Obama Connects LA Neighborhoods and Continents
by Gabriel Buelna

This past Saturday, U.S. Senator Barack Obama announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States. Not since Jesse Jackson’s 1984 presidential run has an African American had a real chance of inspiring a generation—and winning. I wasn’t old enough to vote in 1984, but I clearly remember the chant “RUN JESSE RUN, RUN JESSE RUN” at the Democratic National Convention that year. Unlike Jesse Jackson’s candidacy, however, Obama’s support stretches across many traditional boundaries, including barriers of class and ethnicity. Obama’s candidacy is clearly an opportunity for us all.

As I write this article, inter-ethnic violence between African American and Latino youth and gangs in L.A. is causing our local leaders to take another look at relations between these communities. Gangs have created an atmosphere of fear and distrust throughout our vast and diverse neighborhoods. As I watched Obama deliver his announcement speech on the Internet, I couldn’t help but imagine how his presidency could alter the way we see differences between African Americans and Latinos. I then caught myself pigeon-holing Senator Obama as African American. You may say: He is, isn’t he? He is; but he’s also the son of a Kenyan father and a white mother. He grew up in Hawaii and spent part of his youth in Indonesia. Not your normal American upbringing, African American or otherwise.

The senator’s background is multiracial and intercontinental. He was the editor of Harvard Law Review, and after law school he worked as a community organizer with local churches in Chicago. His background shows a willingness to bridge ethnic and party lines without undue attention to traditional political rules.

While some might question his foreign policy credentials, I would remind them that Obama is about the same age as President Kennedy when he stared down Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev in 1964 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. And the general dissatisfaction the American people have with the current administration’s foreign policy shows that even extensive experience does not guarantee success.

Obama’s unique background leads me to believe that he is uniquely poised to develop pioneering policies for Africa and Latin America. Some of you may ask: Who cares about Africa or Latin America, and why do they matter to African Americans and Latinos here and now? From a selfish perspective, it is in America’s own economic interest to ensure that Africa and Latin America develop stable economies with growing middle classes.

In Africa, the average income is $671 per year, with 36.2 percent of the mostly rural population living on less than $1 per day. Senator Obama understands this disparity. According to his official website, the senator’s father “grew up herding goats with his own father, who was a domestic servant to the British.” Most African nations have been independent from European rule for less than fifty years. During that time, rebel leaders have become dictators, and AIDS has become the biggest human killer other than famine and war.

Latin America has a somewhat higher standard of living, but many of its 548 million people also live in poverty. Even with one of the largest oil reserves in the world, Mexico cannot create the one million jobs a year it needs for its young population. Venezuela, a member of OPEC with one of the world’s largest oil reserves, has an inflation rate of 25 percent and does not have enough chicken or milk for its citizens. Central America also struggles to develop its economies while dealing with increased gang violence, mostly generated from American deportees and the remnants of violence brought on by decades of American-sponsored wars.

Obama could offer new thinking regarding the relationships the United States has with Africa and Latin America. He could encourage further economic development in those regions instead of dependence on American foreign aid and family remittances. While the senator only has two years of experience in the Senate, the reality of our world’s problems requires fresh energy and a desire to redefine foreign and domestic policies. Perhaps this vision scares many Americans because of a historic reluctance to view our world beyond European eyes. I urge the other presidential candidates to have the same kind of vibrant and dynamic vision the senator has.

During Senator Obama’s campaign, a clearly defined foreign policy for Africa and Latin America could inspire the voters he needs to win. It is my hope that talking about these issues can lead American families to expect cooperation among their leaders and thus encourage harmony in our neighborhoods. This is a hope that may or may not turn out to be a reality. It is also my hope that Obama can move us toward a new outlook on democracy in our country. The pioneering spirit of America just may be in the hands of a Kenyan-American with an international spirit and American interests at heart.

As Obama begins his march to the White House, I encourage him to give voice to and draft a bridge-building process between African Americans and Latinos. Building such bridges will also help Senator Obama build his better union.

What do you think?

Gabriel Buelna, Ph.D., M.S.W., is Executive Director of Plaza Community Center in East Los Angeles, a faculty member in the Chicana/o Studies Department at California State University, Northridge, and appears regularly on TV-KMEX-Channel 34 Univision Los Angeles.