[Sosfbay-discuss] Hawaii, DC, NM, CA and TX people of color now majority

[Wes Rolley]

JamBoi wrote:
> "Four states, along with the District of Columbia, are
> "majority-minority" in 2006. Hawaii was first (75
> percent minority), followed by the District of
> Columbia (68 percent), New Mexico (57 percent),
> California (57 percent) and Texas (52 percent). No
> other state had a minority population exceeding 42
> percent of the total."
>
> http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/17/national/main2821309.shtml
>   
I had been thinking about the political ramifications of this. There is 
one side of me that hopes the long range effect would be to eliminate 
racial / ethnic identity as a factor in political discourse. Maybe that 
will happen, but not in my lifetime.

The most recent example was brought to light by our old friend, Alex 
Walker, in a note to the LA County Greens regarding the special election 
to fill the seat of the late Juanita Millender-McDonald. (CA-37)

Alex cited, and took issue with, an editorial in the Black Commentator 
<http://www.blackcommentator.com/230/230_between_the_lines_millender_mcdonald_seat.html>. 
"More At Stake Than Just Politics As Usual" By Dr. Anthony Asadullah 
Samad, PhD. I extract the following:
__

    In a state that has long promoted the fallacy of shrinking Black
    political power, or more critically, a Latino “power flex” on Black
    elected officials, this Richardson-McDonald face-off is more than
    just about one seat. It is about what the Black community is
    prepared to do to keep an all important Congressional seat. We
    cannot allow egos and rhetoric to get in the way. . . . What
    significance? It’s the 800-pound gorilla in the room called the
    ever-expanding Latino politic. Tied to a population growth that will
    make them a statistical majority in the state by 2010, the fear of
    encroachment on historically Black seats is becoming a reality. This
    is the biggest power flex since former L.A. City Councilman, Nick
    Pacheco, a few years ago, tried to clip downtown out of Councilwoman
    Jan Perry’s district in a redistricting power play. Some think the
    Black and Latino communities are on a head-on collision course for
    political and economic control of shared geographies. It doesn’t
    have to be that way, but the over-zealous and over-ambitious have a
    way of dictating this relationship. So now we wait to see just how
    Orpeza's stepping into this race plays out in the long term. Is this
    an isolated incidence, or the crack in the political dam that will
    cause a flood of non-Black candidates to come rushing through the
    Black community at a later date? All of this has to be considered. .
    . . This is not about Richardson or McDonald. It’s about saving an
    all-important Congressional seat at a time when Black people need
    representation in California.

__
This is the way it will really play out, one group playing identity 
politics at the expense of another and maybe (or not) at the expense of 
electing the most qualified candidate.


-- 

I have been impressed with the urgency of doing.
Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Being willing is not enough; 
We must do. –Leonardo DaVinci
Wesley C. Rolley
17211 Quail Court
Morgan Hill, CA 95037
(408)778-3024 - http://cagreening.blogspot.com