being an Afro-Amer woman, I never knew Latinos were referred to as brown. I always associated any shade of black or brown as a person from my own race. Like the whole black/brown thing, I believe that we are all the same. We have both experienced the same type of racism and have very similar struggles in life. I personally grew up in a very multicultural world (schools/community) and many of my friends were Latinos, Cape Verdian, West Indians, etc. Growing up in that type of environ. has made me appreciate others differences and caused me not to believe I was better than anyone else.
Nosotros somos la familia!
No truer words have been written. Thanks for taking the time to check in.
Unless we can realize the fact that there is always stregnth in numbers, we will always be in the same position of looking up to the same people that look down on us. We(black & brown) hold a shade to desire, through appearance and spirit, both of which are so beautiful!!! That was just a reality check. Fact; WE will never fall together, because we will always be on top of...(you fill that in). This only happens if we ever come to the realization our worth!!! Thank you, mi lady G!!!
~Cy~
Post a Comment