Continuing in my celebration of Latino Heritage Month... Only like 3 days left. So I decided to look at professional America and some things i've noticed. Thanks for reading.
1) Lose your sense of entitlement
One of the things that I admire about my Latino Professionals is they really do not feel a sense of entitlement or feel like they are entitled to anything because they are a minority. This does not mean they do not take advantage of programs to improve diversity or that are targeted at minorities this means that they do not use it as a crutch. They understand that you will have to work hard, you will have to put the time and effort in, and you will have to sometimes work your way up through unconventional methods because traditional doors are not open.
2) Learn to assimilate while not losing your culture
I feel that sometimes Black professionals are so concerned that their employers are trying to rape them of their culture and turn them into some Uncle Tom or some type of “Oreo.” I think that we sometimes can get so caught up in this that we become defensive. I admire Latino professionals because they manage to keep a good balance of being able to assimilate into corporate America, but be able to keep their culture. I think the key to doing this is to be able to separate that at home you have culture, but at work you have your profession. You should keep the two very separate, they’re different constructs.
3) Stick together, support your people
More and more organizations are always being developed. Over the last few years I have seen several Latino organizations being created in the professional space to support their people. I admire their cohesiveness as a people. They do a great job in my opinion of using their collective efforts in a professional manner to close the gap between them and the majority counterparts. We can learn from this and do this ourselves. Let’s begin to notice how some of our organizations such as NABA, Black MBA, CBC, etc. are weakening and losing their relevance and let’s have a revival and bring these programs back to where they need to be to support our people.
4) Entrepreneurship (Most Black people can’t even spell that ish)
I think that Black professionals as well as Latin professionals are doing a good job with Entrepreneurship, but I think it should not be discounted that the rate of Latin owned businesses opening are clearly exceeding those effort of us Black professionals. To piggyback off of my last point, we have to support each other, but moreover we need to be sharing that entrepreneurial language. (Let me preempt that I think this is a talent shared by African and Caribbean Black folk too, maybe this is just for us, African Americans to take heed.)
5) Education
Education has always been important to us. I admire that many of my Latino friends are like addicted to school. An undergraduate degree isn’t enough, a masters is the minimum. Certifications are a must. Be a doctor, a lawyer, etc. I admire this. And to think, Black people have been in this country for longer and this seems to still not be a priority for us.
I’m going to preemptively address some of your comments before I close. I should have prefaced this entire discussion with letting you know that Black encompasses a lot. I get a lot of comments from people who are like, I’m from Ghana and my parents instilled this in me, or I’m from Jamaica and my parents told me to… That’s all well and good, but when I looked at the things that I admire about “Luppies” I looked at the entire gambit of Black folk. Not just one country, one class, or one geographic area. So keep in mind, this is not a time for people to become separatist Black folk.
Neither is it a time for people to “Lil’ Ma” the spotlight. Listen, I think that Black people are beautiful and we are doing our thing. In 2009, we have made so many leaps and bounds that our ancestors would be more than proud of us today in these last days of our Lord. But let’s be able to sometimes take our seats and give a round of applause.
I’m interested to hear your thoughts Buppies and for those Luppies who are reading your thoughts as well. Happy Latino Heritage Month and I encourage all to take some time this month and educate themselves on something new pertaining to the month.
7 comments:
Well I guess I'm half-Luppie, half-Buppie then (i.e. Puerto Rican & African American)...LOL...I disagree with you on all points except for maybe #3...not to say that African-Americans don't have a number of initiatives out there to support the youth, but people don't take advantage of them. For all your points, though the same can be said for both Buppies and Luppies across the nation and not necessarily a small fraction of this country. Just my thoughts.
Do you ever agree? Sike nah... I think my point wasn't to say that Buppies don't do this. My point is to say that I see Luppies doing these things and we should all give our best, "good shit homie" to them. I don't think any point I made is not true... but if you get caught in a comparison and thinking i'm trying to say Black folk ain't doing this, then of course there will be room to disagree.
“1) Lose your sense of entitlement”
Please elaborate?
