Hispanic Americans, or Latinos, are a very large and diverse ethnic group in the U.S. Altogether, they make up about 44 million people or 15% of America’s population. Individuals who make up this category can identify with various nationalities and backgrounds. However, the 2010 U.S Census – as stated in the textbook -- reported that 75% of its total Latino respondents identified being of Mexican, Puerto Rican, or Cuban origin. According to the lecture notes, 65% of Hispanics claim to be Mexican Americans, while 8.5% are Puerto Ricans and another 3.5% are Cuban Americans. These are the three most common Hispanic origins and the rest of the Latino population identifies with other Hispanic nationalities. Of the three common nationalities that …show more content…
On the contrary, Mexicans and other immigrants just answered to the demand for laborers. For years, many Mexican people risked their lives to work in America. Unfortunately, they have suffered discrimination, and some official U.S regulations have been set in place to deport people back to Mexico (ex. Operation Wetback in 1954). However, those same issues and patterns of Mexican migration continue today which puts this topic at the center of national debate and subjects Mexicans immigrants to negative criticism. My family and I identify with being Mexican- Americans and being part of the Hispanic/ Latino community. Both my parents first came to the U.S illegally to find better work opportunities. They would cross the border and vist large American cities in states such as Kansas, Illinois, California, Texas, and Georgia. With the money they earned working in seasonal industrial or agricultural jobs, they would return back to Mexico and help care for their families. Eventually, my parents decided to settle down together and they permanently migrated to Georgia. They choose Dalton, Georgia specifically because of the abundant available work there was
On the other hand, Professor Huntington, strongly argues that immigration is a problem for America. He mentioned to the increase of the Latino immigrants during this century. He argued that immigrants are taking the jobs opportunities the American have. Mr. Huntington, argue that the Latino immigrant are not coming to the America legally. He added that the stronger assimilation is among Mexican immigrant more than any other immigrants.
The word Latino is often mistaken with the word Hispanic. Any person with an Latin American origin living in the United States can be defined as a Latino but being Hispanic refers to people who have their roots in a country whose primary language is Spanish (cf. Garcia-Navarro n.p.). Rogelio Saenz found out that the Latinos started as a minority with slightly more than 500,000 citizens in 1900 (cf. 352).
This is significant on the basis that the cultural changes that characterized the 1920s were largely based in changing population demographics. With an influx of immigrants from other countries as well, there were restrictions and quotas established pertaining to immigration. Mexicans were not directly impacted by these quotas, but there were barriers existent for Mexican immigrants. While one may inherently believe that the exclusion from these restrictions were created with the intent of providing opportunities for Mexicans, this is not reflective of the economic policy of the 1920s. While farmers across California began to acknowledge the contributions of Mexican labor “…the perceptions of Mexicans as temporary migrants and docile laborers contributed to the fact that they were never included in the quotas”(The John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress).
I believe the term, hispanic, itself does not define who I am. I define who I am and who I want to become. However, I do come from a Mexican heritage. Coming from a Mexican heritage has influenced and deeply impacted my life. My heritage has taught me a lot.
Growing up as a first-generation Mexican American was a huge advantage for me in that it allowed me to grow up in a culturally diverse community. I learned how to work well with people of all backgrounds and empathize with people from all walks of life. However, while being the first in my family to go to college was a momentous accomplishment, the lack of instruction and guidance lead me to commit many mistakes that could have been easily avoided during my first years at college. My timidity and downright arrogance lead me to believe that I did not need anyone’s assistance and thus I found myself denial that there was a problem in terms of my grades during my first semesters. I have since addressed this issue and have worked diligently to
Being a child of immigrant parents is not easy. You are constantly living in the fear that one day you’ll wake up and you parents won’t be there with you anymore. Specially now that we have a new president, things are getting more challenging. But don’t get me wrong, I live a happy life. I am proud to call myself a Latina.
The Pew Research Center also argues in their article “Afro-Latino: A deeply rooted identity among U.S. Hispanics” that; “Identity for U.S. Hispanics is multidimensional and multifaceted.” , identity for Latinos doesn’t just fall under one racial category, it’s a multidimensional aspect with many factors to consider. Many Latinos identify themselves just as the country that they orginate from and that’s what their racial identity is to them. It also becomes an even more difficult to categorize Latinos under specific racial categories when you consider the history of many Latino countries and the colonization that occurred in these countries. According to the Pew Research Center, many of these countries have mixed populations including “indigenous Americans, white Europeans, slaves from Africa and Asians.”.
One of the toughest adjustments, having been born to Mexican parents, is migrating to an unknown country where traditions and languages differ from one 's own. Though many pursue an education and strive for a better life, the purpose behind an immigrant, like myself, differs from the typical American. Immigrants strive for a life that was once impossible, going to school is not only to attain an education, but to better prove that we can also become successful regardless of our traditions and skin color. I lived in a country for over fifteen years, fearing deportation, not only losing a home, but potentially saying goodbye to a bright future. Although many feel empathy for Mexican-Americans, it is undeniably difficult to truly comprehend the immense trauma children and even adults undergo upon experiencing racism and prejudice.
There are also subcultures within each country, such as the Zapotecs in Mexico. All these subgroups have come to America to catch the American dream and have different backgrounds. They should be respected for their values. Hispanic culture as a whole does have some traditions they share. The family as a unit is very important since it provides training for the outside world, warmth, and culture (Chapa 3).
Being Hispanic has taught me a whole world of things. It has taught me that the world is not what you expect it to be. Going to a public school and being th minority is completely different than going to a see my cousins where every thing is different. The way we talk, the food we eat. Its all different.
Las Vegas is where I was born and raised. That doesn’t mean that I just gave up on my Mexican culture. Like many others, I have a culture that is both American and Mexican. My culture has shaped my values, perceptions, and behaviors. The culture of my family, community, and society has made who I am as a person in numerous ways.
I grew up in a two-parent household with my parents being married before they had children. My father has always been the one that provides finically, while my mother was the one who took care of my siblings and I throughout my childhood. Being that both of my parents were born in Mexico, I consider myself Mexican American. I am proud to be Mexican American. Culture plays a huge role in shaping your identity.
Choosing to be a Mexican over American Today I feel more like a Mexican than anything else even though I was born in the united states. I may have papers and be American but hearing other ethnicities call my people immigrants and illegal makes me feel more like an immigrant myself. I feel this way because although I am considered an American I would much rather stand by my people and my culture. I would label myself as a Mexican-American, Latina, person of color, and as a minority. I describe myself as a Mexican-American because I was born and raised in Chicago and from Mexican descent.
1. Who is this subculture group? Where are they from? The Mexican Americans are a population of Spanish speaking individuals whom inhabit an area of Southern Texas named Hidalgo County. This cultural group often refers to themselves as being “true Texans” while referring to those individuals who speak English as being outsiders.
I’m the first generation of my family to be Mexican -American, but I have been introduced to the Mexican culture since I was born. I appreciate the difficulties my parents have faced to make me the person that I am today even though I wasn’t born in Mexico my parents have taught me the language and the culture which I’m so proud of being part of. For others being Hispanic is actually being born in any Latin American countries which is not true at all. Being Hispanic is much more than my cultural background it actually describes how much I appreciate my culture and how I get to experience things other people don’t. I fit into the Hispanic community through the experiencing the culture first hand ,participating in traditions and planning to include my culture in my future.