By Joyce King
Award-Winning Broadcast Veteran — Joyce King
Two years ago, hundreds of thousands of people peacefully took to the streets in dozens of U.S. cities to rally for immigration rights. Yet this Latino civil rights movement — complete with the Spanish version of We Shall Overcome — has done little to close the divide between browns and blacks. In fact, this year’s Democratic presidential race has underscored their major differences.
Research suggests that competition for jobs and social services is at least in part driving a wedge between the groups. “I think both groups try to compete so that they are not last on the food chain,” says Alex del Carmen, a professor at the University of Texas, Arlington.
Hispanics make up more than 15% of the U.S. population, in recent years eclipsing blacks — at 13% — as the largest minority group. And though blacks and Hispanics experience similar struggles in American society — such as discrimination, lower wages and education disparity — the two part ways on how they view the treatment of African-Americans.
According to a recent survey by the Pew Center:
• Two-thirds of African-Americans say blacks are discriminated against when they apply for a job. Only 36% of Hispanics believe that’s the case with blacks.
• When asked whether the conditions for blacks have improved in the past decade, 31% of African-Americans say yes. Almost half of Hispanics — 44% — believe things have gotten better for blacks.
• Sixty-five percent of blacks say they face discrimination when buying a house or renting an apartment. How do Hispanics believe blacks are treated? Only 36% say such discrimination occurs.
To some degree, though, both groups agree that “change” is important in this election, however it manifests itself. In a Super Tuesday exit poll, 46% of Hispanics and 68% of blacks said the most important candidate quality is the ability to bring about change.
Del Carmen says younger Hispanics are choosing change over tradition because they are “more confident in the system.” When it comes to black-brown divisions, though, the professor predicts that progress will remain sluggish until both sides “find a common enemy or goal (that’s) greater than our own.”
Historically, blacks and Hispanics have shared similar social and economic burdens. Each group has come to realize independently that unity and a common purpose bring political clout — and change. Will change become a common goal or a source of tension?
Without change, blacks and Hispanics will continue to struggle to overcome their differences during the next presidential election and beyond.
About The Author: Joyce King is a freelance writer and author in Dallas. A former reporter and anchor for a CBS radio affiliate, Joyce King is an award-winning twenty-year broadcast veteran. She also writes guest columns and opinion pieces for USA Today, The Christian Science Monitor, and The Dallas Morning News. Visit Joyce at: http://www.jfkjoyceking.com/
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