By: David Conde
The history of the United States has been a series of ups and downs that include ultimate tests of our democracy. This includes issues such as slavery, the integration of immigrants, westward expansion, the American Civil War, two world wars, terrorism, increasing crisis in our natural environment, attacks on our institutions at home and challenges to our global leadership by forces of change.
Among these forces are those associated with social and political extremism driven by grievances of all kinds.
The Latino community lived a generation of expressed grievances in its struggle to find space and justice in American consciousness especially after World War II. Veterans returning from the war found the same or worse conditions than when they had left to fight and were ready to do something.
Rampant discrimination against these war heroes called for a major campaign to fight discrimination. The birth of the farm workers unionizing effort in California, the land grant recovery struggle in New Mexico and the Chicano Movement’s fight beginning in the American Southwest and spreading across the country, formed the basis for the appearance of extreme elements that characterized the street encounters to find redress.
The issues of oppression and relative lack of fair play were framed within a context of a majority in power acting against the interests of minority communities.
As predicted however, this context gradually changed as the community of minorities started the drive to become the majority.
This notice of change is creating deep divisions in American life caused by extreme elements of the White establishment that feel that they are losing control of the country and that they will be replaced in some fashion. There are other substantial elements of that same establishment that see this as a process of a maturing diversified nation.
These distinctions have found their way into the two major political parties with one, the Republican Party, being taken over by white racists concerned about power. So, in addition to traditional positions of small government, strong defense and an emphasis on business, the Republican Party now also represent White racial and ethnic bigotry.
The fight to maintain racial superiority by extreme elements of the White community is also leading to a stark competition between the rising forces of autocracy against a historical commitment to democracy. This is so serious that the great political experiment that defines American exceptionalism is in danger of falling.
Interestingly enough, the Democratic Party is heavily influenced by the Black community. This sets up a very visible contrast between racially conscious Black and White America.
In the middle of the two groups stands the Latino community, a relative quiet partner in what is a very noisy national political scene. Its growth by 2100 to include 1 of every 3 residents and more depending on the difficult to predict immigration trajectory will obviate a prevalent say in managing the country.
It has been a tradition to celebrate the diversity that comes from being an immigrant country. This diversity in race, ethnicity, language, color and cultural richness is something that together with a democratic history, are the building blocks of our exceptionalism.
It happens that the diversity we value is an inherent characteristic of the Latino community. Much of that community reflects the multiplicity of images, styles and desirable attributes in its cultural landscape.
In the face of our present division, the Latino community offers a vision that can bring our country together. It also offers a face and image of a new America.
