Hispanic Women Essay

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.

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

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

Hispanic girls often must face another classification because of their race, that they do not want or are not motivated to do well in school. In the past the common stereotype has been that Mexicans do not have the desire or encouragement to succeed in the academic world of school. Motivation in school is influenced by three main things, first how much a group of friends values doing well in school, second the achievement goals set by parents, and third the independence and responsibility one takes upon herself(Goodenow 61, Menchaca 971). In the border region Hispanic

When one thinks about Hispanics, all too often the image of a field full of migrant workers picking fruit or vegetables in the hot sun comes to mind. This has become the stereotypical picture of a people whose determination and character are as strong or stronger than that of the Polish, Jewish, Greek, or Italian who arrived in the United States in the early 1900's. Then, the center of the new beginning for each immigrant family was an education. An education was the "ladder by which the children of immigrants climbed out of poverty into the mainstream." (Calderon & Slavin, 2001, p. iv) That ideal has not changed, as the Hispanic population has grown in the United States to large numbers very quickly and with little fanfare. Now, the

Latino/Hispanic Americans cover a much wider demographic then believed. Latino/Hispanic Americans consist of; Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Guatemalan American to name a few. Latino/Hispanic Americans are the largest ethnic group in the United States. The Latino/Hispanic culture is very different than ours. Their culture differs in economics, politics, family traditions, family structure, religion, education, language, fashion, art, music, dancing, and food. As natural born Americans in the United States it is important for us to learn about the different cultures migrating into the United States. Many United States citizens have a hard time understanding other cultures; being culturally insensitive is a common theme in the United

Socorro Alvarez is the Hispanic Outreach Director at Western Avenue Community Center in Bloomington, Illinois. Mrs. Alvarez has been at the center for over 20 years. She came to the United States, from Mexico, when she was seventeen. She was the oldest in the family and her Father did not think she should go to high school or college. He thought she needed to find a husband and stay close to the family because it was her responsibility as the oldest. Espinoza (2010), states this is a common value in Hispanic families, that comes from the value Marianismo. This is a value that has an expectation that a “good Latina woman” will always place family above her own needs (Espinoza, 2010). Socorro says that her father encouraged the rest of the children to attend both high school and college.

Without education one can only get so far in life and considering that most of the parents of the students did not have the proper education. Adelante’s goal was to offer them educational assistance the best way possible. Even though, you may think that learning may come easier to a child that knows two language simply for the fact that he has those two languages under his/her belt on the contrary for most Latino students it is much more difficult to understand certain subjects in the regular public school system. The key question to this is what is the public-school system doing to help Latino students achieve their goals and to continue in school? You may think that the answer to this would be easy to answer but, believe it or not, it’s not. According to Fry, “Latinos are far more likely to enroll into two-year colleges than any other group” (Fry, pg. 6) Another question you may ask yourself when reading this statistic is why not go ahead and shoot for a four-year institution? Well, let me break this down for you, Hispanic parents, just about 65% of them, know what the importance of going and attending college. They see not only the financially benefit that will come along with it but, they also see the maturing process it will bring to their child when doing so. But, wait, so if parents are supporting their child to go to college why do Latino students short–hand their selves with just a two-year Associates Degree? Which goes back to the first question, what is the public-school system doing to help these students out? One of the few programs offered out there is Adelante, their entire goal is to help, involve, and open the eyes of the Hispanic community that there is much more out there for their Children and even for them. The issue with this is that there is only one program that is doing this for the Latino community in Louisville, Kentucky.

“The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria”, by Cofer explains what she has been through with stereotypes and how she dealt with them. Growing up in an Hispanic culture is very different than growing up with an American family. There are certain things expected from each of those culture that are different from one another. “... for example, that of the Hispanic woman as the

While the language barrier held her back academically, she was able to find ways around it and still succeed economically and socially. There is enough of a Latino community in the area she lives that she is not socially isolated and always has people around that she can relate to and converse with in Spanish. I admire her for learning English in spite of the fact that she could have done without it. My husband immigrated from Poland as a child with his family, and there are still family friends that haven’t bothered to learn the language. And, she is a poster child of the American Dream. In spite of the fact the she and her husband work jobs that are not glamorous in the slightest, they have still managed to purchase their own home plus three or four rental properties, pay for both daughters to go to college, and have a solid retirement fund. She’s worked incredibly hard to get where she is, and her dedication has definitely paid off. I find that very respectable and it’s a shame that more people born in this country don’t take advantage of the opportunities that are out there.

1st, 2nd & 3rd generation Latinos have little to no education to college educated family members in the household, some members with advanced degrees.

Most black and latino people have a lot of obstacles to overcome throughout their lifetime. For example, a black woman named Cheryl Mitchell went to public schools in Ocean Hill-Brownsville and attempted to go to college but had to drop out because of financial reasons. She is now a nurse’s aide and making an annual income of $16,850, which puts her over the government’s official poverty line. She also lives in a three-room apartment with poor ventilation and in a high-crime area (Mantsios, 291-292). She has had to go through a couple of struggles to be barely above the poverty line. This makes her just as successful as a white woman. Even though she is not making a lot of money, she has a job and is able to take care of her child and her elderly mother. Not to mention she is working and taking care of her family members all on

It is a common trend to neglect the people from non-white background in the developed countries like America. Same is the case of the Latin women in Los Angeles. They are not treated equal to the national Americans and the opportunities provided are very less in comparison. This on hand makes them fall short of financial resources and on other push

Throughout high school years it is said that we control our future, which is true, but when teens are constantly stereotyped and reminded of what they're “supposed” to do it can limit their full potential and growth. In the recent survey a majority of students that were stereotyped were mexican, with this stereotype in mind, they

As compared to children in the United States who attend school starting at the age of four, my mother started school in Mexico at the age of eight. Along with my mother’s parents, her two eldest brothers did not believe in school either, choosing to work on the farm instead. Despite not having a strong role model to emulate, my mother still believed that an education was important. After years of attending a one room schoolhouse in the state of Michoacán, my mother continued to pursue an education. Due in part that Hacienda, the village she had lived in all her life, did not have anything above the equivalence of a junior high education, the only option for her to obtain any other form of learning was to transfer to a large city. Since she was the only person from her village to qualify for higher levels of schooling, she was given an offer to study for free in Tuxtla, Chiapas, 800 miles away from her home town. Even though her parents disapproved of a major relocation based solely on school, they were slightly comforted by the fact that her tuition was paid in full, leaving no financial burden on the Vargas household. So at the age of eighteen, she departed from her home village for a better future, and in the