By Earl Ofari Hutchinson
Guest Columnist
The Chicago Defender
The recent brawl between Black and Latino students at Los Angeles high schools and reports of Mexican gangs targeting Blacks momentarily grabbed national media attention and triggered police alerts. It was the latest in a series of high school clashes and reports of gun violence between Blacks and Latinos in the past couple of years.
The Black and Latino conflict is played out against L.A.'s mayoral election Tuesday. L.A. city councilman Antonio Villaraigosa is the front-runner (election results were not available by Chicago Defender press time). If elected he would become the first Latino mayor of the nation's second biggest city. He needs Black support to win, and there is much ambivalence among Black voters about him.
That's another troubling sign that Black and Latino unity is still far from a reality. Tensions between Latinos and Blacks have always lurked dangerously close to the surface. The tensions have been fueled by the changing ethnic realities in L.A. and America in the past decade. Through massive immigration and higher birth rates, the Latino population has soared. Latinos have displaced Blacks as the largest non-white minority in America. It's not just the numbers. Like Blacks many Latinos have prospered in the professions and business and have deepened their influence particularly within the Republican Party. Latinos demand that political and social issues no longer be framed solely in Black and white.
The agenda of African-Americans and Latinos diverge on Immigration, political representation, jobs, and bi-lingual education.
Immigration. Many Latino immigrants have been displaced from the land, have little education, and few job prospects in their native countries, they are "economic refugees." Survival, not assimilation, is their priority. They fiercely guard their customs, traditions, religion and language. Many prefer to live in tight-knit barrios to better preserve family ties and language. They send money home to Mexico or El Salvador and return often to visit relatives and friends. Their faces are turned as much to their native countries as America.
Jobs. Many Latinos work at low pay jobs that offer no health, union or retirement benefits. To many these jobs represent a marked improvement from the life they left. Many employers take advantage of their economic plight and hire them to work the dirtiest and most hazardous jobs in plants, factories and farms. Previously unskilled or semi-skilled white and Black workers held these jobs. The increased immigration has come at the worst possible time for poor African-American communities. They are reeling from a decade of job, education, and social service cuts. Immigrant labor competition could further marginalize the Black poor by raising joblessness, decreasing benefits, and exacerbating the crime and drug crisis.
Bilingual education. African-Americans insist that this benefits Latinos and hurts them. Cash strapped underserved inner city school districts can hardly be expected to stem the astronomical dropout and illiteracy rates among Black students, without adequate funds, materials and trained staff. Bilingual programs could further drain school districts of those badly needed resources. Latinos counter that bilingual education is crucial to improving reading and math proficiency skills for their Spanish-speaking children. Without these programs, they cannot hope to advance educationally and professionally. The solution is to spend more on the educational needs of all students. However, when the money is not there, the problem quickly is reduced to ethnic squabbling over the scarce dollars.
Political representation. The tensions have spilled over into politics. Latinos insist that their bigger numbers have changed the ethnic make-up of many neighborhoods from Black and white to brown. From the local to the national level, Latino leaders now demand their fair share of political office-holders, appointments and positions. This could erode the newfound political gains and power Blacks have won through decades of struggle. Many African-American leaders argue that the numbers that count most are the voting numbers and Blacks vote in proportionally greater numbers than Latinos. To them, power is sharing out of question.
Numbers don't really matter that much; economic power is the key. I don't think that We have to form any coalitions with anyone, but Ourselves.
Posted by: denise | Thursday, May 26, 2005 at 09:21 AM
The major problem with Black America is THE REFUSAL OF BLACK MEN AND WOMEN TO HAVE AS MANY CHILDREN AS THEY CAN AND TO STAY TOGETHER TO RAISE OUR CHILDREN.
Numbers matter and if Black America continues to foolishly listen to the advice of abortionists, feminists, dividers and 'individualism' tricksters, we are going to be pushed further back into 'minority' status behind Hispanics, Asians, Arabs/Middle Easterns, others...WE WILL BECOME AN OPPRESSED MINORITY IN OUR OWN LANDS!!!
First off Black people have forgotten their history in the US. It is a history that goes before Columbus and includes the ownership of land by Blacks in pre-Columbian times in the US ( Washitaw Terriroties, Jamassee and Guale lands in Georgia, Alabana, South Carolina; Black Californian lands in California).
