Hispanics, African Americans, and all others must partner for change. Today’s world is too complex and interwoven for anyone to think that issues can be dealt with by isolating certain elements of a society such as ethnicity. The issues are broader than any set of demographics and so individuals must broaden their minds in order to fully understand and attack the issues. No matter what type of person we are, the political system directly affects us. The only way to shock the system is by flooding it. We should band together because there truly is strength in numbers and when our representatives feel intense pressure from all sides at once, we will see change.To strengthen cross-cultural relationships I believe that first, political and cultural, local and national leaders, should openly and consistently partner with other leaders across ethnic, class, social, and party lines. This will show their communities how effective cooperation can be in getting things done. Secondly, I think cross-cultural venues would directly change the dynamics of the relationships among various ethnicities. By venues I mean concerts, poetry slams, art shows, sporting events, high school dances, library book clubs, you name it. Let us see a library in an African American community include books by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Amy Tan on their reading lists. Let us see an art Gallery in an Hispanic community feature works by Romare Bearden, or an Asian theater feature a play by Suzan Lori Parks. I believe that outreach at this level will begin to embed multicultural values in our minds and spirits. And finally I think that individuals can help by beginning to educate themselves about other people and learn to appreciate the diversity and similarity among us. In the end, such knowledge and appreciation will contribute to understanding and valuing ourselves.Quality education is the first thing that Historically Black schools can continue providing to serve our needs. Such institutions should not only continue to provide quality education in professional fields such as architecture, engineering, medicine, teaching etc, but also in cultural and political studies. I encourage all institutions to always find ways to boost those particular areas of study along with the other areas. Provide a variety of foreign language courses, history courses of all minorities present in the U.S., or even history courses that compare the political strategies of various ethnic groups in certain time periods. I think schools should continue to promote awareness, involvement, and community outside of the classroom in every way possible. This can be done by sponsoring local groups, continuing to draw political leaders of all backgrounds to campuses, or continuing to emphasize the university as a community itself through programs and events. The best thing that schools can do for young minority students is ingrain in us the passion to affect change, instill in us a longing to give back to our communities, and foster a healthy sense of place and a healthy sense of person in a world where we have limited or no access to either.