FACT. Majority of professional jobs are obtained by knowing someone or being related to someone (You can call that entitlement). If you know about Black people, you know that a lot of us are first generation Americans, first ones to go to college, etc. So the methods of obtaining a job just by stellar grades and hard work are not enough. When you say “This does not mean they do not take advantage of programs to improve diversity or that are targeted at minorities this means that they do not use it as a crutch.” You’re contradicting yourself as this can also be a form of entitlement.
“2) Learn to assimilate while not losing your culture”
Some Latinos LOOK like the majority so it's easy to assimilate and adapt.
“3) Stick together, support your people
…Let’s begin to notice how some of our organizations such as NABA, Black MBA, CBC, etc.”
I am apart of 2 of the 3 organizations you’ve listed. Please show me stats.
“4) Entrepreneurship (Most Black people can’t even spell that ish)”
This is insulting and ignorant. Are you a mentor? What are you doing to change your perception of black people? Look in the mirror sometime. Love yourself and teach young people so the next generation doesn’t think that negatively of themselves like you do.
“5) Education
Education has always been important to us. I admire that many of my Latino friends are like addicted to school.”
Where's your statistics on that? Is this a fact or an opinion?
1) I did not contradict myself, I merely said that if there is a program to take advantage of, you take it. But you do not use those programs as a crutch to gain access.
2) Stop hating.
3) Black MBA and CBC has lost their way. They are more about the social scene than they are anything else. This may be different to the members of the organization but they need to do better work with their image to the general population. As it pertains to NABA they know and I know they can do a better job. Many people do not even know they exist.
4) Yes I am a mentor. And I am the child of a Black entrepreneur. If I had more space I would have really dove into what I mean by this. Again, stop trying to compare everything to black people. All i'm trying to say is that someone else is doing their thing. Stop making it about black vs. latino, that's counterproductive. Black people are entrepreneurs too.
Also I take offense to your love yourself comment. At no point to I bring my people down, I love my people and teach my younger generations to love themselves.
5) Some times it's not about statistics. Do you know my friends? No. This is an observation of mine. I didn't claim that Latino's are statistically more addicted to school than Blacks. Again, stop turning this into a competition.
In conclusion, I appreciate your comment, but please don't turn this into a defense of Black people, I never attacked them. If you felt that way, then you did so in error.
I dont necessarily agree with this comparison post you got goin on here. Comparing what one group has to the other doesn't help. It resembles envy. It lacks foundation and it can be too broad. While I know you meant well, your views and so called foundings are skewed. I think both groups have virtually equal struggles in coporate America. I also think that the groups are more similar as far as being minorities than you are making them out to be. I think we should focus more on what we can do to solve problems than by comparing how successful they are to us. Again, validation by comparison ...grow out of it.
This must be the WWE because the least likely partnership is about to happen....I actually AGREE with Dr. J on these posts. Since moving to LA and basically living as a Mexican with black skin I must say that my Latino friends (especiallllly the women) pride themselves on education. Everyone is going for their masters...which means I'ma have to knock one up and get locked into having a rich wife/baby mama.
I totally disagree with FFGem saying that they look like the majority so it's easier for them. I ain't ever see a white person mistake a latino for being white. First off, their names are usually Jorge, Jesus, or Hector. And their facial features are totally different. Just cuz their skin is fair don't mean they look the same. That's like sayin it's easier for Japanese people to assimilate.
I do disagree with the sense of entitlement. If you built a home for someone and they don't really compensate you for the job and try to destroy you...I think you'll be mad, your kids will be mad, your grandkids...and that's how i feel about blacks in America. They damn near built this cuntry (not a spelling mistake) and for what? To be shoved into projects? To be eliminated through lack of education. To be targeted by the "justice" system? Yeah, America still owes them a lot.
I do agree with the support your people but I think blacks hating on each other is deep rooted in our blood. Black on black violence started in Africa and it's not gonna change.
WHAT!!! Dr.J and the TENANT Agree?! WOWSER!
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