As for California, Blacks (Africoid people) were in the region before the Spanish invasion and settlement in 1725. In fact the first Spanish 'explorers' asked the Indians about the Black men they saw unloading their boats on the California shores.
The Indians replied, "These curly-haired black men were trading back and forth into the Pacific Ocean (see "A History of the African-Olmecs," published by www.AuthorHouse.com also see the book by J.A. Rogers "Africa's Gift to America," with the picture of one of the Black aboriginal people of California.
Furthermore, California itself was named after a Black women Amazon Queen called Queen Califia. The Black indigenous population of California were large in numbers up to the 1800's and they fought the Spanish, Spanish occupiers of Mexico and the Anglo-American settlers. By the late 1800's the Black Californians were pacified. Many dispersed and became part of the Black population of California. (See their pictures here http://community.webtv.net/paulnubiaempire ) Read also, "Susu Economics: The History of Pan-African Trade, Commerce, Money and Wealth," published by www.AuthorHouse.com
MEXICO'S ANCIENT, COLONIAL AND MODERN BLACK POPULATION
The Black or Africoid race has existed in Mexico and the rest of the Americas since prehistoric times. In fact, to this day, there are Indians in Mexico with names that are identical to the names of African nationalities like the Mandinga. A Mexican Indian group is called Mandinga. Many place names in parts of Central America to Panama also have Manding names. Legend says (see the writings of Sahagun (the Spanish monk who translated the Maya writings) that the founder of one of Mexico's ancient civilization was an African by the name of 'Meci." He is said to have sailed to Mexico in 8 ships from the Atlantic region.
It is important to notice that one ethnic group from Southern Ethiopia is called the 'Mersi' and it is that ethnic group that has many cultural traits identical to the traits of the prehistoric Africans of the Manding-Shi groups who first entered Mexico about 3113 BC, introduced an Egyptian-type calendar to Mexico and began to form settlements in the VeraCruze region of Mexico.
Years later, these Africans joined with the Indians of the region and they established a culture all the way North to Mexico City and all the way South to Costa Rica. Black Africans of the Manding-Shi language family (the same language spoken by Cinque in the movie, 'Amistad' established and African culture in Mexico which lasted to about 400 A.D.).
Black Africans also entered Mexico during the early Middle Ages and years before the Spaniards arrived in Mexico. The Aztec King Quaquapitzuak describes these Africans as coming in from the South with goods and being black and unlike any people they had seen...that was about the 900's A.D. However, the Aztecs themselves entered a Mexico that had been built by previous inhabitants.
During the slavery period, Mexico was an importer of slaves from West Africa, Congo and Angola. In fact, an article written some years ago showed that many Afro-Mexicans have Angolan and East African Bantu names.
Black slavery in Mexico included working in the salt mines as well as other types of labor. Yet, the first Blacks in Mexico during the Spanish invasion were not slaves, they were actually Blacks who had lived in Spain as Moors or Blacks from West Africa.
UNITING AND EXPANDING THE BLACK POPULATION
The Black population in Latin America is under pressure and facing forms of genocide. Our question as Pan-Africans is what should be our course of action to help uplift and unite all the Blacks of Latin America with Black Americans.
Should BET HAVE A BLACK LATIN MUSIC AND CULTURE PROGRAM? Should Ebony and other magazines create magazines in Spanish and English for Blacks in Latin America. Should the Black Nationalist movement in the US and Black Human Rights organizations unite with those of Latin America (and in Africa, India, Melanesia, Australia)? Should Black America use Black music and culture as a tool to achieve strong Black unity on a global scale? These are questions we should ask and objectives we should work towards.
As for Blacks in Mexico. The Black population of Mexico is about one million. That is a tiny number in a population of about 90 million people. Yet, people who are over half Black or who are of Black/African ancestry in Mexico is quite large. In this case, and based on the fact that African/Black genes dominate. Blacks of mexico with African ancestry (both modern and precolumbian) should be encouraged to form a racial/ethnic group called Afro-Mexicano or Afro-Indio Mexicano. The fact is the race construct is alive and well in Mexico and the people who suffer the most from racism are Blacks and Indians. The other fact is people who would be classified as 'Negro' or 'Black' in most of the world are left in limbo in Mexico or are called 'Indian,' or simply 'Mexican,' when in fact, these are Afro-Indio or Black people. As Pan-Africanists here in the US, OUR LEADERS SHOULD START USING EFFECTIVE STRAGETY RATHER THAN BEGGING FOR FOREIGN LEADERS TO APPOLOGIZE:
Here is what Black America must do:
1. Stop supporting abortions, single-parent family as the norm, and other trends that prevent Black babies from being born and strong families from being created.
