Melirosa:

"Poverty does affect every race and if you are willing not to accept the holds that may be put on you at times, you will succeed if you have the desire".

That is a powerful statement. What I have observed over the years are people who throw their hands down and accept the notion and conditions under which they live, because someone has convinced them that they cannot aspire for something better for religious, racial, social or economic reasons, which are used to kill the desire to break out of the barriers. I saw this dramatically played out in Panamaian society in which the majority population which is underclass (there is no middle class there) are brainwashed into thinking that its God's will that they are not to be better than the more priviledge upper class. This is the core reason for much of the strife in Latin America and Caribbean history and to some extent in this country. ~ Roberto

By Melirosa (208.166.11.98) on Friday, February 9, 2001 - 04:53 pm:

roberto-i am living in the miami area right now and there is some truth in what you are saying. black hispanic men do tend to marry white women, but from what i hear from them it is because they want a woman who is"privledged" and can provide them with things that are hard to come by for new immigrants. i would like to say that they do it for love, but unfortunately, that is not always the case. this is a well known fact here. as far as the blacks living here and how they differ from hispanic blacks, the hispanics from the islands are coming from a society where racial prejudice is not an issue so their views are not "tainted" and they haven't seen the same things and haven't faced the same issues that african americans have. i don't really agree with the statement that you made though saying that black americans are not getting anywhere. i think a lot of black americans are refusing to accept a life destined for poverty and they are working towards having a happy productive life just as everyone else is. i have seen my own puerto rican people come to this country and do absolutely nothing except go on welfare and stay there for generations. if someone has ambiition, no matter what racial background they come from, they will achieve the things they want. sure, we can't deny that in america there are those racial divides that may hold certain groups of people back somewhat, but poverty does effect every race and if you are willing not to accept the holds that may be put on you at times, you will succeed if you have the desire.

By Roberto (152.163.207.62) on Friday, February 9, 2001 - 04:06 pm:

Mr. P has found the American dream. He has his little empire in Imports and Exports, has a fine home, his wife (who is white) is making tons of money, and said he "love being an American". Why is it that a foreigner, (black, white, asian etc), can come to this country and make it, but many blacks living here are still complaining and not going anywhere? He tells me in Miami, most black hispanics once they get off the plane or boat look for a white woman to marry. He said "they bring luck and financial rewards". Do not be mad at my friend. That is just the way many black hispanics see white women. ~ Roberto