Divided and Conquered
With more black Latinos in the western world than black Americans, “Black” is a bad choice of a word to address conflicts with Latinos. It is better to say that African-Americans and Latinos are divided and conquered. Both communities suffer from discrimination, prejudice, and police brutality. At the La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley, CA, a Mexican-American woman pointed out in her presentation that in Texas, Mexicans were also lynched; not just African-Americans.Both communities have destructive elements that are destroying more lives than the KKK and the police have ever done.
There are people in very high places who have no love for African-Americans or Latinos. What need do these bigots have for the Ku Klux Klan when there are gangs, drug dealers, and other terrorists doing all of their their dirty work. Both Latino and African-American communities have destructive elements that are destroying more lives than the KKK and the police have ever done.
I grew up in New York City where blacks and Latinos, mostly Puerto Ricans, lived side by side. We partied together. Some of us dated each other, and in college, blacks and Latinos formed alliances. At the State University of New York at Albany where I went to school, our Black Student Alliance ended up changing its name because so many Latinos joined us. There was a time when the Black Panther Party, Young Lords Party (Puerto Rican), and Brown Berets (Mexican-American) stood for a common cause.
I wonder how many of these hateful gang bangers, like the Mexican Mafia, know that Mexico's liberator and second president Vicente Guerrero was half black. Now, I'm confused. I realize that you will find ignorance in every ethnic group, including mine, but when I meet Latinos who are prejudiced against blacks I can't help but wonder if it is the ghetto trash that they don't like or is it the upstanding, productive black citizens that they don't like, or is it simply the color of black skin that they don't like?
Recently, a Latin-American woman was in my office for employment consultation. Upon looking at the travel pictures hanging on my wall, she said to me that it is nice meeting an intelligent African-American. I'm thinking, what the hell--where has she been all of her life? If she were to hang out with me for one day or even visit my church, all she would see are intelligent, professional, business-oriented African-Americans.
When I used to work as a recruiter for a nation-wide job training program, a Spanish-speaking mother apparently thought I was different because I was able to communicate in Spanish. She asked me if a lot of blacks attended this institution because she was worried about her daughter. I discussed her concern with a Latino co-worker, and he confirmed that this is the reputation a lot of African-Americans have among Latinos.
Perhaps, this might explain why so many Latin-American immigrants are prejudiced against blacks in this country. They are prejudiced against blacks in their home countries.
Thoughts started coming to me about how these prejudiced Latinos might feel about their fellow Latinos of African heritage. “Oh they're different,” I've been told. They are not like us African-Americans. Then, there are other Latinos who say to me, “don't divide us--we are all Latinos and we are one.” But when I look at Spanish TV, I see hardly any black Latinos. When I pick up a Spanish newspaper, I hardly see any black Latinos unless they are criminals, athletes, or entertainers. When I travel to Latin-American countries with sizable black populations, the blacks are grossly underrepresented in government, business, and industry. Perhaps, this might explain why so many Latin-American immigrants are prejudiced against blacks in this country. They are prejudiced against blacks in their home countries.
I was appalled during the Rodney King riots when African-American thugs attacked Latinos who also get roughed up by the police.
However, none of this justifies the prejudice some African-Americans have towards Latinos. I was appalled during the Rodney King riots when African-American thugs attacked Latinos. What for? They didn't beat up Rodney King; in fact, many Latinos get roughed up by the police too. I'm not sure how or when this African American-Latino conflict started, but I see it as utter stupidity on both sides. Some say this conflict started with the prison gangs such as the Mexican Mafia, and spilled on into the streets among gang-bangers, especially in Los Angeles. I wonder how many of these hateful Mexicans realize the Mexico's second president Vicente Guerrero was half black, and the state of Guerrero where you will find the city of Acapulco was named in his honor.
Note: As of today, November 27, 2011, I've visited Perú, Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela, and can´t help but notice how blacks and browns live together, get along, and even intermarry. I've seen more than my share of black people with brown babies and brown people with black babies. Although, I have a preference for dark women, more brown women took an interest in me.
