Many Hispanics in the United States have been discriminated and it is a serious problem. “About half of Hispanics in the U.S. (52%) say they have experienced discrimination or have been treated unfairly because of their race or ethnicity”, according to a newly released Pew Research Center Survey on race in America. For example, I was working at “Food 4 Less” helping Spanish speaking customers when I was only able to speak English to them. My fellow work members from a distance were looking at me, most likely talking behind my back. I would go ask for another coworker who is able to speak Spanish to help out my customer, but I Mexican and I was supposed to be able to speak Spanish. Since I am not able to a lot of the Mexican workers say a lot of mean things behind my back in Spanish or when they are right next to me. What they don’t know is I am able to understand what they are saying. I don’t know how to speak Spanish, but I can understand Spanish very well. I was born in America, but my parents were born in Mexico and came here to the United States legally. I was just never able to get the hang of speaking Spanish just understanding the basic parts of it. I have been personally discriminated by other Latinos, not African Americas or Americas during my work. African Americas are the number one race to get discriminated by in the work when Latinos are coming in second at 52%. According to a Pew research poll, Latino people are the 2nd most discriminated against ethnic group
Presently there is still some social inequality and reverse discrimination is something that I have faced. Some places exist where they will not hire someone if they don't know how to speak Spanish even though English is the main language at the work place. They can easily get away with it because they report that the language is needed to conduct the business and this is accepted by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
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.
Unfortunately, Hispanic groups do face discrimination; however “Hispanics are significantly less likely than blacks (71%) to say they have experienced discrimination or unfair treatment due to their race or ethnicity at some point in their lives” (pewhispanic.org). However, most “Hispanics feel they have fewer employment opportunities simply because they are Hispanic”
Hispanic Americans are a prime example of one of the most targeted races for this kind of unjust treatment of persecution. These citizens are one of the many different races of immigrants that come to the United States with the thought process of possibilities and liberation, but, unfortunately, are rewarded with the same unfairness and mistreatment as the country they previously resided in. The American dream is hard for some Hispanic Americans to achieve because of general competition in the workforce, stereotypes and racial profiling and the fear of being deported, based on nationality, can result in job loss.
Throughout my life I have known many Hispanics who have been told racist or discriminatory comments. To me, those people are strong because they must be able to keep their composure and ignore those horrible people. I had my own experience in which someone made a rude comment towards my mom. I was about eleven or twelve years-old. I was in the store with my mom ready to pay our stuff. The cashier started asking my mom if she wanted to apply for a credit card, but my mom didn’t speak english. I started translating for her, but I was struggling a bit. I realized that we were taking a long time and holding up the line. Suddenly there was this lady behind us was getting frustrated. The lady made the typical comment, “this is America, learn how to speak english”. That was probably the first time I have heard anyone say something like that. Naturally I got angry, and I told my mom. My mom seemed to not be bothered by the comment. I was shocked and confused because my mom never lets things of that kind go. Once we got to the car, I asked her why she didn’t say anything. She replied with, “ I have heard so many people say that before, but we must keep living our lives because what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. After that day I learned one of the most valuable lessons of my life. I learned that you shouldn’t be bothered by rude comments from others. All that matters is how you perceive yourself because at the end of the day you only have yourself. You must stay strong and keep fighting for your purpose and not allow other from distracting
People in dominant groups often perpetuate discrimination because it provides them separation and privilege. It is something that people have always done in order to exploit another group for personal gain. However; racism is a much newer concept that was built off that idea. It allowed groups of people to conquer one another, enslave them, take their territory, and oppress them. Now, to answer your question, the way to change racism is to be an ally and identify one's own privilege. Being an ally gives individuals the power to spread awareness and to educate them on the social construction of racism. These passionate people are the heartbeat for the movement to end racism. And no, simply not identifying ones race is not enough. Color blindness
There's many videos of hispanic people out eating, shopping or at their place of work and you can see other individuals approaching them with discriminating or racist remarks, for example, “Go back to your country” or “ Speak english”. Fox 11 News interviewed a Hispanic man who had a racist run in at a Starbucks in La Cañada, “He said he ordered a coffee, they asked his name, he gave it to them, when it was ready they called out “Pedro” and later, when he looked at his cup, it has the racial slur ‘Beaner’ printed on it where the name is supposed to be.” As of 2018 Starbucks is known for their derogatory behavior and according to the article A Lesson In How To Overcome Implicit Bias “the company announced plans to
There has been great strides taken to counter discrimination in all ethnic groups, but there is a long way ahead of society. I can identify with the minority groups. A study was conducted by Alfred W. and Ruth G. Blumrosen that states, “We have reached two key findings that suggest that Hispanics continue to be seriously discriminated against in employment throughout the country.
Racial discrimination “is a term used to describe unfair behavior afflicted on individuals based on their race” (LegalCyberTips, 2007, Para 1). The concept of racism has existed for decades. The act of one race attempting to exert supremacy over others has often resulted in racial discrimination (LegalCyberTips, 2007). Racial discrimination is a constant reality in the lives of Hispanic Americans in the United States. Due to alarming migration rates over the past several decades, the United States has experienced significant growth in ethnic and racial diversity. However, racial minority groups like the Hispanics; “the largest and fastest growing population in the United States, continue to struggle for full acceptance and equal
For example, about two years ago, I encountered being discriminated while playing summer baseball in Dallas, Texas. After the game we went to greet the opposing team, but when we got to them they didn’t even want to shake our hands, and they started to call us things like “beaners”, “illegals“ and “Mexicans”. Little did they know, yet they did this in front of our parents, coaches, friends, and family. This wasn’t right coming from truly American citizens. Being discriminated in this way made me feel belittled, betrayed, and invaded of our rights by our own “brothers and sisters”. I faced discrimination just one day; I can’t imagine how African Americans felt this on the
Growing up, my brother, three years my elder, and I were discriminated because we were different from other Latinos in our town. We did not
The term race describes groups of people having differences and similarities in biological traits that the society deems socially significant. For example, while similarities and differences in eye color have not been treated as socially significant, similarities and differences in skin color have been considered socially significant. Simply, race can be represented as a constituent of people who think and believe that their group is superior to other groups. More specifically, therefore, race entails a group of people possessing similar but distinct physical characteristics such as hair type and skin color. As such race constitutes a human population that is different and distinct from any other human groups based on their physical differences, whether they are imagined or not.
Through the past couple hundred years, many minorities have faced detrimental discrimination. Those who have been heavy targets are Black Americans. It is common to hear that slavery is over, but those groups still face discrimination today. Why are these minorities paying the price? Institutional discrimination is the cause to this madness. Those who have authority over the average citizen extending their power rights and preforming non-relevant; like over policing the black americans.This is common in everyday scenarios, the courtrooms, the school grounds, and the streets. It starts when these groups are young.
Imagine you going to the store and being told to leave because of the color of your skin. Racial discrimination in the United States still existss and should be addressed. In July 2011 the percentage of unemployed African Americans and Hispanics were double that of whites (huffingpost.com).
Minority groups in society have faced prejudice and discrimination throughout history and they continue to face it today. Religion and government have immense power to dictate what is seen as “correct behavior” in society. Furthermore, it is when minority groups infringe on these beliefs, that they can face this extreme prejudice and discrimination. Minority groups who have faced these adversities include First Nations and LGBTQ+ groups. Two stories that show the adversities that these groups face are A Word From the Nearly Distant Past by David Levithan and Totem by Thomas King.