I have always been curious to what the barriers are that keep different nationalities that live in the same neighborhoods, same streets, same schools. . from working together even though we face similar struggles. . .

The media also does a good job in keeping people from different ethnic groups apart of each other by creating different labels for each of them.

How do we let someone/something outside of our community tell us about our neighbors. The media can't convince me that inner-city kids are bad. They aren't going to taint the way I look at capeverdeans when I have grown up with them. I've seen everything from how births, seven days, sweet sixteens, weddings, funerals and more are celebrated. This knowledge gives me a true understanding of my neighbors and friends not a headline in the papers. . .without that personal knowledge, I would not be able to fight off the lies I hear.

TonyPreto

Mistrust comes from a lack of knowledge. . .
Since I've been reading posts, I find it odd that there are more similarities than there are differences in cultures in our community.

What tools could be used to show this ? For instance, I have never heard of the stories of torture that happened in CV. But it has similarities to what blacks have gone through in America. It interests me that Amilcar Cabral was in touch with MLK and Malcolm X and other revolutionairies.

Like what?

when it comes to the immigrant communities its more of a financial thing also. every community and its ppl want to succeed and move on from immigrant status and while we do that, we lose perspective of community and values. for example, if you have cape verdeans, haitians and latinos in one area, they are all trying to vie for the same thing we forget to try and work together because the other ppl become competition instead of neighbors.

and it would be easier for all of us to succeed if we acted neighborly. . .
imagine how many immigrants use import and export, imagine the size of a company you could build combining resources. . .

It's still healthy to compete each other without loosing the sense of comrodery and community. Let's learn from the example of the pinguins - watch the movie March of the Pinguins if you want to understand my point: "all for one and all for one."

"without losing the sense of community"

competition is good as long as it's not done in the abscence of partnership.

Politics is also keeping us apart.