On the conner of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and Trinity St. is a mural that inspires me everyday. The mural is painted on the walls of a Mexican restaurant and is of a great man who had that street and many others all over this country named after him. I pass by this great work of art on my way to tutor low income students in the areas of Downtown and South Los Angeles. It is in these neighborhoods that I feel the need for Blacks and Hispanics to live, work and unite as one as essential to their socioeconomic survival. As two different groups living in a in similar situations, we have to realize how very similar our goals are and how much more we can accomplish by working together. Black College & Universities and Hispanic base associations should start a conversation as it is more advantageous to represent an America of many colors. In the areas of Downtown and South Los Angeles, a lot of resentment and tension exist among Blacks and the continually growing Hispanic population. A great deal of Blacks feel resentment to the loss of once predominantly Black neighborhoods. This feeling has grown more prevalent in South Los Angeles but is nothing new. Jeff Diamond in his article “African-American Attitudes towards United Sates Immigration Policy,” points out that black sentiment toward the issue of displacement by immigrants was present even before the abolition of slavery. Free blacks, he explains, were found in a variety of occupations following the American Revolution. They were, nevertheless, displaced in the early nineteenth century by increased immigration streaming from Europe. Diamond reports that by 1820 New York City’s Black artisans were already in decline as they were increasingly relegated to more menial trades. Increasing numbers of German, and especially Irish, immigrants competed with free blacks for jobs. In the 1830s, most domestic servants in New York City were Blacks, but by the 1850s the majority was Irish.1 Efforts for Blacks to advance themselves became more difficult as some Irish fell into pro-slavery political organizations and adopted American racism. Moreover, the Irish dominated the smaller black communities economically, politically, and physically. At times anti-black **** took on major proportions. For eight days in July of 1834, immigrants attacked blacks, burning churches and houses in New York.2History undoubtly is repeating itself as a new wave of immigration flocks to the United States. But this time, it is possible to avoid the mistakes of the past by adopting the hope of a better understanding. My experience from living in South Los Angeles has lead me to conclude that Blacks and Hispanics have so much in common. We are groups of people who have been conquered, displaced and discriminated against. We live in environments that are plagued by raising high school drop out rates, low income rates, and high **** rates. We all want a piece of the American Dream and to obtain this, we must work together. Black College & Universities and Hispanic base associations should take a page out of 1978 where Black and Hispanic organizations began a series of conversations to lay the groundwork for future cooperation. Carl Holman, chair of the National Urban Coalition, and Raul Yzaguerre, president of the National Council of La Raza, began a series of meetings about common goals and strategies. This type of sentiment culminated in 1984, as the immigration debate heated up on the Simpson-Mazzoli Immigration Bill, which contained an employer sanction provision. The Reverend Jesse Jackson denounced the bill as “restrictionist and racist” as he sought the support of Hispanic leaders for the Democratic Presidential nomination. In so doing, Jackson increased pressure on black politicians to join Hispanics in opposing the legislation. Twenty voting members of the Black Caucus unanimously followed the lead of the Hispanic Caucus and opposed every “restrictionist” proposal.3 The vote against the Simpson-Mazzoli immigration bill and the first draft of the Immigration and Reform Act of 1986 reveals a coalition based on supporting liberalizing immigration, eradicating discrimination, and mutual support for advancement of Blacks and Hispanics. Black College & Universities and Hispanic base associations should start or strengthen a conversation in order to form a coalition of mutual goals that will make minorities a formidable force and make a great deal of difference. I also believe we really need to understand the principles of fairness and justice to be able to strengthen the relationship between the African American and Hispanic communities living within the United States. This understanding makes it difficult to refuse others the opportunities to escape the plight poverty and oppression. I look up to the coexistence of a Black leader and a Mexican restaurant as hope for a better relationship between Blacks and Hispanics. 1 Jeff Diamond, “African-American Attitudes towards United Sates Immigration Policy,” International Migration Review (July 1998): 452.
2 Jeff Diamond, “African-American Attitudes towards United Sates Immigration Policy,” International Migration Review (July 1998): 452.
3 Jeff Diamond, “African-American Attitudes towards United Sates Immigration Policy,” International Migration Review (July 1998): 459.
