ABSTRACT
In the southwestern states, Mexican American migrant farm labourers endured exploitation almost on a par with that of the southern black cotton and tobacco worker. For quite a while, Latinos were facing political difficulties commensurate with their social and economic problems. At both the state and national levels, they were very much on the defensive, fighting rearguard actions on several fronts simultaneously to keep what they felt was their due. Generally speaking, relations between African Americans and Latinos have often been more complex than the circumstances would seem to warrant. For a start, there is a basic difference in the way each group sees the other. Blacks are apt to regard Hispanics as racially closer to whites and therefore better able to assimilate and avoid discrimination. The liberal line that the Democrats take on abortion and gay rights offends not just the traditionally Roman Catholic Hispanics but also those who are joining the highly conservative Pentecostalist churches in great numbers.