2. Promote large families. Sacrifice new cars, jewelry, vacations to Europe or South America or new clothes every month to raise some children who can become lawyers, doctors and egineers...have as many as our grandparents used to have when they were much poorer (see "Susu and Susunomics," pub. by www.iUniverse.com "A History of Racism and Terrorism, Rebellion and Overcoming," pub. by www.Xlibris.com ) THE PROBLEM FOR BLACK AMERICA TODAY IS BLACK MEN AND WOMEN ARE NOT HAVING LOTS OF CHILDREN...WE ARE BEING FOOLED TO NOT HAVE MANY CHILDREN ONLY TO FIND OURSELVES OUTSMARTED AND DRIVEN BACK INTO THE 1950'S.
3. It's time to be stingy and to stop wasting money. WE MUST FIND WAYS TO SAVE, CREATE AN ECONOMIC POWERHOUSE SO WE DO NOT HAVE TO BEG FOR JOBS. Listen to JOE MADISON, www.joemadison.com www.xmradio.com "POWER 169" AM 1450 7am to 10 am (mon - fri..also weekends 7am to 12 am). Read great books like "Susu Economics,' www.AuthorHouse.com and "Susu and Susunomics," pub. by www.iUniverse.com
5. Fortyfy already existing regional Americas-African orgainzations like THE ORGANIZATION OF AFRICANS IN THE AMERICAS, THE O.A.A. Work to liberate, Unite and uplift Blacks in Latin Amercia. We are the same people from the same origins and we must find a way to work together to ensure our survival and progress.
6. Work to establish a regional Black 'Superstate' in the Americas. There are about 250 million to 300 million Blacks in the Americas from Canada to Brazil. We have to find a way to establish a single Black entity despite our different religions and cultures. THAT ENTITY CAN BE THE REVIVAL OF THE PAN-YORUBA RELIGION AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A PAN-AFRICAN LANGUAGE IN THE AMERICAS (YORUBA, SWAHILI OR MANDINGA).
7. Working throughout the US and the Americas to establish strong American-Americas cultures, revive traditions, revive lost history..ESTABLISH A 'TALENTED 100 PERCENT," WHERE THE EFFORT IS MADE TO UPLIFT ALL BLACKS THROUGH EDUCATION AND TRAINING THROUGHOUT THE AMERICAS AND THE REST OF THE WORLD.
Finally, efforts must be made to unite and to increase the Black population in all the US, THE AMERICAS AND THE WORLD AT LARGE.
The Black population today is about 40 million. Efforts should be taken to raise the Black population to about 100 million in the next few decades. This is no great feat. All it takes is more Black people marrying other Black people and having many Black children who will know they are Black and not be confused about their racial identity and add to the GENOCIDE AND DEPOPULATION OF THE BLACK RACE OCCURRING IN AMERICA TODAY.
Our survival in America is up to us. Our survival and rise to a higher level is in our hands. We can continue to destroy ourselves or we can work like a strong and independent nation of Black people.
http://community.webtv.net/nubianem (OPRAH WINFREY INSPIRED BOOK CLUB BOOKS )
LEARN MORE ON THE SUDAN GENOCIDE..SEE WHAT SUDANESE ARE SAYING: WWW.SUDANFORUM.COM
RACE AND HISTORY WWW.RACEANDHISTORY.COM
Posted by: Nubianem | Tuesday, May 24, 2005 at 11:32 PM
The major problem with Black America is THE REFUSAL OF BLACK MEN AND WOMEN TO HAVE AS MANY CHILDREN AS THEY CAN AND TO STAY TOGETHER TO RAISE OUR CHILDREN.
