STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

Robinson et al discuss whether Black and Latino communities will join forces or not in the pursuit of opportunities and justice. Carlos Munoz, a professor emeritus of ethnic studies at the University of California at Berkeley, points out similar histories of racial oppression as well as contemporary challenges, stating that the disadvantages Blacks and Latinos experience across a range of standard-of-living indicators, including income level, home ownership, and health insurance rates, present numerous opportunities for collaborative organizing and advocacy but competition in politics, language barriers, and racism are among the factors that can make coalition-building difficult. Considering these, Blacks and Latinos will have to decide whether to pursue the gains in business, politics, education, and other arenas in ways that will benefit both groups or to limit their vision of the 21st century to self-interest.