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An Open Letter To
African Americans From Latinos
Elizabeth “Betita” Martínez,
Institute for MultiRacial Justice
People
of color are being hurt more than ever today,
thanks to the “Permanent War on Terrorism”
and the war at home. It, therefore, seems more
important than ever to build alliances between
people who have similar struggles for liberation
from poverty and racism, for peace with justice.
This open letter is offered in that spirit.
The media has been full of it this year, with
such headlines as “Hispanics Now Largest
Minority," “America’s Ethnic Shift,"
“Latinos Pass Blacks Unless You Count
Black Latinos" and "Hispanics Pass Blacks."
We even hear late-night TV host Jay Leno "joke"
to his musician (a Black man) that since Latinos
are now the largest minority - not African Americans
- he and the musician are minorities together.
As Latino/a teachers, activists, community people,
students, artists and writers, we stand fiercely
opposed to anyone making those statistics a
reason to forget the unique historical experience
of African Americans, the almost unimaginable
inhumanity of slavery lasting centuries, the
vast distance that remains on their long walk
to freedom. We cannot let whatever meager attention
has been given to the needs of Black people
up to now be diminished by those new statistics.
In the Latino/a community we will combat the
competitiveness that could feed on those headlines
and blind some of our people to the truth of
this society. We celebrate the unique resistance
by African Americans over the centuries, which
has provided an inspiring example for our communities
as shown by the Chicano movement of 1965-1975.
We affirm the absolute necessity of standing
with you against racist oppression, exploitation
and repression - the real axis of evil - and
of supporting your demand for reparations.
Latinos/as who may find it hard to see beyond
their own poverty, their own struggles against
racism - which are indeed real - need to think
about one simple truth. Only solidarity and
alliances with others will create the strength
needed to win justice.
Those newly announced statistics emphasize difference
and pit Brown against Black like athletes racing
against each other in the Oppression Olympics.
But other numbers show how much we share the
same problems of being denied a decent life,
education, healthcare and all human rights.
In times of war, look who fights and dies for
the United States out of all proportion to our
populations: Black and Brown people.
To put it bluntly: We are both being screwed,
so let's get it together!
History makes the message clear. It is worth
recalling a major reason why George Washington
- the invader who wasn't our Great White Father
any more than yours- became president. He made
a name for himself by successfully using the
tactic of divide and conquer against different
native nations and tribes. Divide and conquer,
later divide and control, has sustained White
supremacy ever since. It will continue to do
so unless we cry out a joint, unmistakable,
thunderous NO.
That will not be easy. Our peoples have different
histories and cultures, together with great
ignorance about each other. Competition for
scarce resources, from jobs to funding for university
departments, can be real. Latinos/as do not
always see how in racism, they may have internalized
the value system of White supremacy and White
privilege.
As Latinos/as, we are committed to help build
alliances against our common enemies. We oppose
the divisiveness encouraged by statistics about
who is more numerous than who. As activists,
we urge our community to support Black struggles
and to fight together at every opportunity for
our people's liberation. As educators, we work
to teach about both Black and Brown history,
and our past alliances. As men and women, we
can never do too much to assert our common humanity
across color lines.
Last, but hardly least, Latinas/os are a very
diverse people with many different nationalities
and histories. We also have various roots. In
particular, we should recall that more Africans
were brought to Mexico as slaves than the number
of Spaniards who came, as can be seen by the
all-African villages in Mexico today. The African
in us demands proud recognition.
SIGNATORIES
Dr. Rodolf Acuña, historian and author,
California State Univesity at Northridge
Juan Carolso Aguilar, program director, Solidago
Foundation, Northampton, Mass.
Gloria Anzaldúa, writer, scholar and
spiritual activist, Santa Cruz, Calif.
Ricardo Ariza, director, multicultural affairs,
Creighton University, Omaha, Neb.
Frank Bonilla, professor, University of California
– Riverside and professor emeritus, Hunter
College, N.Y.
Roberto Calderon, associate professor, history,
University of North Texas, Denton
Anotnia Castañeda, associate professor,
history St. Mary’s College San Antonio,
Texas
Marta Cruz-Jansen, associate professor, Florida
Atlantic University, Boca Raton
Raoul Contreras, associate professor, Latino
Studies, Indiana University-NW, Gary
Kaira Espinosa, student activist, San Francisco
State University at San Francisco
Estevan Flores, executive director, Latino/a
Research & Policy Center, University of
Colorado, Denver
Bill Gallegos, Freedom Road Socialist Organization,
Los Angeles
César Garza, graduate student, Loyola
University, Chicago
Yolanda Broyles-Gonzales, professor, Chicano
Studies, University of California – Santa
Barbara
Francisco Herrera, community singer and activist,
San Francisco
Jacque Larraninzar, musician and civil rights
activist, Puerto Rico
Aya de León, writer, performer and activist,
Berkeley, Calif.
Emma Lozana, director, Centro Sin Fronteras,
Chicago
Jennie Luna, teacher, danzante and activist,
New York
Roberto Maestas, executive director and co-founder,
El Centro de la Raza, Seattle
Frank Martín del Campo, president, Labor
Council for Latin American Advancement, San
Francisco
Elizabeth “Betita” Martínez,
author, activist and teacher, San Francisco
Adelita Medina, free-lance journalist, New York
Roberto Miranda, editor-in-chief, “Spanish
Journal”, Milwaukee, Wis.
Carlos Montes, board president, Centro Community
Service Center, Los Angeles
Richard Moore, executive director, Southwest
Network for Environmental and Economic Justice,
Albuquerque, N.M.
Cherríe Moraga, author, playwright, San
Francisco
Aurora Levins Morales, writer, historian, educator
and organizer, Berkeley, Calif.
Ricardo Levins Morales, artist, educator and
organizer, Minneapolis
Estela Ortega, director of operations and co-founder,
El Centro de la Raza, Seattle
Joe Navarro, school teacher, poet and activist,
Hollister, Calif.
José Palafox, doctoral candidate and
filmmaker, U.C. – Berkeley
Eric Quezada, housing activist, San Francisco
Raúl Quiñones-Rosado and María
Reinat-Pumarejo, Institute for Latino Empowerment,
Caguas, Puerto Rico
Marianna Rivera, Educator, Zapatista Solidarity
Coalition, Sacramento
Dr. Julia E. Curry Rodriguez, assistant professor,
San Jose State University
Victor M. Rodriguez, Crossroads Ministry board
member and associate professor, California State
University – Long Beach
Graciela Sánchez, executive director,
Esperanza Peace & Justice Center, San Antonio,
Texas
John Santos, musician, author, educator and
founder of Machete Ensemble, Oakland, Calif.
Renée Saucedo, activist-attorney and
director Day Labor Program, San Franciso
Olga Talamante, executive director, Chicana/Latina
Foundation, Pacifica, Calif.
Luis “Bato” Talamantez, human rights
activist, former political prisoner and poet,
San Francisco
Piri Thomas, author, poet and activist, Albany,
Calif
Dr. Mercedes Lynn Uriarte, professor of journalism,
University of Texas, Austin
Leonard Valdez, director Multi-Cultural Center,
California State University at Sacramento
The letter was prepared by Elizabeth Martínez,
longtime activist, author and director of the
Institute for MultiRacial Justice, in consultation
with Phil Hutchings, last chairman of the Student
Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and co-founder
of the Institute and currently an activist in
Oakland. Send comments or suggestions to the
Institute in San Francisco at i4mrj@aol.com. |
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