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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
More Conflict than Alliance, April 14, 2006
This review is from: The Presumed Alliance: The Unspoken Conflict Between Latinos and Blacks and What It Means for America (Hardcover)
This is the story behind the "other" civil rights struggle in modern America. The title comes from the presumption that many people have that blacks and latinos share much of the same history of segregation and civil rights suppression and that, therefore, they are "presumed" to be allies in the struggle for full citizenship. To the contrary, there are many differences in their historical struggles and currently blacks and hispanics see themselves engaged in a zero-sum conflict where any gains one group makes must be at a cost to the other. In fact, the message is loud and clear enough that it makes me wonder how much of the current immigration reform is being instigated by African-Americans.
Of course, hispanic occupation in this country existed before America even existed. For a couple hundred years whites were the aliens on the west coast, not the hispanics. There is a reason so much of California is named in Spanish terms. The hispanic people did not suddenly move south of the border after the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed February 2, 1848, ending the Mexican-American War. In fact hispanic residents of what is now western United States were given automatic American citizenship if they so desired. Later, labor for farms and the building of railroads was welcomed, encouraged, even recruited from Mexico. Although many workers returned home after the harvest or the completion of the railroad, even more stayed. They continue to cross the border in search of a job and a better life. Farmers and construction contractors plead with the U.S. government to turn a blind eye to the immigration problem as cheap labor is needed to stay competitive. Many Americans would rather take welfare than the jobs offered to the Chicanos. About every 10 years lately, we've offered amnesty to those already in the country and attempted to stem the flow. All it seems to do is encourage more illegal immigration by those who hope that 10 or 20 years down the road another amnesty will be approved.
Vaca describes the segregation that occured in the American Southwest in the early 1900's, segregation as bad as anything in the South against blacks, and the legal battles that set the stage for tearing down the "separate but equal" doctrine in segregated education. He also describes racial tension with blacks where the black population seems to be saying, "We fought long and hard for a place in society and we're not about to give it up." For example, although blacks make up about 10% of the Los Angeles population, they account for 37% of city and county employees. The numbers are almost exactly reversed for hispanics. And Vaca asks how we can balance this without there being some loss to the black community. He also points out that the hispanic population are not yet politically connected. Many, of course, are not citizens and can therefore not vote. Of those who could vote, registration and actual voting rates are even lower than whites. Vaca claims they do not generally vote as a bloc unless they feel disenfranchised.
Hispanics, even 2nd and 3rd generation American hispanics, have a cultural bond with current hispanic immigrants - both legal and illegal. Recent demonstrations throughout the country have made that clear. They don't have the attitude of "now that I'm here let's pull up the drawbridge and shut the gates". Part of it is political as they are certainly a population to be reckoned with but the other part is a desire to share the American dream. Presumed Alliance is an excellent book to provide a solid background for the current immigration debate as well as dicussions we will certainly be having in the future to cope with the growth of the hispanic American population.
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8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally, February 7, 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: The Presumed Alliance: The Unspoken Conflict Between Latinos and Blacks and What It Means for America (Hardcover)
As a fourth-generation Mexican-American who grew up with the news media and politicians either ignoring Hispanic issues or characterizing them as 'blackandhispanic' or 'blackandlatino' issues, it's nice to read a book that says what I've felt my whole life--that we have a right to enter the political arena and pursue our own issues on our own terms just like other Americans. The author writes about three groups: Mexican-Americans in the Southwest, Cubans in Miami, and Puerto Ricans in New York City.
He provides a brief political history of each group and analyzes why many political coalitions with African-Americans have been unsuccessful in the past. He challenges the notion that our issues don't matter because we haven't suffered as much as some others have. He also includes overlooked contributions to the Civil Rights Movement. A little known case called Mendez v Westminster (1946) ended segregation in California schools based on national origin and set the stage for Brown v Board of Education eight years later. The author ends on a positive note and outlines how coalitions can work in the future. Definitely an interesting book.
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6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Important if not always focused..., August 12, 2004
This review is from: The Presumed Alliance: The Unspoken Conflict Between Latinos and Blacks and What It Means for America (Hardcover)
Mr. Vaca's book is best when it focuses directly on tensions between the Black and Latino communities. For example, focusing on the overwhelming support Latinos showed for a Latino Republican candidate in Houston when a Black Democrat also who ran who had ostensbily done more for the Latino community is a topic worth even further examination. Also, raising the question of a Latino monolith is extremely important, especially when one looks at past instances of Latino cooperation, such as that noted by Felix Padilla in "Latino Ethnic Consciousness." All of the research then plays into questions of how 'minorities' (a contentious term to say the least) will approach political power in the coming decades as the 'non-minority' population decreases as a percentage. It is an important question, one that is discussed at length in "The Miner's Canary," and will likely increase in importance in the coming decades.
Mr. Vaca does overstate the case for Mexican-Americans somewhat in relation to African-Americans, particularly in claiming parity for the racial oppresion experienced by each group. Without a doubt, Mexican-Americans did experience a great deal of oppression at the hands of White Americans. However, I, as well as others, are willing to concede that it does not quite equivocate with the centuries of slavery endured by the ancestors of African-Americans. This, however, does not mean that Mexican-Americans (and other Latinos, though Vaca focuses primarily on Mexican-Americans) are somehow exempted from achieving equal rights in the face of what was systematic discrimination. Just because one group did not suffer as much as another group doesn't mean that the group is suddenly part of the establishment or somehow undeserving.
Mr. Vaca also spends a bit too much time focusing on the Latino question explicitly, and, while I completely acknowledge the importance of the question of Latino numerical supremacy, I think the far more interesting questions come from the examinations of political alliance between Latinos and Blacks (or lack thereof). In a sense, Mr. Vaca is attempting to answer questions raised in "Bridge Over the Racial Divide," and "The Miner's Canary," while at the same time trying to examine the growth in the Latino population (which does absolutely lend weight to his argument, but doesn't need to consume as much of the book as it does). The two topics should be (and really are) two separate books that can then by synthesized in a third.
Ultimately, though, despite its shortcomings, I find the book to be of importance. The question of Black-Latino (and even Asian) political alliance is extremely important as we head closer and closer to a population in which 'White' is no longer the dominant category (and, believe me, I understand the race v. ethnicity argument, but we have to face the fact that for many Latinos, the very terms associated with them have become racialized). 'Minority Politics' has too often seeemed to be a monolithic term, when in fact tensions have always existed between the groups that comprise it. Mr. Vaca points to these tensions, and expounds upon them with examples. I wish I could say that I am absolutely satisfied with the conclusions of the book. I do agree that Latino numerical supremacy is something that is important, but I do believe that interests can align between various groups. The structure and eventual destruction of racial hierarchy is one area in which the groups should agree and make attempts to address it. There will not always be agreement, something that this book shows well, but we cannot leave it at let bygones be bygones and self-interest rules the day when put in situations where the question is conflict or cooperation. Groups must use common ground to assess what potential gains are to be made in the face of American Racial Hierarchy. If this can't be done, then racial hierarchy will continue to exist, and these groups will continue to fight for the scraps instead of working together to get more for everyone. Of course, the last statement comes from the optimist within. In the meantime, the struggles will continue and Mr. Vaca has just started with the tip of the iceberg regarding future tensions that may arise. By viewing the problem, we can hope to assess it and address it, and, for that reason, along with others of less importance, Mr. Vaca's book is timely and worth a look.
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