If there is one subject close to the heart of African Americans, it’s racism. Black folk are quick to sense and point out racism, rightly or wrongly. We are rightly hard on white folks for the events of the past and the things that occur today. But what about us? Are we accepting of other races? Are African Americans accepting of Latinos?
Yesterday, my secretary, Leti, came to me with an unusual but intriguing request. Leti asked me if I would speak with her sister, whose son, Leti’s nephew, Albert, just enrolled at Morehouse College, the nation’s premier historically black college. Leti’s sister is worried about her son being so far away, but, more importantly, she’s worried about this catch: her son is Mexican-American.
For some reason, Albert, like many Latinos and whites, has always been emotionally close to black folks. He grew up with black friends; he listens to black music; he follows black issues. He simply feels a natural affinity with black people, and wanted to attend a black college. Within his family, Albert’s “blackness” has never been an issue, but the family is concerned about his being a Mexican-American student at a nearly all-black college. They worry that Albert won’t be accepted by the other students–or worse–that he could face violence.
I talked to Leti’s sister for about 30 minutes this afternoon to try to calm her down. I told her that Albert would be fine, that he would be accepted as a Morehouse brother, and that there would be other non-black students, so he wouldn’t be the only one. I told her that, in general, African Americans have love and respect for Latinos, and that any racial tension between the two groups is limited to the Los Angeles area. She laughed and she cried, and she told me that, in just one week on campus, Albert has already earned a nickname: “Brother Alberto.”
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