Most Asians and Hispanics believe the American dream can be achieved through hard work, while blacks remain skeptical of equal opportunities to succeed, according to a recent poll.
Seventy-four percent of Hispanics and 64 percent of Asians believe that "if you work hard, you will succeed in the United States," while more than 60 percent of blacks said they "do not believe the American dream works for them," a poll by New America Media, a nationwide association of ethnic media organizations, reported.

PDF: Ethnic Tension Poll
PDF: Poll Presentation

Tom Pinson, secretary of the Concerned Citizens of Dalton, a Georgia organization that addresses the needs of the black community, said the American dream can be attained by blacks just as easily as it can by any other ethnic group.

"Some (black) people blame the system, when it could also be how we prepare ourselves to reach those goals," Mr. Pinson said.

Pollster Sergio Bendixen, who conducted the nationwide telephone survey of more than 1,100 blacks, Asians and Hispanics, said in a news release that the findings "show that the immigrant brings optimism to the mix, while blacks bring hard-won realism."

The poll also found serious tensions exist among the three largest minority groups in the United States -- blacks, Hispanics and Asian-Americans -- including mistrust and significant stereotyping.

"The friction between ethnic and racial groups is clearly rooted in the mistrust they harbor toward each other as well as the sentiment that other groups are mistreating them," the news release stated.

Sandy Close, executive editor and director of New America Media, said in the poll reveals "some unflattering realities that exist in America today."

Among other findings, the poll also reported blacks overwhelmingly believe the criminal justice system favors the rich and powerful, while most Hispanics and even a larger majority of Asians disagree.

Also, 44 percent of Hispanics and 47 percent of Asians are "generally afraid of African-Americans because they are responsible for most of the crime."

Niansen Liu, president of the Chattanooga Chinese Association, said although that's not what he believes, "most Chinese probably feel that way."

Chattanooga Police Department spokeswoman Jerri Weary said the department doesn't keep records of crime statistics by race.

Ed Canler, chairman of La Paz de Dios, a local Hispanic outreach group, said most Hispanic immigrants in Chattanooga come from Guatemala and Mexico, and the perception they have of blacks doesn't come from interaction with them but from what they see on television.

"There are basically no blacks in Mexico or Guatemala, so they don't have any experience with black people," he said. "I think whatever inferences they draw are from television."

According to those interviewed, 66 percent of blacks said the coverage of problems related to racial tensions by mainstream media was irresponsible, followed by 43 percent of Latinos and 30 percent of Asians.

Despite the tensions, a majority of each ethnic group polled also said they should put aside their differences and work together to better their communities. Strong majorities of each group believe racial tensions will ease over the next 10 years, according to the poll.

Mr. Pinson said things slowly are changing among the groups.

"Things are better now than before, and as more young kids become friends with children from other ethnic groups and we continue to work together, we'll help clear those stereotypes and misperceptions," he said.

Mr. Canler said it's important for members of different ethnic groups to get along and reach out to each other.

"These prejudices and biases held by both groups (Hispanics and blacks) can do a lot of harm to (Chattanooga) as a whole," he said. "I think it will take leaders on both sides to approach each other, discuss these problems and reach out for future understanding."

By Perla Trevizo
Staff Writer
TimesFreePress.com