Negro Drive Worries Mexican-Americans
July 14, 1963

A growing concern over the relation of the Southland's Mexican-Americans to the accelerated drive by Negroes for civil rights was aired Saturday at a closed meeting in the Hall of Administration.

Some Los Angeles area Mexican-American leaders, The Times learned, are worried that Negroes' victories in their fight against racial prejudice, ironically is adversely affecting the Spanish-speaking people.

About 60 leaders of the Mexican-American community Saturday night presented their grievances to the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations.

Ray Mora of the California Democratic Central Committee told The Times after the meeting that a "dangerous situation" is brewing because employers are now "afraid" to discriminate against Negroes and are firing Mexican-Americans.

"This should not be interpreted to mean that Mexican-Americans are against the fight Negroes are waging for better opportunities," Mora emphasized. "I bring it out so that this ironic side-effect should not be used to pit one group against the other."

"The pressure Negroes are applying on employers has had this effect: When Negroes apply for jobs, employers are afraid not to hire them for fear of retaliation and so, in some cases, fire Mexican-Americans to make space for the Negro."

"It's a problem that will get worse and we must talk about it if it is to be solved." It was learned that several of the more conservative Mexican-American leaders strongly oppose any "mixing" of Mexican-American and Negro grievances.

One Mexican-American leader was quoted as telling the commission: "The Mexican-Americans have no problems. Just leave us alone. Any problems that might arise we'll take care of them ourselves."

Carlos Borja, a California deputy attorney general and Mexican-American leader, told The Times he disagrees.

"We should not disassociate our problems from those of the Negro," Borja said. "How long are we Mexican-Americans going to sit here and say we have no problems? We have them and the greatest one is the lack of education of many of our people."