IT'S the topic that no one wants to talk about but no one can avoid.
Race became the hot issue in the American election last week, but away from sparring between the presidential candidates, Barack Obama is attempting to heal one of the deepest divisions in the Democratic community – that between blacks and Latinos.
Although America's large Hispanic community has traditionally voted Democrat, Obama has a specific problem: a widespread belief in the US that Latinos won't vote for a black candidate.
The race debate has been watched with interest in New York's East Harlem. Also known as Spanish Harlem and nicknamed El Barrio because of its high proportion of Hispanic residents, it is one of America's poorest areas, with almost half of the population living below the poverty line.
A tightly-knit Spanish speaking enclave in traditionally black Harlem, its Puerto Rican, Dominican Republic and Mexican families celebrate their culture and food in colourful sidewalk cafés and markets.
Come November, Democrats hope many of them will overcome a traditional antipathy towards black candidates by casting their vote for Obama rather than the Republican, John McCain.
"There will be a lot of people in this community who are prejudiced against voting for a black man," said Spanish Harlem resident Maria Ramos. "Personally, I think it's time that someone black became president. It shows that anyone can be voted president of this country."
El Barrio could be a weathervane for this election, in which the voting intentions of the Hispanic community are gathering more attention than ever before.
Jorge Ramos, the news anchor of Hispanic TV channel Univision and one of the most influential Latinos in America, said: "Historically, there has been a lot of tension between the Hispanic and African-American community. It is economic.
"Latinos have recently become the largest minority in the US and they have been taking jobs and political positions that used to be controlled by African-Americans. This has inevitably created political, social and economic tensions.
"It matters that Obama is black. For some Latinos there is suspicion about the African-American candidate. That is something Obama has to deal with that McCain doesn't."
Last week McCain released an advert which compared the black Democratic candidate for president to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton and asked: "He's the biggest celebrity in the world. But is he ready to lead?"
In reply, the Democrat told a crowd in Missouri: "What they're going to try to do is make you scared of me… You know, he doesn't look like all those other presidents on those dollar bills. You know, he's risky."
The Republicans accused Obama of playing the race card.
Both candidates are actively chasing the Hispanic vote. Obama and the Democratic National Committee announced last week that they are setting aside $20m (£10m) to target and mobilise Hispanic voters.
McCain has gone out of his way to address Hispanic groups. The Obama campaign plans to focus its spend on swing states with large Latino populations, such as Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and Florida, said Temo Figueroa, the Obama campaign's Latino vote director.
Obama upped his appeal to Hispanic voters last week, releasing a Spanish-language radio advert which emphasised his story as the child of a single parent and a campaigner for the rights of the underdog, and underlined his support for immigration reform.
The Hispanic community is the fastest-growing minority group in the United States. There are now 11 million registered Latino voters, making up 15% of the American population and 10% of the American electorate.
Latino community and non-profit organisations are banding together with the Spanish-language media to register voters. Forty per cent of Latino voters have registered since 2000 and have no affiliation to a particular party, making them prime targets for both presidential candidates.
"Nowadays, no one can reach the White House without the Latino vote," said Ramos, author of The Latino Wave: How Hispanics Are Transforming Politics In America.
"A decade ago it was enough for a candidate to speak a few words of Spanish and say 'Viva Mexico' or 'Viva Cuba'. This time Latino voters are forcing the candidates to give them something in return for their vote."
But Efrain Escobedo, senior director of civic engagement at the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, warned that treating America's Hispanic community as a separate entity could alienate them.
"They are concerned about the same issues as the rest of the electorate – the economy, the war in Iraq, jobs, education, housing, healthcare."
A recent national survey by the non-partisan Pew Hispanic Centre showed that 66% of Hispanic registered voters supported Obama, to McCain's 23%.
"The gap between the two parties is larger now than at any time in 10 years," said Mark Hugo Lopez, Pew's associate director.
On a busy corner of New York's 104th Street, next to a stall selling DVDs of popular movies dubbed into Spanish, Harry Rodriguez, the Democratic District Leader for East Harlem, chatted to members of his constituency.
Rodriguez was an ardent Hillary Clinton supporter, but has been persuaded to switch his allegiance to Obama.
He said: "A lot of Latino people around here who are Republican are saying it's time for change. The issues that will decide this election are the same whether you are Latino or black."
The full article contains 896 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
