Articles like these are just trying to divide Latinos from Blacks. They fail to mention that many Latinos are of African ancestry...
'Minority' Report Has a Divisive Distinction By Howard Jordan
February 6, 2003
When the U.S. Census Bureau recently declared that "Hispanics and Latinos" have surpassed blacks and African-Americans and are now the largest ethnic group in the United States, many Latinos were ecstatic. Roberto Suro of the Pew Hispanic Center, a Washington-based policy group, noted that "it is a turning point in the nation's history."
The sense that "our time has come" created a source of jubilation in a community often made invisible by mainstream society and the media.
According to the Census Bureau, the Latino population is now roughly 37 million, while "blacks or African-Americans" number about 36.2 million. But behind this seemingly neutral statistical report lies a divide-and-conquer strategy designed to pit Latinos against African-Americans.
It is extremely troubling to see how the census insists on drawing this Latino-black comparison. Has the census seen fit to publicize how "Italians have surpassed Jews," or "Irish have surpassed Italians"? It seems these comparisons are only nourished among the people of color. The numbers are apparently designed to raise fears among our African-American brethren of the "Latino hordes" that somehow could threaten the black community's gains.
These figures ignore the reality of Afro-Latino peoples in the U.S. context. When census bureaucrats imposed the term "Hispanic" as an ethnic (not racial) category in the 1970s, they stated that Hispanics may be of any race.
Yet, when compiling statistics, the Census Bureau has tended to count the vast majority of Latinos in the "white" category, and only a few in the "black" category. Latinos are multiracial ethnic groups that encapsulate people of every race, unlike African-Americans, who are a racial group.
So the figures ignored the fact that many of the so-called Latinos are also black themselves. We need only look at Afro-Latinos such as baseball superstars Sammy Sosa and Roberto Clemente, salsa singers Celia Cruz and Machito, and elected officials Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion (D) and Assemb. Ruben Diaz (D-Bronx) to realize the Latino-black distinction is statistical subterfuge designed to divide these historical allies. If we were to put these Afro-Latinos in the African-American category, we might find that people of African descent are still the largest minority. But what difference does it make in a society governed by white supremacy and privilege?
The characterization of Latinos "beating" African-Americans ignores the reality that el poder (the power) in the United States is not numerical, but economic and institutional. Latinos were "counted" but still "don't count." Census figures indicate Latinos still have a poverty rate of 21.2 percent, and only 11 percent have a college education. One quarter of Latinos living in the United States are non-citizens.
While the Latino increase in numbers may portend well for our political muscle flexing by electing more politicos, on the economic front our empowerment is a dream deferred.
Numerically smaller groups like Jewish-Americans have greater institutional power than their numbers indicate. This lack of financial power has prevented both Latinos and blacks from having an impact on the major policy decisions that affect our quality of life. Latinos and African-Americans (together 73.2 million) have not been able to make a dent in the war-mongering and anti-affirmative action policies of the Bush White House.
Even assuming we accept the importance of these numbers, why then ignore the reality that white people and white supremacy still rule the day? Whether Latinos or African-Americans are numero dos or tres ignores the real story: Who is numero uno? There are more than 166 million whites in a nation where white skin color and privilege are inextricably linked. The media coverage, then, should not have focused on "Latinos now outnumber African-Americans," but rather "Latino and black increases fail to overcome white racism."
The census figures and surrounding publicity seem designed to pit Latinos and African-Americans against each other, to make them fight over political crumbs and society's leftovers. But this divide-and-conquer strategy is doomed. The blacks and browns of America's racial order will not allow the foolhardiness of the Census Bureau and the mass media to drive a wedge between two old and trusted amigos. Juntos (together) we will continue to fight and cry out against an economic and political system that takes us
both for granted.
http://hispanicvista.com
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