From the beginning of our existence up until this present time, it has always been that the gaze of the dominant white man has been what matters in society. It is time for the oppressed to begin to rise up and improve our own ontology and see our self worth. In every aspect of life, the combining of strengths including educational, political, financial and cultural are essential to the advancement of the colored minorities of this country. It is important that the African Americans and Hispanics work together to advance one another because if we don't then we will continue to be stuck in the vicious cycle which is still ever present today of the mediocre minority. This nation has always been one that has advocated political and cultural pride, but that seems to shut out all those who are not exactly like you, which is really everyone. The solution is for the blacks and Hispanics to cross all cultural lines and break down all social constructions so that we can have one of us in the higher powers of the government. The government of this country has always been run by the white man, and we all know that is time for a political revolution. In order for Barack Obama to win the presidential election next year, he will need the full backing of the blacks and Hispanics of this nation. If all do not support him, then it will more than likely discourage any other minorities from running for office in the future. We must also work as a unified unit to address the community issues, because if we don’t do it as one, then we will all be ignored. It may be an example of hegemony where these unlikely pieces of culture combine to form a group that will not be crafted and formed by the dominant culture. The communities in which blacks and Hispanics live in today are still on the level of poverty to the bare minimum, and it should not be like that. But as long as we stay content and passive, then our communities, schools, parks, and everything will still be considered second rate. The main problem that we as minorities must address is how we truly can build bridges between our cultures and not be so introverted and so concerned about ourselves. The relationship gap between the blacks and Hispanics can't be solely blamed on the language barrier, but that is part of the problem. It is sad that the Hispanics are forced to learn our language, but we do not have to learn their language. It should be made mandatory that black people learn Spanish and be able to carry a conversation. We have become so comfortable in our easy lifestyles of being monolingual, that we forget that our Hispanic brothers and sisters have a beautiful language that can not be ignored. In our schools, we should be integrated more so that Spanish can be taught like it is a language that is important. We have become so ethnocentric that the feelings, culture and language of the Hispanics has become unimportant. So because of the need for the bridging of the cultural gap, it does lie on the shoulders of the institutions of higher learning to make sure that the young blacks and Hispanics are given proper role models and given a chance to excel in life. The Universities need to take it upon themselves not to give minorities tons of sports scholarships, but push them more towards academic endeavors. The HBC's need to be the ones that give blacks and Hispanics a comfortable environment in which to broaden their horizons and be able to explore the other cultures of this great country. The universities should not give minorities special opportunities that we have not earned. Make us push ourselves to a new level so new talent and skills can be uncovered. Martin Luther King Jr. said to not wallow in the valley of despair. I feel that sometimes institutions of higher learning let us wallow in our despair, instead of pushing us to the mountain top. It is time for us to scale to new heights as both Hispanics and Blacks can and will do. We can't try to imitate anything that we have seen done in the past either, but it is time for new ideas to spring forth because it is a new day. Blacks and Hispanics have new doors opened that were never opened before, and now is the time to seize the day. Emerson said in his Self-Reliance essay, "There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; and that imitation is ****." Emerson saw the importance of a free mind that pursues what is his own passion and conviction. The Blacks and Hispanics are in a time when the border issue is one that can not be fought alone, but must be backed by all so that equal rights are given to all. We must join together as a strong unit that knows conformity will **** our quest to strengthen our cultures. Emerson also said, "Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind." It is encouraging to see that blacks and Hispanics can come to the realization that life past the inequality and oppression is truly attainable.
