It would be ideal for both the African American and Hispanic communities to work together in order to achieve greatness in our country. If both of these minority populations were to combine- a powerhouse could be established in the United States and different needs for both communities could be addressed and hopefully met. Both the African American and Hispanic communities are underrepresented in the political arena. We need to unite in order to change this fact. We need to educate ourselves on the different issues/platforms and then become active. We no longer can just sit around and wait for other communities to have our best needs in mind–the passive days are over. We need to be assertive and determined-we are the only ones that know what is needed for the betterment of our communities. Without, active involvement changes may never occur. Similar to the African American community, the Hispanic community faces discrimination and stereotyping within its own community. By bonding our individual communities we are better able to strengthen our nation. By taking pride in our heritage we are able to present model images to our children and henceforth establish stronger and more influential communities. Unfortunately, our communities are often misrepresented in many areas. We need to clear up the stereotypes and help others to see what positive people we are and what constructive things we are able to accomplish. If we continue to allow ourselves to be stereotyped and misrepresented then we have no other choice but to suffer the consequences. Both the Hispanic and African American communities are so rich with culture and history I feel that it is important to know and understand each other’s past. This helps us to appreciate each other in an encouraging way. Although we may not be able to relate to each other’s past and cultures we definitely would be more likely to empathize with each other if we had a better understanding. Naturally, HBCU’s represent the African American culture and history and more specifically caters to African American wants and needs. HBCU’s help develop community pride and promote healthy relationships amongst the African American community. However, HBCU’s could also do a world of good for the Hispanic community. HBCU’s embrace the black community and I feel that this same “love” could be passed to the Hispanic community. These schools can help foster tolerance of others while uniting the communities. This would promote prosperity and growth amongst the two groups. Overall, HBCU’s focus on minority issues and that is why I feel that both communities could benefit from attending this type of college setting. Based on the old adage, “two heads are better than one” it would make more sense to combine the communities in order to work on common goals. Both groups could “profit” from improved education systems, living environments, work opportunities and overall way of life. Let the two communities work together in order to get these needs met for the positive future of society and participating communities.Valarie Gerrald
