Final Project Race and Your Community

Race and your Community

ETH/125

03/28/10

Race and your Community

Miami, Florida has a very diverse population. Yet this alone has not meant that racial or ethnic tensions in the city are not as palpable as the city’s heat. It is not unusual for police to stop minorities, particularly African Americans, for unjustified reasons or merely to ask them why they are driving or walking in a certain neighborhood. There is also a great deal of tension between African Americans and those members of the Haitian community, who, in turn, are offended that Cuban Americans have, unlike them, been so easily welcomed, at least for the most part, into the community. Yet, the Cubans face discrimination from many of the Caucasian population who view them as bad for the city, just like the view anyone but themselves as “wrong” or bad. To this is also added the reality that Cubans and others look down on those who are of other Hispanic origins, like the Puerto Ricans, the Columbians, or anyone else who is not Cuban. It is not a well-mixed Melting Pot, at all.

The city of Miami has 358,091 residents (Census: Miami Fact Sheet). Of that number approximately 71% are Caucasian, 22% are African American, and just less than 1% are Asian (Census: Miami Fact Sheet). Of this total number of persons, 69% of them are Hispanic (which is not a race, but an ethnic group that refers to persons whose countries of origin or ancestors speak or spoke Spanish, and who can be of any race) (Census: Guidance; Census: Miami Fact Sheet). Those who call themselves Hispanic are from the following major national origins (Census: Guidance; Census: Miami Fact Sheet):

• 50% Cuban

• 27% Central American (Costa Rican, Guatemalan, Panamanian, Honduran, etc.)

• 12% South American (Argentinean, Brazilian, Chilean, Columbian, etc.)

• 11% Other (European Spaniards and otherwise unclassified)

As can be seen, Miami has the largest national concentration of Cubans, who, other...