As a Hispanic, I am fascinated on how a simple word has plagued generations of African American and Hispanic groups through their plight within the UnitedStates. The term "minority" has always inferred negative connotations, but ithas also compelled us to move ahead. Unfortunately, not all persons have surpassed the barriers that bounded them into poverty-stricken, urban communities. These persons have been labeled and conditioned as second-class citizens for so long, that it eventually became a permanent fixture in their livelihood. Thus, it is imperative that African Americans and Hispanics unite to redefine "minority" through political, community, and educational relationships.
We all share similar experiences as minorities living in the United States. Throughout history, both groups had not been acknowledged as fellow Americans, and instead, foreign people. Early African Americans had been slaves until the Emancipation Proclamation, and granted citizenship by the Fourteenth Amendment (Shrafritz, 2007, pp. 449-450). Early Hispanics had received limited citizenship as a result of U.S. conquest, for example: the Treaty of Guadelupe Hidalgo and the Treaty of Paris (Library, 2005; Ojeda, 2002). Eventually, citizenship had transpired into voting rights through the enactment of the Fifteenth Amendment. Followed by, state
discriminatory practices that had placed restrictions through literacy and language requirements. Thus, the struggle for American identity has thrived for more than a century.
It is through this past that we must build better political relationships inside and outside our communities. As minority groups, we need to go above and beyond our voting rights. We need to volunteer our services to local politicians, and encourage them to deal with our issues in poverty, education, and family because we are Americans. Those politicians would carry forth that agenda to officials at state and federal governments for better policies and programs. Although some urban communities have received minor improvements, others are far worse due to the silence. Politicians will not make changes unless a larger group presents itself. Therefore, African Americans and Hispanics must join under the title that has belittled us for so long, and reinterpret it as extraordinary people.
Furthermore,our extraordinary circumstances have afforded the United States with its outstanding reputation. However, equality has not reached into our communities as we thought it would. Some minorities move ahead with the help of education, and move out to the suburbs without looking back. It would be most beneficial if they took on responsibility as leaders, by hosting forums at local schools, churches, and shelters. Motivation is driven by listening, so that others will believe that opportunity exists.
Community relationships amongst each other are also important. Minority groups must make the effort to know their neighbors and work together. As a neighborhood force, they can manage the streets for the purpose of crime prevention, cleanier neighborhoods, and protection of the youth. If this action is taken, communities would be given better media coverage instead of the portrayal of bad neighborhoods. People need to show that they care for their communities, and will not compromise for less.
Educational relationships are also significant for the rise of minorities. Parents need to attend school conferences and urge the school administration to change its curriculum. Children are taught a narrow interpretation of American history that barely mentions their culture. In grade school, African American and Hispanic youth need to understand their culture and its development within the United States so that they feel empowered. If education only includes what Anglo Americans performed throughout history, then minority youth would not be prompted into higher learning. Minority groups must challenge the educational system within their communities.
In addition to educating our youth, colleges should continue to support the needs of African Americans and Hispanics who demonstrate the willingness to succeed. Historically Black Colleges & Universities have been created to empower minorities when other institutions have discouraged them until the implementation of affirmative programs. But it is through these colleges that young adults have become prominent professionals in many fields. Minorities require the best education regardless of their economic background. Colleges should aim to mandate all students to volunteer, join clubs, and enter fellowship programs. Students must visualize themselves as leaders throughout their intellectual development instead of future salaries. Therefore, all collegiate professors should prompt their students to perform presentations along with their research projects. They should be given the same attention as the institutions’ athletic teams. They should turn their focus away from sports, but toward a practical ideology. The ideology would have to be profound, for example, politics. The restructuring of college education would be the final step in redefining "minority."
In lieu of these proposals, African Americans and Hispanic groups would no longer feel as second-class citizens through the term "minority." As extraordinary people, they need to terminate the stigma that has overridden their livelihood. In this new plight, they can finally experience the final phase of equality, that is, the pursuit of happiness.
