A diverse minority group of Latino and Spanish-speaking peoples has played an important part of what it means to be American and what it means to be a citizen in the United States today. Moving into the future, in order to analyze the trajectory that this group is in, we must first understand the group’s history in the United States and in territories that would become the United States. In addition, we must look at the origins of the most recent wave of Latino immigration in order to understand their current effect on American society and the intersection between both minority and majority groups. Finally, we get to the apex of this investigation: what lies in the future for Latino Americans in the United States? Although Latino …show more content…
The main difference was that LULAC relied on a strategy of “passing,” as white or European, because with lighter complexions and Americanization came better access to jobs and mainstream social acceptance (Ruiz 667). By 1939, activists like Blanca Rosa Rodriguez de Leon better known as Luisa Moreno (instead of Blanca Rosa, which means white rose, she changed her name to Luisa, perhaps in honor of Luisa Capetillo and “Moreno,” which is a term in Spanish used to refer to darker skin complexions), along with other activists like Josefina Fierro, Eduardo Quevedo and Bert Corona helped establish the first national Latino civil rights conference, El Congreso de Pueblos de Hablan Española who worked to end segregation in public facilities, housing, education, and employment (Ruiz 667). They also worked with universities to create Latino studies departments in order to advocate the preservation of Latino cultures, rather than assimilation (Ruiz 668). These organizations helped some of the nearly five hundred thousand Latino-American veterans that returned from World War II. Later they worked to end segregation in various facets of life for Latino-Americans’ like in court cases Mendez v. Westminster (1947) and Perez v. Sharp (1948), which ended
Today, the Hispanic population has grown tremendously over the years. We have watched the Hispanics community growth rate grow faster than any other racial and ethnic group in the nation. The Hispanic culture and community has populated all around the United States, introducing new traditions and customs. I was traveling to different to city in the States, I notice the wide spread growth of Hispanic communities, For Instance in Miami the Cuban and El Salvadoran culture is heavy populate in the area. In New York the Puerto Rican culture is dominating through out the several boroughs. I have come around town and Hispanics are known for their good food, which tends to have more diverse people try new cultural customs. Hispanic or Latino
Throughout this first chapter of Latino Americans the key points in my opinion were the following. Starting with the origin story of the Americas, the book mentions there might not be a definitive starting point because there “500 nations in North America before a European ship ever dropped anchor off the Eastern Seaboard” (Suarez 3). The book from this point on chronologically starts narrating, first about 55 years before Protestant refugees from Mayflower ever stepped on American soil, a Spanish sailor Pedro Menendez de Aviles forced French protestants from their Florida coast settlement to then stablish St. Augustine. From this point the book continues to tell the stories of Juan de Oñate, from witnessing the founding of Santa Fe, the oldest capital of North America, to exploring more than half a dozen of American states, he is one of the most fundamental conquistadors who is the least
Latino Crossings: Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and the Politics of Race and Citizenship is a book based on ethnographic research that details the racism and hostility that Mexicans and Puerto Ricans have found in relation to other ethnic groups. The book examines the perceptions and constructions of differences both culturally and biologically between Mexicans and Puerto Ricans, as groups, and how it operates within a larger social framework of racialized inequalities of power and opportunity in the space of Chicago. The objective of the book is to not only highlight the boundaries that divide these two groups and how they have been constructed over time but to see if they could possibly find common ground in order for both communities to overcome these disparities that help separate them and in turn help them forge a common identity and find a political space beneficial for both.
In 2008, African-American presidential nominee Barack Obama garnered 67% of the Latino vote. In his bid for re-election, President Barack Obama acquired 71% of the Latino vote (Pew Research Center). With these statistics in mind, one can conclude that there has been a consistent growing pattern of continued co-operation between blacks and Latinos at the national level. This is in complete contrast however, to the mindset of some observers who believed that Latinos would not come out in the numbers they did because of racial bias and because of the fact that Obama received much less support amongst Latinos in the democratic primaries when faced against Hilary Clinton (Hero & Preuhs, p.3). Many people mistakenly thought this to be so because
Commentators who see immigration as a problem frequently place most of the blame on Latino immigrants (Pérez Huber, 2015). Immigration reform should be approached from a humanitarian lens, therefore seen as a moral and social responsibility, that all should work to address (Pérez Huber, 2015). Multiple Streams frame also lacks a human rights and social justice lens, immigration reform through these lenses would recognize undocumented immigration as a humanitarian crisis (Lakoff & Ferguson, 2006). More consideration should be placed on patterns of immigration and how U.S foreign policies in Latin America influence these patterns. This is a major limitation of Multiple Streams as it does not take into consideration on the process outside of the
Going to the jazz performance at the Bechtler showed me a different side of the community in Charlotte coming together. At the Bechtler Museum host, an annual night of jazz the theme for this performance was Jazz Night for Lovers. They had two shows, which both sold out. The line to get in was so long and full with young couples and older couples as well. Once were allow inside the venue everyone took there sits and watched as a beautiful 14-year-old girl sing her heart to the crowd. The crowd loved her and her performance. Things got even better when the jazz band got on stage and there special performer.