Numbers matter and if Black America continues to foolishly listen to the advice of abortionists, feminists, dividers and 'individualism' tricksters, we are going to be pushed further back into 'minority' status behind Hispanics, Asians, Arabs/Middle Easterns, others...WE WILL BECOME AN OPPRESSED MINORITY IN OUR OWN LANDS!!!
First off Black people have forgotten their history in the US. It is a history that goes before Columbus and includes the ownership of land by Blacks in pre-Columbian times in the US ( Washitaw Terriroties, Jamassee and Guale lands in Georgia, Alabana, South Carolina; Black Californian lands in California).
As for California, Blacks (Africoid people) were in the region before the Spanish invasion and settlement in 1725. In fact the first Spanish 'explorers' asked the Indians about the Black men they saw unloading their boats on the California shores.
The Indians replied, "These curly-haired black men were trading back and forth into the Pacific Ocean (see "A History of the African-Olmecs," published by www.AuthorHouse.com also see the book by J.A. Rogers "Africa's Gift to America," with the picture of one of the Black aboriginal people of California.
Furthermore, California itself was named after a Black women Amazon Queen called Queen Califia. The Black indigenous population of California were large in numbers up to the 1800's and they fought the Spanish, Spanish occupiers of Mexico and the Anglo-American settlers. By the late 1800's the Black Californians were pacified. Many dispersed and became part of the Black population of California. (See their pictures here http://community.webtv.net/paulnubiaempire ) Read also, "Susu Economics: The History of Pan-African Trade, Commerce, Money and Wealth," published by www.AuthorHouse.com
MEXICO'S ANCIENT, COLONIAL AND MODERN BLACK POPULATION
The Black or Africoid race has existed in Mexico and the rest of the Americas since prehistoric times. In fact, to this day, there are Indians in Mexico with names that are identical to the names of African nationalities like the Mandinga. A Mexican Indian group is called Mandinga. Many place names in parts of Central America to Panama also have Manding names. Legend says (see the writings of Sahagun (the Spanish monk who translated the Maya writings) that the founder of one of Mexico's ancient civilization was an African by the name of 'Meci." He is said to have sailed to Mexico in 8 ships from the Atlantic region.
It is important to notice that one ethnic group from Southern Ethiopia is called the 'Mersi' and it is that ethnic group that has many cultural traits identical to the traits of the prehistoric Africans of the Manding-Shi groups who first entered Mexico about 3113 BC, introduced an Egyptian-type calendar to Mexico and began to form settlements in the VeraCruze region of Mexico.
Years later, these Africans joined with the Indians of the region and they established a culture all the way North to Mexico City and all the way South to Costa Rica. Black Africans of the Manding-Shi language family (the same language spoken by Cinque in the movie, 'Amistad' established and African culture in Mexico which lasted to about 400 A.D.).
Black Africans also entered Mexico during the early Middle Ages and years before the Spaniards arrived in Mexico. The Aztec King Quaquapitzuak describes these Africans as coming in from the South with goods and being black and unlike any people they had seen...that was about the 900's A.D. However, the Aztecs themselves entered a Mexico that had been built by previous inhabitants.
During the slavery period, Mexico was an importer of slaves from West Africa, Congo and Angola. In fact, an article written some years ago showed that many Afro-Mexicans have Angolan and East African Bantu names.
Black slavery in Mexico included working in the salt mines as well as other types of labor. Yet, the first Blacks in Mexico during the Spanish invasion were not slaves, they were actually Blacks who had lived in Spain as Moors or Blacks from West Africa.
UNITING AND EXPANDING THE BLACK POPULATION
The Black population in Latin America is under pressure and facing forms of genocide. Our question as Pan-Africans is what should be our course of action to help uplift and unite all the Blacks of Latin America with Black Americans.
Should BET HAVE A BLACK LATIN MUSIC AND CULTURE PROGRAM? Should Ebony and other magazines create magazines in Spanish and English for Blacks in Latin America. Should the Black Nationalist movement in the US and Black Human Rights organizations unite with those of Latin America (and in Africa, India, Melanesia, Australia)? Should Black America use Black music and culture as a tool to achieve strong Black unity on a global scale? These are questions we should ask and objectives we should work towards.
