When you see news stories of black people being executed by roving bands of Latino gang members, it's easy to think that LA is becoming a 21st century Sarajevo. But, as in most cases in the news, the situation looks more alarming than it really is. There are some tensions between black and brown people in LA, especially in low-income areas, where blacks feel forced out by the rising Latino population. But in most of these neighborhoods, people do their best to get along. The violence against black people has mostly been directed by Latino gangs, who also target innocent Latinos. I don't think the average Latino wishes black people any harm, but that's not say it's a love fest. There are still some underlying tensions between the two ethnic groups.
These issues came to the forefront when Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were campaigning in California's Democratic primary. Commentators were surprised that Hillary had such strong support from the Latino community. It was believed that Obama, with his multicultural background, would be more attractive to Latinos. It was discovered that some Latinos had strong negative feelings towards Obama, because of his race. The message was they would rather vote for a white woman, than a black man.
I was listening to callers to "The Tom Leykis Show" talk about this subject and many of the older Latino listeners said they encountered hostility when they first started moving into black neighborhoods in the 1960s and 1970s. One caller suggested the animosity may come from jealousy toward blacks who have been the forerunners in making breakthroughs in entertainment, sports and politics. The callers also said that blacks see Latinos as competitors for labor jobs, and sometimes blame them for lowering the prevailing wage. Latinos believe that blacks are not taking advantage of the economic opportunities that this country offers.
And there is that old taboo about dating. Several female callers said their brothers and fathers had warned them that they would be disowned if they ever brought home a black man. This prejudice seems to have been adopted from mainstream America. I guess hating black men is as American as apple pie.
My girlfriend is a Latina, and several friends have said she was very brave for dating me. Latinas exposed to higher education and corporate America are beginning to reevaluate what they want in a relationship. Latino men, especially first or second generation men, still expect to rule the roost at home and have their wives wait on them hand and foot. They also expect their wives to stay silent if they decide to take a mistress.
I dated a Latina who told me the average Latin man expected to have a home-cooked meal when he got home from work, a hot bath run, and clean and pressed clothes laid out, when he got out of the bath.
More Latinas are going to college and moving moving up the corporate ladder through"grey" collar jobs such as nursing, clerical work, law enforcement and the military. This causes an income gap, because Latin men are less likely to attend college and often go straight into the workforce after graduating high school. Sparks can fly when a woman who has been working a white-collar job comes home and is expected to take orders from a man who has less money and education than her.
This is an issue that has been seen in the black community as many young black men are not choosing to further their education in college. In some historical black universities the ratio of men to women is 1 to 4. Class is one of the ugly realities of America which no one wants to talk about. Unfortunately money equals power, and often the person making the most money in the relationship believes they have the upper hand.
Latin women looking for more modern relationships are broaden their horizons and many of them are choosing black men. Black and Latin cultures have a lot in common. Black people tend to place great importance on socializing, especially dancing, we have large tight-knit families and we have a better understanding or discrimination than white Americans. If you go to most hip hop or R &B clubs in Southern California you will often see a lot of Latinas because of they love the music.
The tensions between the black and Latino community may be subsiding. Latino Gen-Yers and Xers seem to have totally embraced and absorbed black culture. Most Latin teenagers listen to rap music, wear hip hop inspired clothing lines such as FUBU and Roca Wear, and watch BET religiously. I was surprised to see that many young Latinos are participants in the cult of Tupac (rap star Tupac Shakur, who was killed in 1995), which is really strange because most of them were not even born when he was performing music. Incidentally there is also a generational split in political choices. Older Latinos are leaning towards Hillary, while studies show younger Latinos favor Obama.
I recently saw a young Latina wearing braids. It made me think, you can't hate black people and love black culture. So judging by their musical and sartorial tastes it clear where most young Latinos stand.
