Latinos and their History in the United States

Although loosely united by a common heritage as native Spanish speakers from the Americas or their descendants, the numerous Hispanic groups in the join States are heathenishally, racially, and socio-economically heterogeneous each Latino subgroup representing a distinct finishing and geographical area of the Americas. Using the terms Latino and the more ordained Latino, which the U.S. nosecount Bureau adopted in 1970, to describe the cultures of hoi pollois from Mexico and the countries of Central and south-central America and the Caribbean is problematic in several respects.The term Hispanic is spurned by many authors as too reductive in its crosstie with Spain and Spanish culture, thitherby ignoring the indigenous and African heritage of many Latin American and Caribbean people. The term Latino, based more neutrally on an identity divided up through the use of language, is perceived as more useful, if still an dissatis eventory label. Chicano and Nuyorican, more recent terms, are occasionally interchange able with Mexican American and Mainland Puerto Rican, although the former in particular reflects a political expression of pagan pride and the latter is now geographically limiting.The distinctions between these terms, even by and by being outline, remain in many situations vague. Indeed, even the US count fails to make accu dictate and definitive definitions battalion who identify with the terms Hispanic or Latino are those who classify themselves in one of the particularised Hispanic or Latino categories listed on the questionnaireMexican, Puerto Rican, or Cubanas wellhead as those who indicate that they are other Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino. broth can be viewed as the heritage, topicity group, lineage, or country of birth of the soul or the persons parents or ancestors before their arrival in the United States. People who identify their origin as Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino may be of any race. (US Census, Subject Definitions, 2000)Cur rent statusToday the Latino presence has emerged, as a fact of American life this diverse group has come to the United States and themselves stupefy Americans. In fact, Latinos comprise the largest minority in the US today jibe to US Census studies. Furthermore, their data shows that the estimated Hispanic population of the United States as of July 1, 2005 was 42.7 million making people of Hispanic origin the nations largest ethnic or race minority. Hispanics constituted 14% of the nations impart populationEven today, this group continues to endure obstacles of racism in everyday policy and wide spread discrimination in the US. Being group together has made the situation for many of what can loosely be considered Latino sub-groups both challenging and difficult. From the anti-Cuban sentiment in Florida to the anti-Mexican wall that has been proposed by President Bush, despite being the largest minority group in the US, these types of incidents and policies image that they rem ain just that in the minority.FutureAs the next U.S.-born generations of Latinos come of age, the barriers and pain of systemic racism could be attacked more openly. Many young people will start to openly reject the assumptions and generalizations that perpetuate stereotypes and keep Latino people in the grip of racism.Historically, in the organized pursuit of civil rights and equality in the United States black Americans have usually led the way. Since at least the early 1900s they have forced the passage of all major civil rights laws and the majority of the pivotal executive orders and court decisions protecting or extending antidiscrimination efforts. Latinos as well as Native and Asian Americans have been able to make some use of these civil rights mechanisms to fight discrimination against their sustain groups, and this will likely continue in the future.Census data shows that in 2004, 21.9% of Latino people in the US were living in poverty and a further 32.7% lacked adequ ate health insurance. Yet conversely, the same studies show that there were1.6 million businesses owned by Latino people in 2002 and that from 1997 to 2002, the rate of growth for businesses owned by Latino people was 31% compared to the national average of 10%. According to 2004 data, 2.7 million Latinos over the age of 18 had at lest a bachelors degree. This means that things could well be shifting in the right direction. Education and business savvy could well be conquering the effects of poverty and poor medical care. charm these people continue to experience racism and ethnic stereotyping, there is an inherent spirit of perseverance that keeps them going and will no doubt coat the way for a brighter future.ReferencesAgosn Marjorie. Literature. Latinas of the Americas. Ed. K. Lynn Stoner. Westport Greenwood Press, 2000.Everett C. Ladd, Moving to an America beyond Race, The national Perspective 7 (February/March 2003)Harry J. Brill, Why Organizers Fail ( Berkeley University of California Press, 2001).John H. Bunzel, linguistic communication that Smear, Like Racism, Provoke Polarization, San Francisco Chronicle, July 26, 2000U.S. Census Bureau. Hispanic Americans By the Numbers. Retrieved November 15, 2006 from http//www.infoplease.com/spot/hhmcensus1.htmlUS Census Bureau. Hispanic Population of the United States. Retrieved November 15, 2006 from http//www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/hispanic.html