Minorities must support one another

Noblesse Oblige
    By Jay Munir

One of the most disturbing images to emerge from the 1992 Rodney King verdict, in which a predominantly white suburban jury acquitted white police officers of the beating of the African-American motorist, was the sight of racial violence. Given the racial composition of the jury, one might have expected the disturbances to follow lines of white-black tension. Ironically, however, much of the violence was played out between members of various minority groups all competing for a share of inner-city Los Angeles' depressed economy. The riots' legacy of inter-minority tension is often overlooked, but it has dire consequences for the political and economic security of America's ethnic and religious minorities.

The American Dream is a wonderful construct. Since the days of Horatio Alger, the belief that every individual can rise to the top based on merit and character, rather than on the arbitrary advantages of birth, has helped us define ourselves as a nation. But there is also a down side to this rosy self-definition. Too often, the Horatio Algers among us give the illusion that all is well with our society.

Today, American minorities are faced with the challenge of making sense of their place in the American Dream. In an era when an Asian-American governs the state of Washington, Colin Powell is a plausible presidential candidate, and people of color begin to break into the country's financial and social elite, it is easy for some minorities to believe their success makes them invulnerable to racism. "If I can make it in a racist society, then why can't everyone else?" some ask.

California's Proposition 209, which outlawed the use of affirmative action in state programs, was passed because too many minorities had no answer to this question. With its substantial minority support, it is no surprise that 209 became state law. Unless an African American residing in a wealthy suburb realizes how closely linked his or her security in American society is to the prospects of a Mexican-American immigrant in the inner-city, inter-minority conflict will continue and all people of color will lose.

For those whose wealth and success mask the barriers America's minorities must face, it is not hard to find reminders of racism's enduring legacy. Even at Yale, it's still possible to hear those who believe that minorities are less-qualified, due to factors ranging from biology to affirmative action programs, for admission to the University. In society at large, children of immigrants are still assumed to be foreigners by many, and the overwhelming homogeneity that one sees when our government assembles for the State of the Union address clearly illustrates that the growing financial clout of some minorities has not bought us adequate political inclusion.

Furthermore, the resurgence of right-wing paramilitary and racist groups from the Idaho panhandle to the New York City suburbs has led to a dramatic increase in the number of hate crimes across the country since 1992. The list goes on and on.

Owning all the BMWs in Fairfield County cannot buy a member of a minority group immunity from being considered a foreigner or a second-class citizen by the racist elements of our society. While there is definitely a sociological relationship between race and class, the two constructs will have to be separated if minority groups are to build successful political coalitions. Together, minorities make up around a quarter of the U.S. population. Divided, minorities will continue to find themselves excluded from crucial segments of society.

Minority students at Yale face a particularly difficult challenge. With many headed to prestigious graduate programs or hefty salaries in the corporate world after college, they represent the success stories of America's minority groups. It will be too easy to forget the neighborhoods and communities they leave behind, and the personal struggles and barriers they overcame to make it here. Despite the progress Americans of all races have made in inter-racial relations since the Civil Rights era, minorities are still vulnerable to racism. Their success is contigent on the continued improvement of America's record on race. With the growing political division among minority groups, the progress we have made together could all too easily be shattered.

Recent Herald Columns by this Columnist:
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