I have a lot of stuff to add to what you say but also to challenge some of what you say and said! I will do so l8er!
ReplyDeleteWhat it boils down to is plain and simple. People feel more comfortable with the people who share similar genetic traits with as well as cultural traits. Instead of looking at it as racism look at it more like tribes.
ReplyDeleteWhen a person of a different tribe comes in to contact with another tribe people are suspicious & of course not always accepting. Especially when they are vying for the same resources. Really even different Native tribes fought over the same resources & if their are distinct traits in features then you have an easier time convincing a group of people to oppose another group of people.
If you look at a large percentage of the Mexican Native population their is a lot of pride in origin & to a large extent much more tension against Africans vs Spanish with many adopting Christianity mainly Roman Catholicism also Spanish as their primary language & of course some even intermarrying becoming mestizo.
You must understand and identify the key players in this. You have the Spanish who look European & their offspring the Criollo. Then you have the Mestizos who are part Spanish & part Native American. Then you have the Natives unmixed. After that you have Mulattoes who are a much smaller group & have their small towns located by the coast line & Zambos or Pardos black indian mix. Then you have an even smaller African community that is the biggest minority & has the toughest time being accepted because they are seeing as outsiders & can be more at risk at being targeted by other tribes.
In order to combat this their is safety in numbers and this is why people are usually located in the same towns and stick together for protection. At the end of the day it all reverts back to tribes.
Mr or Ms Anonymous,
ReplyDeletePlease take your time and read the whole post before you make your comments.
first I must say I do like your blog because you have a lot of good information. However, like everything this is a very complicated subject & their are many puzzle pieces that may not be clear to everyone. All I am trying to do is also add more input on the subject. As minorities regardless if you are African, Afro Latino, Mulatto, Pardo, Hispanic/Latino, Mestizo, Asian, Jew, or other we all need to of course try to coexist.
ReplyDeleteI did read all of your blog. However, I feel you are lumping different people together and categorizing them all as Latinos. Their are big differences from the people from the east coast compared to west coast. The east coast or people from the Caribbean tend to have African ancestry compared to many of the south west who have more indigenous or native ancestry & of course some have none.
When you talk about Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Cubans you have a high percentage of Afro Latinos like Sammy Sosa, Carlos Delgado, David Ortiz, Jose Reyes, Don Omar,Jose Contreas, Tego Calderon, Ivy Queen, Jose Valverde, Lala Vasquez, Rosario Dawson, Zoe Saldana.
The Reason Domincans refer to themselves as Latinos is because they are the majority & actually the whites are the minority on the island compared to Mexico where Africans & mulatos & zambos are the minority & are not treated equally.
The Dominican Republic were brain washed like North Koreans have been to believe untruthful information.
Adding to the ill-defined concepts of race and identity are the strides made by Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, and his campaign of Blanquismo. Trujillo, through violent action and political policy, shaped the Dominican landscape of racial identity, continuously championing Eurocentricity over Africanism, and by default supporting the Indio heritage.
Eventually Trujillo allowed entrance to the Dominican Republic of Jewish refugees fleeing Europe, and Republican exiles from the Spanish Civil war, as an attempt to “lighten the race.” Moreover, Trujillo declared Merengue the national music of the Dominican Republic, and had the music and dance subsequently modeled after the European Waltz, a cultural manifestation of his wish to make his country appear more European, at least on the surface. source dr1
The reason African Enslavement began was because the Taino were on the brink of extinction on the island of Hispaniola due to war with the Spanish, Disease brought by Europeans
Source Wikipedia
An estimated 400,000 Taínos living on the island were soon enslaved to work in gold mines. As a consequence of oppression, forced labor, hunger, disease, and mass killings, it is estimated that by 1508 that number had been reduced to around 50,000. By 1535, only 6,000 were still alive
If in 1535 on 6,000 Tainos were left it really doesn't support the DR as Indio population. Mathematically it is impossible. especially if the majority were women. 4000 women to 2000 men. If you cut that in half an estimate that all the Tainos married the 2000 men & that 1000 of the women married Spanish men & the other 1000 married African men then around 15% of the island has Taino ancestry. Which is not even a quarter of the population. It is around the same for Spanish 15% as well.
