Hispanic/Latino Americans

At my understanding, the term Hispanic is wrongly used when referring to a race. Being Hispanic is, of course, to belong to an ethnic group, but it is much more than that. It is not about the color of your skin or your hair, but about culture, tradition, and manners. All started with the Spanish and Portuguese colonization of South and Central America. From Europe came the adventurous men, full of ambitions and courage. These attributes blended with the strength and energy of African slaves and the Native Americans, and this mixture led to the born of this new culture that we called Hispanic.

The Hispanic population has experienced an incredible growth in the past decade in the United States of America. In 2006 it was estimated that the Hispanic cover 11 % of the population in North America. Their Origin is in Mexico and the few Spanish speaking countries in the Caribbean. American culture is derived from people who originated from the European nations like Italy and the Great Britain. Cultural identity is very important for every ethnic group as it shapes the culture of that particular faction and therefore, a certain culture cannot realize its own values until it is exposed to another one.

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.

Historians are still unclear on when the first Latinos appeared in North America. The most prevalent theory is that they were nomadic hunters who came from the Asia mainland and across the then frozen Bering Straight into Alaska. Regardless of their origins their main region is now the Americas, both North and South and it is expected that the Latino population in the United States will increase by 40% in the next ten years (US Census 2010). Their culture and society is steeped in tradition and understanding and appreciating their culture is imperative for any person working in the social services field.

First of all, let’s exchange the term Latino for a much more geographical one; to include as many people as possible. The word Ibero-America is widely used when referring to Latin America in a geographical manner: It encompasses any country that once was a territory of Portugal of Spain regardless of their language. There are more than 800 different native languages in Ibero-America. Saying Latino or Hispanic excludes these ethnic groups. According to the anthropologist Jose Matos Mar, They include the Totonaco (with around 200.000 that live exclusively in México and speak 11 languages) and the Mayans (which inhabit Mexico and Guatemala constituting the larges indigenous group of the region with 6,500.000 members that speak more than 68 languages) (1993 pp. 155-234). Now, we focus on the way Ibero-Americans see each other. Francisco Lizcano Fernandez talks about sixth main ethnical categories, including indigenous

There is a significant difference between Latinos and Hispanics, but they are also exceedingly closely related. It is important to remember that these terms refer to ethnicity, not race. Latinos and Hispanics are two different words that may or may not mean the same thing. Some people say Hispanics are those descending from Spain and speak Spanish. Others say it is not the same because Latinos include people from Latin American countries. Since this would include non-Spanish speaking countries it is not the same as Hispanic. So technically speaking you can be one without the other but a person can also be both.

Immigration is a big part of the United States, although it has always been an issue since the beginning of American History, lately it has become more controversial. There are changes being put into action that are affecting many undocumented immigrants. People from all over the world come to this country to better themselves and their families; they come to the land of the free in hopes to have a better life, new economic opportunities and liberty that will allow them to succeed. Unfortunately, people have become very racist towards immigrants, even to the ones that are legal because people assume that if you’re not their race, then you must be illegal. It’s shocking to know that people

Despite the interactive program, the federal regulations and laws can propose or void certain social policies and social services for immigrants, making it difficult for the Hispanic population. According to United States Census Bureau, Hispanic residents have become the nation’s largest minority group and continue to exceed in numbers compared to other races and ethnicities. The relationship between the federal government and minorities, Hispanic subgroups, is an imperative yet unascertained platform. For instance, DACA and DAPA programs had been expanded in 2014 allowing parents and children to apply for citizenship or permanent residence without the fear of deportation and given the opportunity to access government benefits. However, the

Hispanics in the United States have a history rooted for centuries. Many different cultures make up this group dubbed ‘Hispanics’, each with their own identity, culture, and struggles. However, they do group together in a common fight to gain a more stable and positive foot hold in the U.S.

Although a lot of has been done to incorporate Hispanics/Latinos/Chicanos into the American society, health care, education, and economic status, there is still a lot to be desired.

Latin-American Communities are growing larger and larger across the U.S. There are about 55 Million Hispanics in the United States; about 17% of the population. Even as Natural born citizen, or a Naturalized Citizens, Hispanics still face many troubles when living in America, such as; Racism, Immigration, Learning English, Etc.

Although the Hispanic Americans share a language and certain customs, they are widely diverse and consider themselves different social entities. Some Hispanic Americans made this country their home long before the founding fathers arrived and signed the Declaration of Independence (Healy 2012).

In the United States, the Hispanic race refers to people from Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South America, Central American, and other countries of Spanish origin. According to the 2010 Census,

Categories, groupings, assumptions, classification; it’s like society is built to expand yet isolate, to be authentic yet alike. We form assumptions which turn into the ordinary or the “norm.” If one person is a certain way then surely everyone like them is like that also. Two of the many cultures and ethnicities we have placed stereotypes amongst are the Asian Americans and Latino Americans. We have placed assumptions about who they are which only perpetuates the classification and, essentially, the isolation.

In addition, analysis of the 2010 Census has provided insight suggesting that from the 308.7 million people that reside in the United States, around 50.5 million were of the Hispanic or Latino origin. The Hispanic population was found to increase from 35.3 million in the year 2000 which made up 13 percent of the population (2010 Census Brief, 2011). At the same time, the report by Los