Blacks, Latinos discuss unity
Immigration hot topic at conference

Stanley B. Chambers Jr., Staff Writer
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/668018.html

DURHAM - African-Americans and Latinos in Durham live mostly in separate worlds and have different ideas about immigration.
Bridging that gap was the aim of the Durham Human Relations Unity Conference at the Hayti Heritage Center on Saturday. The event drew more than 70 people, a mix of Durham residents and representatives of anti-racism groups.

Relations between Durham's blacks and Latinos are important because they are the city's dominant minority groups. Blacks make up 40 percent of city residents while Hispanics represent 13 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Both often live side-by-side in the city's poorest sections. In 2003, the city passed a resolution supporting human rights regardless of immigration status.

But some believe Latinos have gained opportunities and power more quickly than blacks, creating tensions between the two groups.

"It's hard when you see another community come in and get so much more opportunity," said Chauncey Taylor, 26, of Durham, referring to jobs and business ownership. "It's hard for us to move past that."

Many at the conference agreed that black-Latino relations in Durham need improvement and that the two groups don't understand one another's language and culture. Late last year, several Hispanic robbery victims reported that their assailants were black. And a Duke University study released last year said that more than half of Latino immigrants thought most blacks are not hard workers and could not be trusted.

"Because of immigration, there are some strained relations because it wasn't all of a sudden [that immigrants came to the U.S.], but sometimes it feels that way," said Rita Gonzalez-Jackson, 50, of Durham. She also believes misconceptions contribute to the problem. "And that's affecting people and their perceptions. If you don't have commonalities, all you're going to focus on is the differences."

Saturday's conference, a partnership between the city's Department of Human Relations and the Southern Anti-Racism Network, aimed to foster a discussion about immigration while showing that blacks and Latinos share similarities.

"If we talk to each other, we would see that we have the same struggle," said Theresa El-Amin, director of the anti-racism network. "Your struggle is my struggle. My struggle is your struggle. Let's work together."

But working together requires difficult conversations exposing personal beliefs.

That was evident when about 20 people gathered in a circle at the conference's immigration workshop.

Delores Eaton, 77, who is black, spoke of seeing Latino businesses while driving around Durham.

"I see that not only you're acquiring political power, you're also acquiring economic power," Eaton said.

But Bryan Parras, regional organizer for the Houston-based Southern Human Rights Organizer's Network, said people should focus on the similarities and common goals of the two groups.

"We need to get past and beyond that because we all had it bad," Parras said. "We've got to get past these small, minor details."

The immigration workshop group came up with a few suggestions to foster better relations between blacks and Latinos, including better communication, working together more and learning about each other's cultures.

Achieving unity will take equal effort from both sides, said Richard G. Womack, the AFL-CIO's assistant to the president.

"Unity is a two-way street," Womack said. "We have to champion each other's causes. We cannot sit by and watch injustice and say nothing."

Staff writer Stanley B. Chambers Jr. can be reached at 956-2426 or stan.chambers@newsobserver.com.