Racial Discrimination and Hispanics in the United States

Hispanics experience a great deal of prejudice and discrimination, the result of a perceived economic and cultural threat that Hispanics pose to non-Hispanics (Trujillo, 2011). Hispanics have a deep belief that all

Racial segregation in America has long been foretold throughout the generations; however, racial discrimination is not limited between African-Americans and Anglos, racial discrimination also extended its racial barriers to Mexican-Americans. “In 1954, the United States Supreme Court extended constitutional rights to Mexican Americans in the landmark civil rights case Hernandez v. Texas” (Cobb, J. 2015). This case is the beginning front of Mexican-Americans taking a stand to fight for their civil liberties and demand equality and justice. In the case of Hernandez v Texas, Pete Hernandez, was indicted for the murder of a bartender in Jackson County, Texas. This trial presented the cultural disparity in society and quite frankly was an outright discrimination against Mexican-Americans. The

Throughout our history as a nation, we have earned a reputation of undermining the relationships we have had with minorities and of largely neglecting their needs. Our almost hostile nature towards minorities in the United States can largely be seen in the treatment of Mexicans and Mexican American citizens in the times surrounding World War Two. Such hostilities are reflected in our treatment of Mexican Americans in the late 19th after the Civil War and early 20th centuries, the Sleepy Lagoon murder responses, and the Zoot Suit riots. My primary source reveals a feeling of inferiority in the United States by the Mexican American youth due discrimination that they faced, which can be better understood by analyzing the cultural contexts.

When Americans think of racism, they usually think of slavery, and that racism is no longer a problem in America. However, this is not the case. Racism is still obvious in America. Racism can be linked directly to stereotypical mindsets of certain groups of people.  Today’s racism is not restricted to whites and blacks, and it has come to define many different groups and races. Pigmentation as well as physical characteristics and features still are influential for classifying people. It is easy to overlook the racism that hides below the surface and is part of American life. Today, an estimate 54 million Latinos live in the U.S. and around 43 million people speak Spanish. Although Latinos are the country’s largest minority, anti-Latino prejudice is still common. Very few Americans recognize, acknowledge, and respect the contributions of one of America’s greatest ethnic groups – Hispanics. Americans are often confused as to who Hispanics really are and what they represent in America. Although the United States is known for having a melting pot of diverse cultures, recent studies have shown the rise of discrimination against Latinos and Hispanics immigrants. A person’s legal status should not be an excuse for mistreatment.

“Oppression, you seek population control, Oppression, to divide and conquer is your goal, Oppression, I swear hatred is your home, Oppression, you mean me only harm.” (Harper). Oppression is a serious issue in our society today. Although it may be less serious than the past it is still a matter of importance, having to deal with sexism, religion and most importantly racial issues. Throughout the decades we have seen various ethnicities deal with racial oppressions. Many of the problems of the past still exist, and they may push the victims of the oppression beyond the emotional point of no return. A Hispanic male such as myself, can be the victim of several types of oppressions, including racial oppression.

Does it matter what we are called: Latino or Hispanic? Does it change who we are as people? To an extent, most people do not know the difference between either. Typically, people group both terms as one singular item. However, Hispanic and Latino racial classifications are more than a broad category for people from Spanish-speaking countries. The words connote and represent a history of colonial terminology that based its success on the failures of innocent, historically peaceful, cultural groups. Hispanic and Latino terminology are political and economic in every sense. This paper will show that colonial leanings to control and govern people’s lives have yet to culminate, even though the era of imperialism ended a century ago. The United States, although far from its heyday as the singular house of power, still manages to achieve control and influence over the imperialized minds of groups of people, specifically Hispanics and Latinos.

The “coveted black analogy”, which Rodriguez states that Hispanics “insist[ed]” on, can be viewed as an acknowledgment to the suffering that African Americans experienced. Due to this struggle, African Americans were one of the primary groups that affirmative action was meant to help. As a result, Rodriguez implies that by seeing the benefits that African Americans were receiving, Hispanics wanted to be included as well. In Rodriguez’s perspective, this led Hispanics to “claim the spoils of affirmative action” even though they were not the group that affirmative action was initially geared toward.

Aguirre, Adalberto, and Jonathan Turner. American Ethnicity: The Dynamics and Consequences of Discrimination. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011.

Employment challenges and economic disparities amongst Hispanics in the United States has been an ongoing battle, social policies along with institutions continue to perpetuate poverty among Latinos’ and African Americans. According to Liu (2011), Labor market segmentation by race/ethnicity, gender, and national origin has been recognized as a prominent feature of urban labor markets in immigrant gateway cities across the United States. A direct example of this would be when Cubans’ immigrated to Miami in the 1960’s, at first, they were welcomed by the Americans with open arms until they realized they could be in competition for employment as the Cubans were not leaving to go back home. This created many issues especially when it came to welfare,

There are many stereotypes and racist remarks in today’s world. This essay will specifically be describing the discrimination towards teenage Hispanics. Many Hispanics are discriminated in today’s society. Discrimination and racism can emotionally scar a person. Many Hispanic teens dropout out of high school due to discrimination. Other Hispanic teens gain depression due to discrimination. Several other Hispanic teens even share their own personal stories about themselves being discriminated. Discrimination is an atrocity and this essay will be more of an informative essay to explain the barbarity of racial discrimination, specifically towards teenage Hispanics. I have a personal experience towards this topic so I will be sharing my own personal story towards this issue. Discrimination has become a grave dilemma and there has to be a solution to end this reoccurring situation. Many people see the crimes of racial discrimination occurring right in front of their faces, but they do nothing. Those people who just watch and ignore this grave problem are supporters for this issue because instead of putting an end to racial discrimination, those people just let it occur as if it is normal. I always question myself the same questions repeatedly; who has the right to look down upon a different race? What makes one race superior to another? Why is racism an issue? These are the most interesting questions to me, which makes a person think of today’s

They viewed themselves not as immigrants but as first class citizens sanctioned to all the rights of

Discrimination has been the brawn of injustices done to people of color. Most don't know of the Chicano struggle in the United Stated for the past four to six generations. Chicanos in America were forced to face chaos, poverty, and pain. Chicano, by Richard Vasquez is a perfect example of how Mexican Americans and Chicanos were treated in America during the 90's. Although Chicanos faced a burdensome life in America, lots of customs and culture immigrated to America with them, which has fabricated the Chicano Culture. The book Chicano profoundly demonstrates how hard it was for a Mexican family to immigrate to America. Once Chicanos started a life in America, it was very hard to get out of it. Mexicans were not socially accepted because

“Hispanics in manufacturing, wholesale and retail, and transportation industries have been particularly hard hit”. (Gonzalez, 2002)

Since the start of American history, immigrants came here and brought their traditions and cultures with them. The United States is a country of immigrants. It is a place where people from all over the world come to build a better life. Some immigrants bring their families. Others come alone with nothing but determination. Racial discrimination against minorities and immigrants is an underlying problem here in America today. Racism is seen in our daily lives when people are discriminated against because of their race and ethnicity. Racism attacks the right to a person’s well-being on the basis of something they have no control over. They cannot change nor should want to change who they are. Racial discrimination is not as bad as it was fifty years ago, but it still a problem here in our country today. Our country has advanced tremendously as far as modernization and technology, but has not improved on the way we treat minorities and immigrants. From African-Americans, Asians, Hispanics, and Arabs there is a form of discrimination against these group of minorities.

Racial and ethnic minorities accounted for 90 percent of the population growth in the United States from 2000 to 2010, and the United States is rapidly becoming even more diverse. The rapid increase in the minority population has led to some backlash and challenges for law