“Now is the time to lift our Nation from the sand of racial injustice to the solid rock of Brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.”
Dr Martin Luther King, from the I have a dream speech
It is in the spirit of Dr. Kings comment that I submit to you that African Americans and Hispanics in the United States should work together to address political, cultural, communication, and community issues. But even beyond Dr. King’s appeal to morality and justice, I identify some pragmatic reasons for advocating this course. First of all, the US is becoming increasingly black and brown. African Americans cannot ignore the 39 Million Hispanics who currently make up the largest US minority group. Some demographers postulate that in the next half century, there will be twice as many Hispanics at Blacks in the US. Traditionally, Blacks and Latinos have been co-participants in the struggle to find a place a country that has been dominated by Whites for over 400 years. The battle to overcome economic inequity, disparity in education, discrimination and prejudice still rages on. Remember that there is strength in unity and that Blacks and Latinos have more to gain by working together than by working against each other. Moreover, unity between black and brown is perfectly in accord with the mission of most HBCU’s – cultivating tolerance, global perspective, multiculturalism, respect for others, a commitment to social justice, and a belief in the power of Truth and Knowledge to elevate the human condition. By diversifying their student bodies and educating a growing segment of the population, HBCU’s can help ease the tension between the races and find a common ground with the larger society. Many actions can be taken to strengthen the relationship between the African American and Hispanic communities living within the United States. By creating dialogue and understanding between the two communities, Blacks and Latinos will be better able to judge each other, not by skin color, but rather by the content of their character. This in turn allows healing to take place and racial divides to be bridged. According to the Equal Justice Society,” one component of racial healing is justice under the law. Justice is difficult to achieve when the law fails to reflect the actual experiences and perceptions of communities who have seen and felt discrimination.” Empower the Black and the Brown, and together their fortunes will rise. Education is power. Education is the first step towards the Light of friendly Afro-Latin relations. HBCUs have a unique opportunity to create an atmosphere of solidarity and respect for all people of color, by impressing upon them the need to develop strong character and practice Love (as described by both MLK and Jesus) for the purpose of repairing the frayed and sometimes broken relationships between racial and ethnic groups.HBCUs should continue to support the needs of African Americans, but also the needs of Hispanics for all the reasons cited above. HBCUs should go about doing it by opening their doors and coffers to all qualified applicants who can bring something to the collegiate experience. It is becoming much more challenging to attract candidates with sufficient numbers to keep enrollment up and the schools need those students. Let us consider the words of H. Patrick Swygert, when he addressed his colleagues at the 2nd Annual African American Leadership Summit: “With significantly less funding from the state and much smaller endowments than mainstream schools, it is not surprising that as the cost of higher education increases, HBCUs are among the most vulnerable; or that they are less able to pay their top faculty and staff what they deserve; keep abreast with technology and attract the clientele they want and in sufficient numbers.”HBCU ‘s need students (of color or otherwise) to fill their dwindling classrooms. By reaching out to Latinos, HBCU’s can better meet their enrollment goals while continuing to provide a quality education to worthy recipients in an environment that is sensitive to the cultural needs of all.
