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Description
This study documents the perceptions of Latino and African American (AA) stakeholders over a 45-year period on the impact of demographic shifts one of San Diego's political districts. In the 1970's the AA community was the majority ethnic group; before the year 2000 the Latino community became the majority ethnic group. The study's guiding research question are: What role do demographic shifts, socio-political legislation, institutional polices, and interest convergence play in understanding the issues of intercultural conflict or collaboration in a political district that was once majority African American and has shifted to a Latino majority community? To obtain this data, six African American and six Latino community stakeholders who have respectively participated for over 45 years in the selected political district were asked to tell their stories and shed light on how they perceived Black and Brown community relations over the 45 year period. The study employed a multi-contextual conceptual model for understanding the impact of the demographic shifts in the political district. Qualitative methods were used that included semi-structured interviews, indigenous practice of narrative medicine, case study methods, focus group, and non-statistical methods of analysis (Dedoose software), and secondary data reports. Using the 12 case study narratives, each of the 12 case studies were coded using the Dedoose software program. This yielded 512 statements that were clustered into eight themes that correlated with the five sub-questions of the study. The eight themes were: population makers, cultural/ethnic identity, trust, racism, power, conflict and tension, collaboration, and educational instrumentality. Six of the eight themes identified the existing social tensions in the selected political district and the last two pointed to ways to improve intercultural relations. The study contributes to our understanding of African American and Latino cultural, social, political and educational tensions as a consequence of demographic shifts and the need for a new order of social interaction. The study presents three possible options for inter-community collaboration and/or conflict, two are negative, and one positive that seeks a super ordinate goal (Sue, 2003) that can unite Latino and African American communities in creating win-win intercultural relations and community development.