Suárez-Orozco, Marcelo and Mariela M. Páez. Latinos: Remaking America. Berkeley: University of California Press. 1997.
Eleanor Roosevelt said, “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” That statement holds strong for immigrants in America. Equal access to opportunities allows immigrants to achieve the American dream. Their success correlates with America’s success because of the contributions immigrants provide to America. Unfortunately, the current immigration policy in America denies many immigrants the American dream. It is crucial to understand the historical context of immigration in America. Initially, most immigrants were from Europe and were not restricted by any immigration laws. Now, most immigrants come from Latin America but are restricted to severe immigration laws. The Latino/a community is one of the most
In his powerful address to Del Sol High School in Las Vegas, Nevada, then-President Barack Obama delivered a profound statement to his largely Latino audience, encouraging them that “What makes someone American isn’t just blood or birth but allegiance to our founding principles and faith in the idea that anyone-from anywhere-can write the next chapter of our story” (“Remarks”). This thought provokes listeners to reflect upon the definition of an “American”, encouraging them to expand beyond the confinements of citizenship. In an era marked by tumultuous racial relations and global ethnic conflicts, it is imperative that Americans recognize and revere the positive economic, political, and social contributions that Latinos have made to the
The presence of Latino leaders in all levels of government is necessary in order to have advocates who will represent the needs of the Latino community. Although the Latino population is on the rise and quickly becoming one of the largest ethnic minorities in the United States, the ethnic and racial backgrounds of leaders in government positions are not reflective of our nation’s diversity. Leadership can be developed within the Latino community by individuals who are active participants, have strong roots in their community, and
The concept of identity is complex, however, when an identity is allocated to a group of people it helps to serve as a starting point for solidarity. When studying Latinos, we term them as such with hopes that it will serve for a greater basis for resource access; resources in the political and social world. However, it is important to keep in mind that Latinos are heterogeneous, no one ethnicity is the same leading to difficulties in resource allocation considering just how diverse the Latino community is. The study of Latino identity is fundamental because it is the basis of forms of exclusion, but it also has, nonetheless, been a basis for Latino political solidarity.
In America today, we are faced with several different minority groups arriving to the United States. The most common of all minority groups are the Hispanics. America is known for their language being English, but as the year's approach, that language has faded and a new face in English language has taken over, it's called Spanish. We as the people of America have become controversial over this major change, and due to that major bilingualism and political movements that have occurred from the government to the education departments. In this paper, I am going to talk about the four most common Hispanic groups in our country today and the political, social, linguistic, economic, religious, and familial conventions and/or statuses that they
The Latino population of the United States has grown to become of such great importance that it has many wondering how much influence Latinos will have in the next presidential election. Since the 1960s the Latino population has grown from 3.6 million to 55 million and projected to keep growing through birth rates. According to the Pew Research Center of Hispanic studies, in the 2008 Presidential election Barrack Obama gained 67% share of the Latino vote in the general presidential election, which was a major swing from the projected Latino vote Hilary Clinton was predicted to receive (Lopez, 2008). This growth in the Latino community has many wondering how influence the Latino vote will have on the 2016 presidential election. The Latino population
According to the Pew Hispanic Center, 11.1 million undocumented immigrants were living in the U.S. and the majority of the population is Hispanic, living in California, Texas, and Florida. Cancer is currently known as the leading cause of death in Latinos with 33,200 deaths in the Latino population per year. Including in the uninsured population, 14.6 percent of undocumented immigrants is the only population excluded from Medicare and the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare. (Jaramillo and Hui, 2016). This small percentage population with cancer is facing a high risk for having inadequate care. Dealing with trajectory illness, the undocumented immigrants are tackled with language and cultural barriers, limited social support, and lack of access to care, underinsurance, and discrimination. They also live in fear of deportation, which leads to a delay in cancer diagnosis.
The United States has been a host to a wide diaspora of people. Immigrants have had to transition from their familiar land to a new-fashioned foreign land that they must consider home. They bring with them the essence of their initial homeland such as customs, traditions and beliefs that inadvertently change the dynamics of culture within the United States. As a result the United States is an extremely culturally diverse nation. The continual changes or accretions that Americans encounter have always been a controversial topic depending on the experiences of individuals and communities that have immigrant populations. This essay will critically explore