You also have to include in that 15% I meant to put Europeans because it is not all Spanish, but also Jews, Lebanese, Palestinian, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Danes, Hungarians, Irish ='s a small percent. We also know not all intermarried so the majority of the island makeup is African ancestry Rafael Soriano Alfonso Soriano Sammy Sosa Ervin Santana Felipe Alou Antonio Alfonseca & Robinson Cano who was named after guess who Jackie Robinson who was the first African to play in the Major Leagues
When you look at people like Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan, Bencio Del Toro, Fidel Castro, William Levy, you are dealing with Latinos who are the minority on these islands.
When you talk about Southwest and West Coast of the United States you have a different circumstance. More native indigenous ancestry & many may come from a less affluent means. This is why you have many blacks and Latinos clashing because many times they are fighting for the same resources.
ReplyDeleteAn example is George Lopez who looks way more indigenous but is Mestizo compared to Jessica Alba who has more European ancestry but has no clue about her culture compared to Paulina Rubio, or Oscar Del Hoya or even Cain Velasquez who have pride in where they come from.
Really you just have to really try and figure out the different type of peoples you are dealing with. The U.S puts us all in one basket which leads to major confusing when dealing with people from Spanish speaking countries.
When you look at Super Model Giselle Budenchen she is not Latina even though she is from Brazil she is German. Same with Alberto Fujimora who is Japanese or Asian but not Latino.
Again we all need to coexist & respect each other but their are differences & those difference can sometimes lead to friction in the barrios or ghettos.
Thanks, Mr/Ms Anonymous. And, most of all, thank you for all your visits.
ReplyDeleteWell Bill I really enjoy your blog and all the subjects you are writing about. Your blogs help clarify a lot of issues that many people have questions about or are uninformed about. I hope that I also can add a bit of clarity as well on some of these subjects & discussions.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Anonymous. I appreciate all of your feedback, and I'm glad you found my blog.
ReplyDeleteMost people that have posted comments need to do some research. Concerning Latinos, yes we have significant African heritage but for the most part we are not Black and don't want to be identified as such. (one drop rule doesn't apply in Latin America)We especially don't want to identified Blacks in America. They act like they are the master race but if you look at statistics they ruin everything they touch. I'm speaking in general of course because you have some African Americans who have excelled in every field, however the overwhelming majority are a bad example of civilization. Sorry but thats the only conclusion. This is coming from a Puerto Rican whose great grandmother was a very Black Haitan If you want to debate my email is Jav3e2000@yahoo.com
ReplyDelete:::::::giggling::::::: I just love a good debate :-) Mr or ms Anonymous, I never met you personally so I don't know what color you are. I do know that there are more Latin-Americans of African descent than there are Estadounidenses (Americans) of African descent. That is a fact. There is a saying in Perú: El no tiene inga tiene mandinga (if you are not of Indian blood, you are of African blood). Since your abuelita (grandma) was Afro-Haitian, you and many other Latinos are much closer to us mayates or moyetes, LOL, than you realize. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I'll be in touch, “hermanito.”
ReplyDeleteBill,
ReplyDeleteThere is enough information out their to help you educate the author or authoress's comments about everything Blacks touch they ruin. I am on another email list and that is what one "White contributor" states about 98% of people of African ancestry and he makes no qualm about his statistics or claims Ancient and modern African people and their offspring have quite an extensive and impressive history. Our contributions are great and Brazil is one of those countries whose Afro-Brasileiro populations are moving in th at direction of black pride and they are still Brasileiros and finally claiming that honor. It is going to take a few generations for our Latino brothers and sisters to catch up. There are still Latino, African, and Asian people who have bought into the beauty concepts to be fashioned after Caucasians. This is very sad and especially among our women and some of our men. This is the effect of colonialism which tentacles reach long, far and wide over milleniums. Keep up the loving fight against the divide and conquer onslaught upon our peoples and I include all of us. El Negro que le encanta bailar todo lo Latino.