The Presumed Alliance: The Unspoken Conflict Between Latinos and Blacks and What It Means for America

“A hard and unnerving look at how changing demographics will forever alter our country’s dialogue on race.” — San Jose Mercury News

As Latino and African Americans increasingly live side by side in large urban centers, as well as in suburban clusters, the idealized concept of a "Rainbow Coalition" would suggest that these two disenfranchised groups are natural political allies. Indeed, as the number of Latinos has increased dramatically over the last ten years, competition over power and resources between these two groups has led to surprisingly antagonistic and uncooperative interactions. Many African Americans now view Latinos, because of their growth in numbers, as a threat to their social, economic, and political gains.

Nicolas C. Vaca debunks the myth of "The Great Union" and offers the hope he believes each community could learn from, in order to achieve a mutually agreed upon agenda. More than simply unveiling the problem, The Presumed Alliance offers optimistic solutions to the future relations between Latino and Black America.

As Latinos and African Americans increasingly live side by side in large urban centers as well as in suburban clusters, the idealized concept of a "rainbow coalition" would suggest that these two disenfranchised groups are natural political allies. Such a notion would be based on the presumption of a commonality between the two groups that serves as the glue for forming political and economic alliances on a mass level. However, contrary to this theoretical approach stands evidence that few formal or even informal coalitions exist between Latinos and African Americans.

Many political insiders are asking themselves in private how one might interpret the taboo yet very real subjectof the often-frayed relations between African Americans and Latinos. Many who do not address this divisive issue fear that to acknowledge such a rift would invite adversaries to cast tension as a political weakness.

Indeed, as the number of Latinos has increased dramatically over the last ten years, competition over power and resources has led to antagonism and a failure to cooperate. Many African Americans now view Latinos, because of their growing numbers, as a threat to their social, economic, and political gains. Conversely, Latinos do not view African Americans as an oppressed group in the same way other Americans do, and this often has negative results.

In The Presumed Alliance, Vaca examines the historical context as well as the contemporary manifestations of the conflicts between Latinos and African Americans in an engaging, informative manner. Using case studies from New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Washington, D.C., Compton, and Houston, Vaca illustrates just how contentious the two groups have been toward each other, and what issues are at the root of such discord. With its discussions of language barriers, competition over affirmative action, and the overlooked contributions of Hispanics during the American Civil Rights movement, Vaca's narrative is both eye-opening and well informed.

By daring to raise a topic that may upset so many, Vaca believes the issues surrounding these sometimes strained relations also may be resolved, if only they are addressed. This thought-provoking topic invites all to stop and think about important questions, and offers a glimpse at the future makeup of the American political landscape.

“Nicolás Vaca has written a brave and path-breaking book. For too long, commentators have ignored important differences between the experiences of blacks and Latinos in the United States, to the detriment of a full understanding of both groups. With grace and scholarly attention to detail, Vaca demonstrates that Latinos’ interests are not always identical to those of blacks. Vaca shows that the presumed alliance between the two groups is less a fact than it is a product of wishful thinking on the part of civil rights activists.” - Linda Chavez, author of Out of the Barrio and An Unlikely Conservative

“The most thorough analysis yet of Black/Latino relations. This is an in-depth look at the shifting sands of ethnic politics.” - Bob Blauner, author of Still the Big News: Racial Oppression and Black Lives, White Lives: Three Decades of Race Relations in America

“The work puts the often conflicted relationship between blacks and Latinos into the context of immigration and the dramatic growth in the Latino population. The topic of black/Latino will certainly become more heated in the years to come as Latinos are now the nation’s largest minority. Vaca’s narrative is provocative and often disturbing. It will no doubt illicit heated responses, which hopefully will lead to a better understanding.” - Rudy Acuña, author of Occupied America: A History of Chicanos and Anything But Mexican: Chicanos in Contemporary Los Angeles

“The Presumed Alliance explores [two] conflicting perceptions with refreshing candor. Vaca demythologizes the idealized concept of the “rainbow coalition” and calls on both [Latinos and African-Americans] to reintroduce themselves to each other.” - Clarence Page

“A thoughtful political/historical essay on the profound gulf that yawns between America’s most populous minority groups.” - Kirkus Reviews

“Fascinating and complicated...Vaca tears off the rose-colored glasses, bids farewell to political correctness and handles the subject matter with genuine interest and expertise.” - Hartford Courant

"Nicolas C. Vaca, a pioneer of the Chicano movement, has taken on the biggest version of this problem. . . . Vaca gives us the first serious discussion of these divisions and the hanging fears that still accompany them.” - Denver Post

“A frank discussion on the latest taboo subject in the race milieu: the growing tension between Latinos and blacks.” - San Jose Mercury News

“A thought-provoking book.” - New York Post

“A riveting narrative...Vaca’s well-researched book is essential reading for anyone desiring an understanding of the future of ethnographic conflict in the United States.” - Booklist