Tensions simmer between African-Americans and Latinos
Options
2stepz_ahead
Guests, Members, Writer, Content Producer Posts: 32,324 ✭✭✭✭✭
https://chicago.suntimes.com/opinion/latinos-blacks-tension-laura-washington/
Chicago’s first black mayor died 30 years ago. In many ways, the historic black/Latino coalition Harold Washington built died with him.
African-Americans and Latinos have rarely bonded since the Washington era. These days, it seems some are working hard to pound a massive, rusty nail in the coffin of the Washington coalition.
I hear the resentment in the voices of black talk radio. The trash talk jumps off the screen of my Facebook feeds. The pushback hovers over the official proceedings in the Chicago City Council.
Some African-Americans are resisting assistance for their brothers and sisters of color.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel and other top elected officials have been courting the city’s burgeoning Latino residents (“assiduously,” as Harold Washington would say).
They promise a bounty of protection and resources through sanctuary for undocumented immigrants, aid to their “Dreamer” children, and refuge to Puerto Rican families displaced by Hurricane Maria.
Some African-Americans are saying our communities are in peril. What about sanctuary for us? Where are our dreams? “We” are citizens. “Them” not so much.
Tuesday, at a steamy Chicago City Council hearing, African-American aldermen hotly questioned Emanuel’s proposal to spend $1.1 million to provide city-issued IDs for undocumented immigrants.
“I just think this is a horrible idea, a waste of taxpayers’ money,” 9th Ward Ald. Anthony Beale said at the hearing.
“I don’t know why we’re trying to create something that’s not an issue for the entire city of Chicago, and to throw a couple of million dollars at it? A waste of money, a waste of resources and a waste of effort.”
Ald. David Moore of the 17th Ward chimed in. “No one was knocking down my door saying this was an issue.”
Such hostility is not universal, but it’s real. It has deep roots. For decades, politicians deploy tactics to divide and conquer, offering appointments, contracts and jobs that pit one group against the other.
Some people promote the myth that undocumented immigrants are taking jobs from African-Americans.
Others fear the numbers. The proportion of Chicago’s Latino residents has surpassed African-Americans for the first time, according to U.S. Census estimates released last month.
In 2016, Latinos represented 29.7 percent of the city’s population, African-Americans 29.3 percent.
Too many believe all the goodies are baked into one cake, and that we must scramble for the crumbs.
“We don’t need dominant society to divide and conquer, when we do divide and conquer among ourselves,” she said at her downtown office the other day. The Forum, a policy and advocacy non-profit, has toiled for years to bridge the black/Latino divide.
“If (Beale) is outraged about the $1.1 million, where’s the outrage on the $50 million in TIF (Tax Increment Financing) money that got diverted to Navy Pier, as opposed to being invested in the South Side?” Puente asked. “We’re a far cry from what equity looks like for either of our communities, right?”
The groups should work together to demand more government transparency and the equitable allocation of resources. And fight the “negative trends that we both have in our communities,” for instance, like street violence and failing schools, she noted.
Together, blacks and Latinos represent 67 percent of the city’s population. Chicago is a minority majority city.
Let’s start acting like one.
Chicago’s first black mayor died 30 years ago. In many ways, the historic black/Latino coalition Harold Washington built died with him.
African-Americans and Latinos have rarely bonded since the Washington era. These days, it seems some are working hard to pound a massive, rusty nail in the coffin of the Washington coalition.
I hear the resentment in the voices of black talk radio. The trash talk jumps off the screen of my Facebook feeds. The pushback hovers over the official proceedings in the Chicago City Council.
Some African-Americans are resisting assistance for their brothers and sisters of color.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel and other top elected officials have been courting the city’s burgeoning Latino residents (“assiduously,” as Harold Washington would say).
They promise a bounty of protection and resources through sanctuary for undocumented immigrants, aid to their “Dreamer” children, and refuge to Puerto Rican families displaced by Hurricane Maria.
Some African-Americans are saying our communities are in peril. What about sanctuary for us? Where are our dreams? “We” are citizens. “Them” not so much.
Tuesday, at a steamy Chicago City Council hearing, African-American aldermen hotly questioned Emanuel’s proposal to spend $1.1 million to provide city-issued IDs for undocumented immigrants.
“I just think this is a horrible idea, a waste of taxpayers’ money,” 9th Ward Ald. Anthony Beale said at the hearing.
“I don’t know why we’re trying to create something that’s not an issue for the entire city of Chicago, and to throw a couple of million dollars at it? A waste of money, a waste of resources and a waste of effort.”
Ald. David Moore of the 17th Ward chimed in. “No one was knocking down my door saying this was an issue.”
Such hostility is not universal, but it’s real. It has deep roots. For decades, politicians deploy tactics to divide and conquer, offering appointments, contracts and jobs that pit one group against the other.
Some people promote the myth that undocumented immigrants are taking jobs from African-Americans.
Others fear the numbers. The proportion of Chicago’s Latino residents has surpassed African-Americans for the first time, according to U.S. Census estimates released last month.
In 2016, Latinos represented 29.7 percent of the city’s population, African-Americans 29.3 percent.
Too many believe all the goodies are baked into one cake, and that we must scramble for the crumbs.
“We don’t need dominant society to divide and conquer, when we do divide and conquer among ourselves,” she said at her downtown office the other day. The Forum, a policy and advocacy non-profit, has toiled for years to bridge the black/Latino divide.
