The Nevada Democratic Presidential Caucus will be held on Saturday. It will be the first test of Sen. Barack Obama’s appeal to Latinos who represent about 25 percent of the state’s population and roughly 13 percent of registered voters.
Given the tensions been blacks and browns, I’ll be surprised if Obama does well among Latino voters. With the notable exception of Harold Washington’s 1983 campaign for mayor of Chicago and the Young Lords in New York City in the ‘60s, a black-brown coalition has been a pipedream of political elites.
Part of the challenge is that the brown in the coalition largely self-identifies as white.
Consider: In the U.S., a person who has “one drop” of black blood, multiracial or biracial is black. But Latinos, whose skin color may be as dark as or darker than Obama’s, do not identify as black.
In the 2000 Census, 50 percent of Hispanics self-identified as “White”; less than three percent checked “Black.”
The 2004 American Community Survey shows that 58.5 percent of Hispanics self-identified as “White,” 35.2 percent checked “some other race” and 3.6 percent indicated two or more races. Tellingly, a mere 1.6 percent self-identified as “Black.”
The racial hierarchy and stereotypes that Mexicans bring with them were exposed by then-Mexican President Vicente Fox in remarks before a group of Texas businessmen meeting in Mexico:
There’s no doubt that the Mexican men and women — full of dignity, willpower and a capacity for work — are doing the work that not even blacks want to do in the United States.
Yes, Obama got Latino support in his race against Alan Keyes (who hasn't?). As the Guardian points out:
But while his experience in building a coalition in Illinois in 2004 may have won him that Senate race, it is unclear whether Hispanic voters in a national election will suspend disbelief and take the time to get to know Obama.
. . .The Culinary Workers Union, the most powerful union in Las Vegas, with 60% Latino membership, has endorsed Obama. The union can boast organisational muscle, but will its Latino members toe the union line on Saturday?
¡Si, se puede! We’ll see.
