By Liz Reyna
Edited by Martinez Scott
Oralia Contreras is hopeful.
As an English Language Learner teacher and guidance clerk at Westview High School, Contreras said she sees the message of change beating in the hearts of her students.
“They are all hopeful,” she said. “I have students come to me daily to tell me they are very hopeful that (Barack) Obama can make a change for them.”
But as the excitement of the inauguration of America’s first black president boils over in the world’s melting pot, Contreras said she worries if the change is indeed reserved for her students. Many of her students are illegal immigrants.
They come to the United States, she said,to learn English and for better oppurtunities.
Contreras said the immigration problem is one issue that has been a big disappointment in past years. She hopes Obama can fix.
“Whether they are illegal or have gotten their papers, Obama needs to fight for them and welcome them,” she said.
She said with Obama’s inauguration, one promise he must keep is to tackle immigration reform. Without it, she said, she sees little progress for Hispanics.
“The bottom line is that everybody wants that freedom and those opportunities, but what is Obama going to do for Hispanics?” Contreras said.
Yet Contreras is still hopeful and like many, supports Obama—a deviation from what was expected from Hispanics, due to so-called Hispanic-African American divide.
With the inauguration completed, Hispanics such as Contreras are looking to Obama to see what might be done for this racial divide.
According to the article in Newsweek, “The Black-Brown Divide” by Jamie Reno, author Earl Hutchinson said there would be reluctance among many Hispanics to vote for an African American candidate.
José Reyna, assistant to the city manager of Grand Rapids, said many Hispanics from the start found support in another candidate.
“Hispanics initially identified with (Hillary) Clinton because of their loyalty to Democratic Party and the Clintons’ support of their community,” Reyna said. “Many were deaf to Obama’s message about empathy with Hispanic community.”
He added once the race between Obama and McCain begun, Obama’s message finally resonated with Hispanic community.
And resonate it did, as exit polls showed Hispanics voted 67 percent Obama to 30 percent McCain.
Yet even with the support and the nomination, Hispanics like Yasmin Ibarra-Delgado, a paraprofessional at Loy Norrix High School, still worry how Obama might help them.
“I married an illegal immigrant, so the issue of immigration is important to me,” Ibarra-Delgado said. “I wonder what Obama might do to help people in the situation I was in.”
As it stands, Obama has proposed an immigration reform plan that includes border surveillance with new technologies and reprimands employers who hire undocumented workers.
For undocumented immigrants, Obama has proposed to have them register, pay a fine for entering illegally, pay taxes, and learn English.
In addition, the undocumented immigrants must go to the back of line in applying for citizenship—behind people who are waiting to earn it legally—but has also proposed to give “illegals” time to earn their citizenship.
With this, the immigration matter is particularly crucial, Reyna said, and if Obama ignores these promises, a rift between racial groups might occur.
Andrew Schlewitz, GVSU Latin American Studies and Political Science professor, said the immigration issue resonates differently with both African Americans and Hispanics depending on geography. Those closer to the border might feel more affected.
But there is some common ground through it all.
Schlewitz said he believes there are issues, like the creation of jobs, which can unite this perceived divide.
There is one thing complicating this pursuitSchlewitz added.
“All of the issues depend on how quickly and how thoroughly we can recover from the economy because it has been putting all sorts of groups against each other,” he said.
Danny Aldaco, a department technician for the State of Michigan, echoed those sentiments and said the economy is much to blame for these divides.
“I think that people are realizing what race you are is not important now,” Aldaco said. “Everyone is struggling right now and I think fixing these issues will unite people.”
As it stands, Obama’s economic plan is to create or save up to 4 million jobs through renewable energy jobs.
Daniel McClure, GVSU professor of Liberal and African American Studies, said this economic plan should do much for African Americans and Hispanics.
He added African Americans and Hispanics live in similar conditions, face similar discrimination in housing, jobs and education, and therefore would find common interests rather than competing interests throughout this divide.
But in examining the rift between African Americans and Hispanics, deeming Obama as a representative for all African Americans might have little to do with the divide.
Reyna said Obama might not be symbolic of the entire African American experience. It is not that simple, he added, and rather, Obama speaks for all races.
“A leaning toward any particular racial group may disenfranchise many and I think many are looking for that to happen, but he may be too genuine to let that happen,” Reyna said.
Courtney Baker, a photography student of African American and Caucasian decent, said this leaning will not happen not as a result of genuineness but rather because Obama is multi-racial. “Like myself, Obama is of mixed race and has had to be political all of his life in the way he identified himself,” Baker said.
He added because of that, Obama can appeal to all races, including African Americans and Hispanics.
So then, has “the ground shifted,” as Obama proclaimed in his inauguration speech, to acknowledge a new dimension of race?
Schlewitz said yes.
“Political analysts are now looking at race as a generational thing,” Schlewitz said. “The baby- boomers are getting old and race and ethnicity are gaining a different take among the younger generations.”
With this, the question remains: Is the nation moving toward a post-racial America, without divides?
McClure said the notion of a post-racial America is ridiculous and unappealing.
“Race is a fundamental…fact of American history, culture and identity and will not disappear simply because President Obama is no longer interested in discussing the ways it shapes all of our lives,” McClure said.
Instead, he suggested tackling the issue head-first in order to break down divides.
But for many, such as Baker, those divides cannot be understood without an example from the top.
“I think many are looking toward Obama right now for the next step in breaking down racial barriers,” he said.
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