Picture courtesy of www.washingtonpost.comEdited by: Chelcee Johns
As the excitement of the inauguration of America’s first black president boils over in the world’s melting pot, many are concerned about how Obama’s promise of change will alter their life.
Minorities such as Oralia Contreras wonder what this promise means for her and her students.
Contreras, an ELL (English Language Learner) teacher and guidance clerk at Westview High School, worries if the change is indeed reserved for her students. Many of her students are illegal immigrants.
Nevertheless, Contreras is hopeful. She said she sees the message of change beating in the hearts of her students.
“They are all hopeful,” she said. “I have students come to me daily to tell me they are very hopeful that (Barack) Obama can make a change for them.”
She said one promise Obama must keep is to tackle immigration reform. Without it, she said, she sees little progress for Hispanics.
“Whether they are illegal or have gotten their papers, Obama needs to fight for them and welcome them,” she said.
Contreras is still optimistic and like many, supports Obama—a deviation from what was expected from Hispanics, due to so-called Hispanic-African American divide.
Hispanics such as Contreras are looking to Obama to see what might be done for this racial divide.
According to the article in Newsweek, “The Black-Brown Divide” by Jamie Reno, author Earl Hutchinson said there would be reluctance among many Hispanics to vote for an African American candidate.
José Reyna, assistant to the city manager of Grand Rapids, said in fact, many Hispanics from the start found support in another candidate.
“Hispanics initially identified with (Hillary) Clinton because of their loyalty to Democratic Party and the Clintons’ support of their community,” Reyna said.
“Many were deaf to Obama’s message about empathy with Hispanic community.” He added once the race between Obama and McCain begun, Obama’s message finally resonated with Hispanic community.
Exit polls, done by the Pew Research Center, showed Hispanics voted 67 percent Obama to 31 percent McCain.
As it stands, Obama has proposed an immigration reform plan which includes border surveillance with new technologies and reprimanding employers who hire undocumented workers.
For undocumented immigrants, Obama has proposed to have them register, pay a fine for entering illegally, pay taxes and learn English.
With this, the immigration matter is particularly crucial, Reyna said, and if Obama ignores these promises, a rift between racial groups might occur.
Andrew Schlewitz, GVSU Latin American Studies and Political Science professor, said the immigration issue resonates differently with both African Americans and Hispanics depending on geography.
Those closer to the border might feel more affected. But there is some common ground through it all.
“Political analysts are now looking at race as a generational thing,” Schlewitz said. “The baby-boomers are getting old and race and ethnicity are gaining a different take among the younger generations.”
Schlewitz believes there are issues, like the creation of jobs, which can unite this perceived divide. There is one thing complicating this pursuit, however, the pursuit for unity, Schlewitz added.
“All of the issues depend on how quickly and how thoroughly we can recover from the economy because it has been putting all sorts of groups against each other,” he said.
Danny Aldaco, a department tech for the State of Michigan, echoed those sentiments and said the economy is much to blame for these divides.
“I think that people are realizing what race you are is not important now,” Aldaco said. “Everyone is struggling right now and I think fixing these issues will unite people.”
Obama’s economic plan is to create or save up to 4 million jobs through renewable energy jobs.
Since African Americans and Hispanics face similar discrimination in housing, jobs and education, Daniel McClure, GVSU professor of Liberal and African American studies, said this economic plan should benefit both groups.
Courtney Baker, a photography student of African American and Caucasian decent, said that since Obama is multi-racial he can appeal to all races and narrow the divide.
With this, the question remains: Is the nation moving toward a post-racial America, without divides? McClure said the notion of a post-racial America is ridiculous and unappealing.
“Race is a fundamental…fact of American history, culture and identity and will not disappear simply because President Obama is no longer interested in discussing the ways it shapes all of our lives,” McClure said.
Instead, he suggested tackling the issue head-first in order to break down divides. But for many, such as Baker, those divides cannot be understood without an example from the top.
“I think many are looking toward Obama right now for the next step in breaking down racial barriers,” Baker said.
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