Blacks vs. Latinos: Competition is None

I have heard that there is a historic conflict between African Americans and Latinos, I certainly don’t understand why. Here is an article writen about this subject. 

Blacktino e-News Network, Commentary, Kevin Alberto Sabio, Posted: Feb 02, 2008

Editors note: Kevin Sabio continues his series exploring the historical events and cultural assumptions that shape how African Americans and Latinos perceive and, ultimately, interact with each other.

One of the main sticking points in this supposed conflict between our two communities is the scarcity of jobs, and the fact that African Americans feel that the incoming Latino immigrants (whether legal or illegal) are taking those jobs away that rightfully belong to them.

There is also the feeling that Latinos are encroaching onto other societal territories that used to be predominated by African Americans, and are in a sense pushing them out, or making them obsolete. These points, among others, should be thoroughly examined, and put into their proper prospective.

Jobs/Employment

So, exactly which jobs exist that only African Americans can do?

Other things we take for granted

Living in the US it is very easy to take things for granted. Things such as quality of life. If you work hard you can get what you need and you can live a fairly decent life. If you have money problems there is government assistance. We don’t realize how others live, that makes is easy for us to judge other people as lazy, or not to understand why they do what they do.

I was talking to a friend that lived here temporarily

Another Alien Invasion

This another alien invasion, but this one has an nice twist. Enjoy

 

Another Side to Race and Immigration

I found this article that certainly reflects what I have been seeing in the news lately:

Black Commentator, Commentary, Bill Fletcher, Jr., Posted: Jul 29, 2007

Editor’s Note: U.S. immigration policies affect Irish and European immigrants as well as those from South and Central America, Africa and Asia. But it’s the Latino face that has become the poster child for promoting anti-immigrant platforms.

It really hit me in the 1980s while living in Boston. At that time the southern Irish economy was a complete mess. People were the greatest export from Ireland, and a lot of them were coming to the USA. At the same time, immigration from Haiti and the Dominican Republic was increasing, and into Boston these three groups came.

Documented or undocumented all three groups found themselves looking for work and housing. As a struggle for the rights of immigrants and against discrimination emerged, Haitians and Dominicans began to coalesce, but the Irish were a bit stand-offish. Immigrant rights activists were at first perplexed until they uncovered that the Irish were being encouraged by Irish American politicians to keep themselves separate from other immigrant groups because it was likely that a ‘special’ deal could be cut for them.

To put it another way, the Irish were being trained to become and accept becoming white.

The public face of immigration in the USA is not a rainbow; it is brown. Don’t get me wrong. People from Asia, Africa, Europe AND Latin America are migrating to the USA, among other places. Yet in the popular media the portrayal of the immigrant is usually that of a Latino. Periodically one sees the face of an Asian or African. Rarely, unless one is discussing the Russian mafia, does the European face of immigration come to be unveiled.

When you see the news report that they have apprehended undocumented or illegal

Illegal Immigration – Mexico’s double talk – Do as I say, not as I do?

 

The bulk of illegal immigration into the US comes from Mexico, that is a fact. Some of the illegal immigrants come from Europe, Asia, Africa and Central and South America. Some of the ones that come from Central America come through Mexico. But what happens to those Illegal immigrants while on route to the US?

 

It is surprising to most to find out that even thought Mexico demands dignity and human rights for its citizens in the US regardless of the their legal status, the Mexican government does very little to preserve the human rights of illegal foreign nationals in their country and they admit that there is abuse. When these illegal immigrants pass through Mexico in their way to the United States, they are often robbed, extorted, raped, and in general mistreated by many people and that includes the police.

 

Well now they seem to be doing something about it. The Mexican Congress voted earlier this month to remove the criminal penalties for undocumented migrants found in the country. This measure passed unanimously in the lower house a day after the Senate approved it. It is still pending the president’s signature.

 

Current law lays out punishments of 1 1/2 to six years, while the new measure makes undocumented immigration a minor offense punishable by fines equivalent to about $475 to $2,400.

 

Some Mexican officials acknowledged that the current harsh penalties weakened Mexico’s position in arguing for better treatment of its own migrants in the United States.

