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After the first decade of this century, Latinos conquered very important # of political positions in the country in areas like New Mexico, Loa Angeles y San Antonio with the most significant of all, the appointment of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. With those examples and the increase of Latino population, the opportunities for government posts for Latinos will be more and hopefully the desire to commit will be stronger. This essays focusses on the path Latinos have been following towards visibility, opinion and influence in the political power of the country. Acording to Juan Gonzales, the Latino culture in US growth is unstoppable and the natural consequences of higher impact in the US life, is already noticible. For this reason, the political participation and influence in US policies can not be stopped. “This political revolution will not be halted by the rise of anti-Hispanic sentiment among black Americans, nor by the federal government… It will not be trned back by Supreme Court decisions…” (JG pp 168) Today, there are some Latinos already participating on the …show more content…
political life of the country, people that have overcome many difficult circumstances and are living examples of what is possible and how to attain succeed. This trend will not stop here, on the contrary, it will become more important as the young Latinos start to actively participating and influencing the political, financials, and artistic US culture. As the diverse Latino communities have mobilized to demand civic and political inclusion, the new generation are obligated to keep demanding not a partial inclusion but a full inclusion as any other minority in the country needs to have. Moreover, Latinos will remain politically engaged in the pursuit of a full political voice in the upcoming decades. Contemporary Latino politics is founded on generations of prior struggles for inclusion. In the past, Latino youth, primarily U.S.-born, were among the most active. Their activism reflected Latino-specific concerns over discrimination. Young adults also led new movements to challenge white-dominated political institutions. Today’s some form of activism has spurred a new form of Latino civic movement among young adult undocumented migrants who migrated with their parents as young children. They have united together as the "Dreamers" from the DREAM Act, which would offer a path to legal status to young adult unauthorized migrants who attended college or joined the U.S. military. A common trend of the new politics coming from movements as the “Dreamers” who fight for their own cause, has no significant impact on the larger community life. The segregation and racism is still exist among Latino communities, and is this the exclusion based on political interests, country of origin, social status and wrong beliefs about the impossibility to promote change, what is delaying the birth of a strong new political force. The growing youth polulation, “with a median age far tounger than the rest of the US population, Hispanics are rapidely incresin their portion of the US electorate... (HE pp 169). The latino growth is already a challeng to the majority population. I find more desire to understand and commit among middle age and older adults that what I see in the younger generations.
The Latino youth of these days seems to be somewhat passive towards any politics, not the politics of the nation as a whole and not in the politics that affect Latinos. I see how young Latino groups are separated between immigrants, illegal migrants, Spanish speaking vs English speaking and to some extent, the fear or shame Latino US born have regarding their parents and grandparents’ culture and the possible rejection from their US general population friends. Many of them do not speak Spanish and I see no much interest on learning it. This situation was the same José Martí saw in Cuba “Those carpenter's sons who are ashamed that their fathers are carpenters! Those born in America who are ashamed of the mother that reared them, because she wears an Indian apron... (NA
pp85) The Latino community needs to remember (or learn) about the pan-Latino idea as a way to share political goals including civil rights, support for bilingual education, and equality of opportunity. It is united in a larger Latino community, without losing own identity, that changes can really happen. Is through political incorporation that the community life will improve. However, tíhe political integration can’t happen if groups reject each other and if people (our youth) are not educated. Without these two requirements the opportunity for filling the higher posts in government are non-existent. Latino youth is among the highest numbers of school dropped out in the country and as José Marty said, ...the political race entrance should be denied to those who are ignorant of the rudiments of politics" (NA pp 88) Today, the increasing, fight for Latino civic inclusion unites immigrant and U.S. citizen Latinos in a shared agenda that seeks to protect the rights and opportunities for all. Five million Latino immigrants are eligible for naturalization, but have not naturalized. An additional 1.4 million will attain naturalization eligibility over the next few years. “More than half of the 1 million sworn in as US citizens were from Latin America (HE pp185.)” Latino communities keep getting involve in movements that will allow for changes in policies, and political gains, nonetheless, if we don’t have our youth walking towards a professional degree and their involvement in politics, the changes in policies, and political gains, have very little opportunity. We have the door open wide but is through education and involvement that we can walk through it. Improvements won’t happen if we are only spectators, our ways of life will continue to be out of our control and is by providing encouragement for naturalization-eligible immigrants to naturalize and vote and for young people to register as voters and vote that the nation can change. “…and when...building such coalition to renew American politics, the descentas of Juan Seguín will not merely reclaim their role in American History, they will rewrite it. (pp.198)
The Latino community is a very varied community each with its own unique past and circumstances. In the book Harvest of Empire by Juan Gonzalez the readers can learn and appreciate some of the experiences and history that the different Latino groups had. This book does this with a special emphasis on immigration trends. These points of emphasis of the book are explained thoroughly in the identification of the key points, the explanation of the intersection of race, ethnicity, and class, in addition to the overall evaluation of the book.
In today’s world, with the media exploiting every single thing about a celebrity, it easy to know their accomplishments or the scandals in their life. The actions that one demonstrates especially when being a celebrity, influences the public and determines whether they are someone to look up to or not. One of the star that are in the public eye is Jennifer Lopez but she is mostly known as JLo. Many people know her as an American singer, actress, dancer, fashion designer and businesswoman (Jennifer Lopez). Everybody out there has their own opinion about her, those who look up to her describe her as a strong, independent and hardworking women who fought to be in the position that she’s in. On the other hand, the haters out there look at her as someone who exposes her physical appearance, isn’t latina enough and is talentless. However Jennifer Lopez is worth knowing about because of her influence in the hispanic community, her support for feminism and her ability to adapt to a variety of roles as a celebrity.
