Essay about Hispanic Girls Growing up on the Border

Unfortunately, when you evaluate Hispanic women most likely they did not go to college, or even graduate high school. There may be many factors that determine their circumstance. For instance, they get pregnant and drop out. There may be a lack of motivation to go to school. They might get married at an early age. Even the nature of the culture may play a role, like

Challenges Faced by Hispanic Students in American Schools and How Schools Can Address Identified Needs

Growing up in a Latino household is hard. My parents only spoke Spanish therefore my first language was Spanish. For the first few years of my life this was not really a problem, I enjoyed life as any normal little girl would. I got to talk to all of my cousins and all of the neighbor’s children. It wasn’t until I got to school that it became real that I was going to learn English. Don’t get me wrong I always knew I had to learn English my parents always talked to me about school and helped me as much as they could. It was also around this same time where I started to understand that it was not only hard for me it was hard for them as well. My parents had to live in this country not knowing the main language spoken.

Becoming Mexican American is George J. Sanchez’s document how Chicanos survived as a community in Los Angeles during the first part of the twentieth century. He goes into detail of how many thousands of Mexicans were pushed back in to Mexico during a formal repatriation. Those that survived in Los Angeles joined labor unions and became involved in New Deal politics.

Hispanics or Latinos are defined as a people of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, South or Central American, or other Spanish speaking culture. This term “Hispanics” was created by the U.S. federal government in the early 1970’s to refer to Americans born in a Spanish speaking nation or with ancestry to Spanish territories. Hispanics people are vibrant, socializing, and fun loving people. Among various facts associated to this culture is that they have a deep sense of involvement in their family traditions and cultures.

Section A: I am a Mexican-American woman, born to Mexican immigrant parents, and by birthright an American citizen. In my phenotype, I do not look like a stereotypical American, with blonde hair, blue eyes, or a light complexion. I have black hair, dark brown eyes, and a light brown skin complexion. While exploring my identity and my sense of belonging in my Mexican-American, or Chicana identity, I can relate to the growth and development described in the Model of Death and Dying. For, I have the privileges of an American, but have witnessed discrimination against my fellow Mexicans counterparts.

As a first-generation Latina in college, I could not be where I am without the help of multiple individuals. My parent’s sacrificed so much coming into this country. They left behind their family, their home, in order to one day provide a better future for me. Initially, my parents planned on staying in America for five years then they would go back to Ecuador. However plans changed once my mom became pregnant with me. The decision to stay in order to give me the best future possible greatly affected both my parents. They suffer greatly and lament leaving their family everyday. Only my mom has the slight possibly of returning to her home country but unfortunately, the only thing waiting her is her mother’s grave.

As I begin this essay comparing two separate cultures I feel it is necessary to first describe what exactly culture is. Culture has been called "the way of life for an entire society." It includes codes of manners, dress, language, religion, rituals, norms of behavior such as law and morality, and systems of belief.

“Wow...there is no way you’re Latino. You’re way too white!” was the ignorant remark made by a one of my peers during my school’s annual Latin-American Fest. Initially, hearing this claim made me look into the mirror. I began to stroke my face and examine my physical features. Was this true? Was I not Latino enough? Did the amount of melanin or lack thereof deem me as Latino?

For about the last 20 years Mexican American females have had the highest rates of adolescent teenage childbearing. Although the teenage birthrates have decreased as a whole, Mexican American women are still at the top, having the highest teen birth rates (46.3 births per 1,000 teen females). The Mexican American adolescent mothers have a lot in common when it comes to their reasons, knowledge, risks and prevention of pregnancy. However, there are some misconceptions when dealing with Chicana sexuality and reproduction.

Starting in the late nineteenth century until the end of World War II, the immigration policy in the United States experienced dramatic changes that altered the pace of immigration. High rates of immigration sparked adverse emotions and encouraged restrictive legislation and numerous bills in Congress advocated the suspension of immigration and the deportation of non-Americans (Wisconsin Historical Society). Mexican American history was shaped by several bills in Congress and efforts to deport all non-Americans from the United States. The United States was home to several Spanish-origin groups, prior to the Declaration of Independence. The term “Mexican American” was a label used to describe a number of Hispanic American groups that

Unfortunately, with a society that is white and only focuses on their own investments, they see people of color as a threat to their well-being. At early stages in life, those children that have been struggling, become marginalized in school, because teachers give up on them. A majority of teachers in the elementary to high schools in Escondido do not care about making a difference in a child's life. They do not bother to ask how the child is doing or ask them simple questions to demonstrate that they care. Instead, they exclude the child because either the child is a troublemaker, does not pay attention, does not engage in the subject, or tends to fall asleep in class. "If environmental factors influence levels of informal control then they will also have an indirect effect on school performance, since youth who are poorly supervised are less likely to succeed at school" (Alleyne and Wood). For many, school is a structure that helps one forget about their reality for a couple of hours, but for others, school is a setting that reminds them constantly of where they come from and that they will remain in that position because they have no other choice. Usually, the only way to forget about these issues is through joining a gang. With the support of friends that might be dealing with the same pain and struggles, the problem loses

In past centuries, Latin American women have always been there to fulfill their duties as wives and mothers at home. Women were use to working inside the home while their husbands worked outside of the home. During the 20th century, women around the world started to seek changes for themselves. They wanted to be considered equal to their husbands and wanted the opportunity to obtain a job outside of the home. A decrease in the need for traditional craft workers, such as weavers and sewers, greatly influence the decision for change in women. They were no longer needed to make clothing or prepare food and candy the traditional way. Handmade items were pushed aside for the new and improved “factory-made products” (Murray 158). Latin American women made a living off of selling their handmade items; now they were no longer needed.

Studies show that youth who do not perform well in school or do not like school, are more likely to be involved in delinquent behaviour. Many gang members have reported that going to school felt like a form of incarceration. Many children who don’t like school often correlate their dislike with the teachers. Also, some school environments just do not suit some children, therefore they feel trapped. Likewise, tests are set up in a way that do not acknowledge the different ways of learning, hence, scoring lower on tests and giving a negative mental image for teens that are not visual learners or auditory learners. Education is especially hard on immigrant children, since they do not speak English at home, grasping the education and understanding

During the Cold War period in Latin America, there were many civil wars and armed conflicts involving state conflict and corruption. In a time where the United States and the Soviet Union were attempting to create new spheres of influence in South America, as well as corrupt dictators fighting guerrilla uprisings, Latin America was a very difficult spot to be. Through the period, the peasantry classes and the government’s in charge had large political differences. With violence happening all around the continent, women suffered in many different varieties. Specifically, this paper will focus on the roles of women and women based organizations in the countries of Argentina, El Salvador, and Guatemala, and the sacrifices they gave to create a more democratic government. The goal of these countries