The Latino Journey in the United States: Immigrants Essay

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

Suárez-Orozco, Marcelo and Mariela M. Páez. Latinos: Remaking America. Berkeley: University of California Press. 1997.

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

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 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

Immigrants have been migrating to the Unites States for years. Many people in the United States have different opinions on immigrants: some are negative and some are positive. Some Americans assume that immigrants are here to destroy the United States, but immigrants are here for many purposes: to support their families, succeed in their future, or to escape violence occurring in their home countries. Many Americans think that once an immigrant has settled in the United States that he or she will right away get a job or quickly learn English. Imagine moving to a new school not knowing a single person. You will feel anxious or even discouraged. Now just imagine arriving in a new country and not knowing anyone and you can’t speak English. Well, that is how millions of young and adult undocumented immigrants feel every day when trying to fit into the American culture. Life is hard for an undocumented immigrant. Immigrants in the United States face many challenges when trying to adapt or assimilate into the American culture. But my question is, what kind of mental health issues or other psychological problems do immigrants face when they are trying to adjust to the American culture, and how can our society alleviate some of that anxiety?

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.

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.

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.

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

America, the States, USA, the North, are all different ways of referring to the nation in which everyone believes their dreams can become a reality. The United States of America is and has always been a nation of immigrants, but many forget that the first ones to arrive were not British but Spanish. The Spanish conquistadors were the first ones to arrive on American soil during the beginning of the 1500s. Soon most of the powerful nations in Europe followed. Despite their positive impact on the American culture, Latinos have been degraded for many years by the media, stereotypes and people with power like the chiefs of police and even presidential candidates. While the media portrays Latinos as maids and gangsters, the majority of Latinos migrate to the USA looking for a better future for their families and for themselves. In this essay, I will investigate the complex role that Latinos have played in American society, economic, and political life, focusing specifically on the cultural disconnect between Latino self-identification and white-American misconceptions of Latino-specific immigration.

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

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.

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

While the high rate of Latino immigration has brought about high racial tensions between the majority white population and the minority Latino population, the conflict may be a con as well as a pro for Latinos. In the short run, Latinos face a negative backlash to their presence, dealing with discrimination, hateful language and actions, and a condescending political debate locally and ever increasingly nationally. However, in the long run, the anti-immigrant nativist sentiment may awaken what has been called the “sleeping giant” of Latinos that may exhibit low participation rates. Perhaps it is important to learn about the history of these movements to see where the political climate will take the nation. As Spanish-American George Santayana once said, “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”