Gonzalez, Juan. Harvest of Empire a History of Latinos in America. New York: Penguin Putnam Inc, 2000.
The political future of Texas has been widely debated since the 2012 election of Pres. Barack Obama, since the state has always played a significant role in impacting national elections. Nationally, there was uneven support among minority voters in favor of the president and Democrats, and as a result there has been an increasing interest in the Hispanic population growth in Texas (Lawrence.) The speculation regards how the changing complexion of Texas voters will influence the political process, with political pundits broadly predicting that since the Latino population typically votes for Democr...
A question that every high school student is faced with is: “What extracurricular activities so you participate in?” Some can answer confidently while others are slapped with a moment of sudden realization. These people are just floating along with the crowd, with no driving force or motivation. What I believe differentiates me from my peers and gives me a sense of uniqueness, is what I do outside of my academia. Out of the deluge of activities that are available, Latinos In Action is the one that I feel the most passionate about and shapes my persona the most.
It is in the solving of social problems in which Hispanics can be of tremendous service to the country. One of the greatest attributes of hispanics is the willingness to mix, and by doing so, have created cultural forms, new human relationships, and life styles. Because this, Hispanics can help look for solutions to barriers, prejudices, and stereotypes that have divided us as a
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 severely affected groups because the current immigration system disproportionally affects Latino/as. Recognizing how the experience of Latino/a immigrants have been both similar and different in the past from other immigrant groups and dispelling common misconceptions about Latino/as today bring an awareness how Latino/as are affected.
The Latino community is considered the largest demographic minority in the United States and is expect to increase by approximately 15% in 2050 (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2002). The Latino population is comprised of many subgroups from many different regions that have developed unique beliefs, norms, and sociopolitical experiences. Although the term Latino is used throughout this paper, it is important to underscore the great diversity found within the Latino community to avoid the development and perpetuation of stereotypes. In clinical practice, it is important to evaluate the individual in terms of their racial identity, acculturation, and socioeconomic status among other factors to create a more individualized and effective treatment
In the first part “Roots” Gonzalez, covering the colonial period of United States, argues that through territorial expansion into Latino lands in colonial days the U.S. was able to exploit Latin American territories to their benefit. In the second part, “Branches”, Gonzalez devotes several chapters to major Latino groups. Through intensive and in-depth interviews with different people, and also telling his own story, Gonzalez paints a picture of contemporary Latinos in the U.S. The last and final section of Harvest of empire Gonzalez demonstrated modern day issues such as the controversy over illegal immigration that has spanned more than sixty years, the disastrous impact of globalization on Latin America in the wake of NAFTA, and the continuous debate over the use of foreign languages and
Internalized racism has hit the individual level where half of all Hispanics consider themselves as white. One Mexican American asserted that he felt “shame and sexual inferiority…because of my dark complexion.” He also described himself with “disgust” loathing his appearance when he sees himself in the mirror. Stereotypes play a huge role in the Latino culture in the U.S where often the usual stereotype is that Latinos are job-stealers, uneducated, poor and illegal. “Envidia” or jealousy sabotages the Latino community because Latinos begin to question the qualifications of other successful Latinos. No one has the positive thought that Latinos can achieve and triumph in any field; they just can’t believe that. Latinos just stamp other Latinos with those stereotypes Americans say. Because of internalized racism, Latinos and Hispanics distance themselves from the Spanish language to support the English only movement. They are embarrassed of their inherited language and rather choose English to complete assimilation. “Almost 40% of Latino/a respondents prefer English as their dominant language…” (Padilla 20). Where I currently live, I always see on the day to day basis Hispanics and Latinos that immigrated to the United States from other countries sounding “white.” I speak to Hispanics; even Latinos in Spanish and they respond
Another struggle for identity with Latinos is their struggle with the Spanish and English languages. While some Latinos may speak Spanish in their homes, the language may not be conversationally used in their schools. Some Lat...
Latinos have struggled to discover their place inside of a white America for too many years. Past stereotypes and across racism they have fought to belong. Still America is unwilling to open her arms to them. Instead she demands assimilation. With her pot full of stew she asks, "What flavor will you add to this brew?" Some question, some rebel, and others climb in. I argue that it is not the Latino who willingly agreed to partake in this stew. It is America who forced her ideals upon them through mass media and stale history. However her effort has failed, for they have refused to melt.
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 Americans are a group of people made up of distinct characteristics. Hispanics or Latinos are defined as a people of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, South or Central American, or other Spanish speaking cultures.
Latinos face a lot of discrimination when they come to the united stated or they try to assimilate to the American culture. Most immigrants have to deal with the police investigating them because they think they are all drug dealers or are in some type of illegal organization. They also have to deal with people calling them names because of their skin color. Americans also accuse Hispanics of stealing their jobs (Ramos, 53). They also face seeing racist graffiti on homes or wall of a building and they have to face hate crimes (Plunkett, 15). They sometimes get excluded from white communities (Plunkett, 39). Latinos are also blamed for serious problems the country faces (Ramos, 195). There are reasons for Americans to discriminate Latinos and reasons why they shouldn’t discriminate them.
The discussion on race and politics has been predominately about Caucasians and African Americans, however the increasing number of the Latino population in the United States leads political scientists to question how Latinos behave politically. Latinos do not behave in a political block. The assumption that Latinos behave this way is based on the studies of black politics. Studies show that African Americans tend to vote in a cohort leaning mostly democratic; based on these findings some political scientists believe “race (has) predictive powers”. Compared to the term African Americans, the term Latinos encompasses a wide range of origins accounting for different political interests and concerns.