In our latest episode we talk with Aida Pacheco about understanding the Latino communities. Latino communities are very diverse and Aida cautioned that election time is NOT the time when groups or politicians should start talking to Latino communities about allyship. But before we can talk about being allies we have to know something about each other. We’ve provided Resources for Latino Allies to help kickstart that process.
For example, many African Americans are not aware that Latinos were very active in the civil rights movement. Many of those early fighters were Mexican-American and Puerto Ricans and Filipino. They were in the struggle to desegregate schools, to force the courts to select non-white jurors, and to unionize the labor movement. Check here for a quick history of US aggression against Latinos and here for a timeline of significant dates. If you are from New York and of a certain age you know about the Young Lords Party.
Racial Identity for Latinos
The Pew center collects data on many issues, including Latino/Hispanic identity. There are several chapters of a study that relevant to our discussions here. Firstly, The center tries to measure racial identity as reported by Latinos. Secondly, they find racial identity has many dimensions. Interestingly however, Latinos reported that skin color impacts their opportunities in America. No matter whether a person claims to be white or not, in America if you are brown you will experience discrimination.
The Voting Issue
It is also hard to decipher Latino voting because of the complexities of identity and origin. Each main party wants to claim it is supported by the Latino vote. Republicans trumpeted claims of Trump’s growth gains among Latinos. While Democrats often assume Latinos will vote blue.
In reality, the calculations are not that simple. Immigrant status, nation of origin and age all can play a role in how Latinos vote. Older Latinos who were not born here may not have a tie with either party. Our readers may recall Venezuelans who came here as refugees or were rich enough to emigrate away from the chaos in that country played a major role in Latinos for Trump rallies in Atlanta, GA. However, young Latinos in Arizona and Nevada, for example, helped turn the voting tide blue. If the Democrats are paying attention, they should realize the Latino vote is varied and not guaranteed to be blue. Here’s a chart which attempts to break the vote down on a national level. The PEW Research Center also has some interesting data on Latino voters.
No matter what each party claims, Latino voter suppression happens just as it does in the Black community. And other issues that are strikingly similar to those in the black community also impact Latino communities. As Aida pointed out in our discussion, we must do more civic education among all the communities of color. There are many resources for Latino allies out there, but we hope these are helpful.