African Americans and Hispanics have many things in common, so it would be very beneficial for them to work together. Both groups are disadvantaged in many ways, when compared to whites. Poor health care access, discrimination in housing, in education, in the justice system, in employment, and poverty are some issues faced by both minority groups. There is strength in numbers, so as minorities, both these groups should ban together to address these very important issues.African Americans are considered primarily descendents of enslaved Africans living in the United States. There are approximately forty million African Americans living in the United States, which is about thirteen percent of the total population. Hispanics on the other hand, are mainly from Mexico, Cuba and Argentina. These immigrants choose to flee because of adverse political and economic circumstances in their countries. Those from Mexico arriving in the United States came mainly from poor areas, mainly lower class citizens, who were desperately in need of improving their standard of living. The largest group of Mexicans came between the 1970’s and the 1990’s. Some of the immigrants from Cuba were wealthier, with businesses and professional occupations, but they were fleeing political oppression and the communist agenda of their leader, President Fidel Castro. This minority group called, Hispanics are the Spanish speaking immigrants in the United States. They comprise fifteen percent of the total population with a total of about forty-four million. Both African American and Hispanics, living in the United States are labeled as minorities, so they face the same political, cultural, communication, and community issues regardless of their origin. More communication and interaction between African Americans and Hispanics would strengthen the relationship between these two groups. Since African Americans have caused outstanding changes in society, Hispanics should unite with African Americans to make more contributions. The gain by African Americans through the civil rights struggle, not only gained certain outstanding rights for African Americans, but for the society at large. The outcome of this struggle has changed the entire American society in many ways for all Americans regardless of race. As the minority group before the 1950’s, African Americans were still in the shadow of slavery and oppression. But with heroes like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., African Americans and their supporters challenged the nation to make changes and treat all men as being created equal. With the accomplishments of these struggles and marches the United States has made many improvements in the treatment of African Americans. Hispanics are now reaping a lot of the success of those struggles, so they should work with African Americans to address political, cultural, communication and community issues. African Americans, like Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, Benjamin Carson, George Washington Carver and many others have contributed a lot in the area of music, art, foods, medicine, communication, transportation and clothing styles. Hispanics are also gifted in these areas and in the construction industry. So if both groups join together there would be major outstanding accomplishments as a result. Pooling talent, skills, and good work ethic would create better communities, both economically and socially. Communities should be more like the schools, integrated with both African Americans and Hispanics. This would lead to more communication and interaction between these two minority groups and also lead to better relationships. The most important thing needed to strengthen the relationship between African Americans and Hispanics in our society, is love for one another. If we love each other and treat each other as we would like to be treated then, there would be less killings, less crimes overall and more tolerance. It is hard to genuinely love someone and at the same time hurt that person. If we follow the principles of the bible and love our neighbors as ourselves, and treat them the way we would like to be treated then we would have a great relationship between all groups.Also letting go of cultural idioms and being more open to changes will strengthen the relationship between the African American and Hispanic communities in the United States. African Americans have lived in the United States for a longer period of time, so have been more historical, and are considered the more influential minority group in the United States. They have become independent of African traditions in America more so than Hispanic groups. They have adapted to the cultural styles here and not imposed the ones from their homeland but they have become more integrated into the American society. They have greatly improved their social and economic standing significantly since the early days of the civil Rights Movement. This is due to the easier access to education and employment. They are considered to be disadvantaged to whites but great improvements have been made. So to strengthen the relationship between the African Americans and the Hispanic communities there should be more interaction and communication between both groups. Historically Black colleges and universities should continue to support the needs of African American students and that of the growing Hispanic and Afro-Hispanic population as education is the key to changes. This can be done through scholarships, mentoring and tutorial programs. Education will create change in the economic and social status of the community with better social conditions and a stronger and better economic growth in the community these minority groups will be able to live and work in unity. Better educated individuals will have the funds for healthcare, access to better medical care and an overall improvement in the standard of living. This would reduce the number of under-insured, poor and unemployed African Americans and Hispanics living in the United States. At present healthcare is very limited and in some cases non-existent for these minority groups. Crime and **** are more pronounced in the poorer, urban communities occupied by more African Americans and Hispanics. This serious, ongoing issue can be reduced if these people have more access to education, which will improve the community.