 

Congresswoman Irma Pineiro of the small New Alliance Party said Mexico has a moral duty to protect migrants.

“Mexico is politically and morally obligated to treat migrants with dignity and to make a commitment to human rights, as a country that both exports and receives migrants,” she said.

By MARK STEVENSON,

AP 

Lets hope that things change and they start practicing what they preach.

 

Things that make me smile

Some days are more difficult than others. My workplace, like for so many other people, is often time a source of dread, stress, anger and overall unhapiness. For those days when I don’t want to be there, and my mood is undergroud, I try to find an excuse to smile.

This video did that. Yes, I am guilty I have a cat!! I confess. I am still a dog person, but that little fellow helped me become a cat person as well.

Enjoy, I hope it makes you smile.

Please share those silly and/or little things that make you smile, maybe you can make somebody else smile.

Being Color Blind

Can people be really color blind? No!! unless you have a psychical condition that does not allow you to see or differentiate colors, no my friend you are not color blind.

That said I believe that there is a possibility of being race blind. This is how I explain this, when I see people, I can see their skin color, their hair texture, their features, those things defined as race, but I do not have personal characteristics attached to those physical traits, I do not have an expectation of how they are supposed to act, speak, think or feel, because of those physical characteristics.

They can see that their colors are different, but can they see race?
no, that is the social construct that separates…remember divide and conquer? Until they are socialized one way or the other, they don’t see their race or skin color as good or bad.

Would it be nice if we could stay that pure and innocent?

 As I have said before I grew up in a society of mixed people, so mixed that

What does it mean to be or act Native American

Native Americans, American Indians, or indigenous people, however you want to call them, they were the original inhabitants of the Americas. Yes, I said the Americas, because I am including everybody from Canada to Argentina. All over this big continent the native peoples were displaced, robbed, enslaved and killed. They were deemed savages because they were different.

People came from Europe and they knew better, they wanted all

Oh my Good I might be a Coconut!!!!

Someone told me that she would never call her kid Bobby because “that  is what white people do”, or would not use this or that expression because that is “how white people talk”.  

I have heard that if you are Latino and act white you are considered a coconut, so I started analyzing myself and trying to figure out if I am doing any of those things.

This got me thinking, do I do white things…could I be a coconut. I was determined to find out.  

 First I went to the source…Stuff White People Like of course. I checked their list and started to get scared because I like:

Living by the water (would like)
Recycling
Dogs and cats
Love kitchen gadgets
The daily show
Love to travel
Learning about other cultures
Expensive sandwiches, well I love Panera Bread.

I stopped reading, no, no this can’t be. I was getting nervous, could it be true, then someone said people of color are always late and are disorganized.

OMG!! I love punctuality and order!!! (and I used the expression OMG)

My anxiety started raging, my heart started pumping faster. What if I am one of those that betrays their own people, could I be?

But then I started thinking, well I still love:

Beans (with or without rice)
My parents (and extended, very extended family)
Chicken (friend, baked, smoked, grilled, broiled)
Corn (tortillas, arepas, pupusas, gorditas)
I like parties, not just conversation parties but Latino parties, loud with food, music and dancing.
I love, loooooove to dance

 

My breathing got slower, deep breath…okay this is looking better.

 

I still like Yoga, natural foods and want to learn other languages… Oh my, I am hyperventilating again. Take deep breaths…. remember to breathe…

 

I started to check what other ethnic groups like. Well I also like:

 

Love Bbq ribs
Looove passion fruit, mango and guava
Cooking for friends and family
Grape and orange pop/soda
Falafel and shwarma
Baklava
Gold jewelry
Speaking with my hands
Tabule and babaganuj
Hugging and kissing (almost everybody)
Having a ton of friends over
Did I mention I love dancing?

 

Whew! I guess I share likes with many different cultures, I might not be a coconut after all, I think I am more of a fruit salad, with different tastes, shapes and colors…

 

I guess I am just like everybody else…

 

Barack Obama is an Alien

There has been talk about where did Obama come from, who is he really, what is his real agenda… Here it is

 

 I never suspected he was on of mine, but John uncovered the truth Just take a look at the evindece…

 For the entire article on Obama go here

Here is his confesion

 

 I guess he couldn’t hide it anymore…