As for Blacks in Mexico. The Black population of Mexico is about one million. That is a tiny number in a population of about 90 million people. Yet, people who are over half Black or who are of Black/African ancestry in Mexico is quite large. In this case, and based on the fact that African/Black genes dominate. Blacks of mexico with African ancestry (both modern and precolumbian) should be encouraged to form a racial/ethnic group called Afro-Mexicano or Afro-Indio Mexicano. The fact is the race construct is alive and well in Mexico and the people who suffer the most from racism are Blacks and Indians. The other fact is people who would be classified as 'Negro' or 'Black' in most of the world are left in limbo in Mexico or are called 'Indian,' or simply 'Mexican,' when in fact, these are Afro-Indio or Black people. As Pan-Africanists here in the US, OUR LEADERS SHOULD START USING EFFECTIVE STRAGETY RATHER THAN BEGGING FOR FOREIGN LEADERS TO APPOLOGIZE:
Here is what Black America must do:
1. Stop supporting abortions, single-parent family as the norm, and other trends that prevent Black babies from being born and strong families from being created.
2. Promote large families. Sacrifice new cars, jewelry, vacations to Europe or South America or new clothes every month to raise some children who can become lawyers, doctors and egineers...have as many as our grandparents used to have when they were much poorer (see "Susu and Susunomics," pub. by www.iUniverse.com "A History of Racism and Terrorism, Rebellion and Overcoming," pub. by www.Xlibris.com ) THE PROBLEM FOR BLACK AMERICA TODAY IS BLACK MEN AND WOMEN ARE NOT HAVING LOTS OF CHILDREN...WE ARE BEING FOOLED TO NOT HAVE MANY CHILDREN ONLY TO FIND OURSELVES OUTSMARTED AND DRIVEN BACK INTO THE 1950'S.
3. It's time to be stingy and to stop wasting money. WE MUST FIND WAYS TO SAVE, CREATE AN ECONOMIC POWERHOUSE SO WE DO NOT HAVE TO BEG FOR JOBS. Listen to JOE MADISON, www.joemadison.com www.xmradio.com "POWER 169" AM 1450 7am to 10 am (mon - fri..also weekends 7am to 12 am). Read great books like "Susu Economics,' www.AuthorHouse.com and "Susu and Susunomics," pub. by www.iUniverse.com
5. Fortyfy already existing regional Americas-African orgainzations like THE ORGANIZATION OF AFRICANS IN THE AMERICAS, THE O.A.A. Work to liberate, Unite and uplift Blacks in Latin Amercia. We are the same people from the same origins and we must find a way to work together to ensure our survival and progress.
6. Work to establish a regional Black 'Superstate' in the Americas. There are about 250 million to 300 million Blacks in the Americas from Canada to Brazil. We have to find a way to establish a single Black entity despite our different religions and cultures. THAT ENTITY CAN BE THE REVIVAL OF THE PAN-YORUBA RELIGION AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A PAN-AFRICAN LANGUAGE IN THE AMERICAS (YORUBA, SWAHILI OR MANDINGA).
7. Working throughout the US and the Americas to establish strong American-Americas cultures, revive traditions, revive lost history..ESTABLISH A 'TALENTED 100 PERCENT," WHERE THE EFFORT IS MADE TO UPLIFT ALL BLACKS THROUGH EDUCATION AND TRAINING THROUGHOUT THE AMERICAS AND THE REST OF THE WORLD.
Finally, efforts must be made to unite and to increase the Black population in all the US, THE AMERICAS AND THE WORLD AT LARGE.
The Black population today is about 40 million. Efforts should be taken to raise the Black population to about 100 million in the next few decades. This is no great feat. All it takes is more Black people marrying other Black people and having many Black children who will know they are Black and not be confused about their racial identity and add to the GENOCIDE AND DEPOPULATION OF THE BLACK RACE OCCURRING IN AMERICA TODAY.
Our survival in America is up to us. Our survival and rise to a higher level is in our hands. We can continue to destroy ourselves or we can work like a strong and independent nation of Black people.
http://community.webtv.net/nubianem (OPRAH WINFREY INSPIRED BOOK CLUB BOOKS )
LEARN MORE ON THE SUDAN GENOCIDE..SEE WHAT SUDANESE ARE SAYING: WWW.SUDANFORUM.COM
RACE AND HISTORY WWW.RACEANDHISTORY.COM
Posted by: Nubianem | Tuesday, May 24, 2005 at 11:32 PM