“If (Beale) is outraged about the $1.1 million, where’s the outrage on the $50 million in TIF (Tax Increment Financing) money that got diverted to Navy Pier, as opposed to being invested in the South Side?” Puente asked. “We’re a far cry from what equity looks like for either of our communities, right?”
The groups should work together to demand more government transparency and the equitable allocation of resources. And fight the “negative trends that we both have in our communities,” for instance, like street violence and failing schools, she noted.
Together, blacks and Latinos represent 67 percent of the city’s population. Chicago is a minority majority city.
Let’s start acting like one.
Comments
-
-
I work with plenty of foreign born hispanics/latinos and all I gotta say is this, they don't give a ? about black people or the issues of black people and they turn their nose up to black people.
It's a shame to say it, but black people fought for civil rights for all minorities but other minorities don't appreciate it or take it serious. They look at you as a bunch of lazy whiners, they think you are nothing but a bunch of overly aggressive, uneducated, drug addled bums. This isn't just hispanics, this is all minorities.
You should never lump your issues with theirs, and do not try to fight their battles, they don't give a damn about you and never will. -
Let the ? begin..........
-
Hispanics stick together especially by ethnicity.
Not sayin theyre wrong but they dont jump on the front lines for minorities in general only for their own.
But when blacks fight for rights all minorities (including hispanics obviously) benefit. -
I was about to say in before someone says something stupid
-
dallas' 4 eva wrote: »I work with plenty of foreign born hispanics/latinos and all I gotta say is this, they don't give a ? about black people or the issues of black people and they turn their nose up to black people.
It's a shame to say it, but black people fought for civil rights for all minorities but other minorities don't appreciate it or take it serious. They look at you as a bunch of lazy whiners, they think you are nothing but a bunch of overly aggressive, uneducated, drug addled bums. This isn't just hispanics, this is all minorities.
You should never lump your issues with theirs, and do not try to fight their battles, they don't give a damn about you and never will.
I agree with some of the sentiments here.. -
When poor people blame their problems on other people, Most of the time it is other poor people. Usually fighting over crumbs. Never looking up to where the crumbs are coming from. They give you just enough to survive and use your energy to fight each other.
-
I always say we are not in this together. The IC seems to love the browns for some reason though.
-
Black people just needs to start reciprocating how people treat us collectively.
-
Them wetbacks got the whole Democratic party fighting for them even though they don't vote Democrat as much as black people. That sellout Obama pandered to them for 8 years using executive orders to give them freedom passes all the while giving black people that dam bootstraps speech that for some reason only gets told to us
-
5th Letter wrote: »Black people just needs to start reciprocating how people treat us collectively.
how is this gonna happen? -
5th Letter wrote: »Black people just needs to start reciprocating how people treat us collectively.
We do
Just on each other -
In Texas Clinton got 560,000 more votes for Hillary Clinton than Obama did in 2012. What does this mean? It means that Obama did all that fighting for their people while in office and they still didn't support him or care for his black ass but Hillary, a white blue eyed ? , had em out in droves. Oh and they voted much more for Trump the Republican this time around too
-
In Texas Clinton got 560,000 more votes for Hillary Clinton than Obama did in 2012. What does this mean? It means that Obama did all that fighting for their people while in office and they still didn't support him or care for his black ass but Hillary, a white blue eyed ? , had em out in droves. Oh and they voted much more for Trump the Republican this time around too
-
...hold your own nuts
-
Pops gave me Gems as a youngsta and told me "You'll See!". I saw @ 12 yrs old blacks have no allies in America. They ain't all bad but most males are.
-
Report all those ? to ICE ship they im better than you ? back to their countries. Guatamala, mexico,el salvador, etc... go the ? home you illegal freeloading ? .
-
We first gotta get on code. For example that bs that Tony Dungy pulled by coming to the defense of Bob McNair is not on code behavior.2stepz_ahead wrote: »5th Letter wrote: »Black people just needs to start reciprocating how people treat us collectively.
how is this gonna happen?
-
ICE Tip Line: 866-DHS-2-ICE
? you going back
-
This thread is already hilarious
-
-
Aint max a Mexichen?
-
Hispanics stick together especially by ethnicity.
Not sayin theyre wrong but they dont jump on the front lines for minorities in general only for their own.
But when blacks fight for rights all minorities (including hispanics obviously) benefit.
Callin a por'treekan a "messican" might get you jumped. Mexicans and Salvadorians pretty much hate each other. Mexicans and Guatemalans still got issues 60 years after their conflict. Honduras and Nicaragua beefin still.
Most of Latin America got issues with one another. -
konceptjones wrote: »Hispanics stick together especially by ethnicity.
Not sayin theyre wrong but they dont jump on the front lines for minorities in general only for their own.
But when blacks fight for rights all minorities (including hispanics obviously) benefit.
Callin a por'treekan a "messican" might get you jumped. Mexicans and Salvadorians pretty much hate each other. Mexicans and Guatemalans still got issues 60 years after their conflict. Honduras and Nicaragua beefin still.
Most of Latin America got issues with one another.
Yeah Mexicans hate Dominicans and Puerto Ricans and damn near all groups with a large Afro Latino popolous. Puerto Ricans and Dominicans detest each other. Panamanians and Colombians hate each other. Cubans hate everybody.
You actually see more communal beef in neighborhoods with different pockets of Latinos than you do in neighborhoods shared by Latinos and African Americans. -
"You have no friends".
There may be individuals from different ethnic groups who got love for us, but as a whole collective, they don't care about us. When Peter Liang got arrested, you saw how the Asians mobilized and got on code. That should have showed ya'll what they think about black people.
