Hispanic in the United States - Essay Example

Topic: Hispanic in the United s Hispanic population includes Spanish-speaking people or people hailing from Spanish culture. A group of people with heritage and lineage prevailing from Spanish-speaking countries. As a result, people belonging to diverse settings are categorized as “ethnic”. It comprises of migrants from Mexico, Central or South America or Spanish-speaking Caribbean nations. Hispanic also cover political expatriates from El Salvador with political exiles, Cuban “Marielitos” arrived in 1980 (Oboler, 1995). United States of America is a multicultural land and it accommodates people from different parts of the world. Hispanics are such a minority that has contributed to the cultural setup of United States of America because of their being rich in culture (Oboler, 1995). They are fast growing ethnic minority and are leaving a lasting impact on American culture and customs as a whole. According to Fenner (2009), Hispanics are “the largest and fastest-growing minority in the United States” and “are changing American society and culture” because of their being largest in ratio. Hispanic does not include various other linguistic and racial communities belonging to different nationalities like those with African, European, Asian and Middle East origin (Oboler, 1995). C. Nelson and Marta Tienda distinguished, “Hispanic as a label combines colonized natives and their offspring, foreigners and political refugees under one ethnic umbrella, but coherence of this label is questionable on theoretical and historical grounds” ( Oboler, 1995). It is apparent that some researchers have identified the demographic propositions of survey definitions since 1930s. The label “Hispanic” disembarks from time of influx, language, race and minority status (Oboler, 1995). Considering the indistinctness of the term, Joan Moore and Harry Pachon submit to the concept as “racial minority or simply another predominantly Catholic ethnic group like the Italians for example” (Oboler, 1995). According to Pastora San Juan Cafferty and William McCready, “policies are created for Hispanics which help some and ham others because there are in one sense no generic Hispanics” (Oboler, 1995). Debate is going on about the justification of the “umbrella” term Hispanic. Revolution in the worldwide wealth and its thump in US labor market have opened a new archetype for immigrants from Latin America. They contract with a plunge of industries like clothes making, providing untrained, admission level jobs to recently arrived populations in United States (Oboler, 1995). The results of Census 2000 display a remarkable augmentation in the Hispanic population from 1990 and have increased from 22 million to 35.2 million. The total Hispanic population is classified into two groups: A. Native Hispanics and B. Foreign born Hispanics; both these classes have enhanced Hispanic population, but the foreign-born Hispanic population experienced surprising growth in their population owing to the enhanced immigration (Grieco, 2003). The distribution of Hispanic population is in California, Texas and Florida. Vermont, North Dakota and Maine possess least foreign-born Hispanics whereas Columbia, North Carolina and Georgia possess highest magnitude of foreign Hispanic populations. On the other hand, smallest degree of foreign-born Hispanics is found in Hawaii and Montana (Grieco, 2003). Hispanics display a strong family bonding and their family comprises of extended family and all the close family members reside together with father as the head of the family and mother as the homemaker. Members of the family bear moral responsibilities of helping each other in ups and downs of life. Celebrations and occasions like birthdays, baptism, weddings etc are performed as a great get-to-gather function. The family members give importance to etiquettes, respect and mannerism and inculcates these thoughts in their children with due respect to culture and Spanish language (Rodriguez, 1995). Hispanics are rather stretchy about time and promptness any deferred arrival or not meeting the time constraint is tolerable (Noble, 1991). Hispanics are very religious and almost 90% of them are Roman Catholic. Hispanics have a diverse eating habit with light meal as breakfast and lunch as the main meal called el almuerzo. On arrival of guests, the meal is usually followed by a prolonged talk over coffee or after dinner drink (Sanjur, 1995). Hispanics pay great accent on arrangement, liberation and appraisal of educational hard work. The culture encompasses a great deal of respect towards teacher and also towards learners. The education is value oriented with emphasis on language skills, income levels and cultural values (Gessler, 1998). The Hispanics are usually bilingual because many of them are US born while others are immigrants. They know English as well as Spanish. According to Gessler (1998), sixty-nine percent of the population above the age of five years speaks Spanish as well as English due to which, only twenty-two percent of the entire population speaks English only. Nine percent of the population speaks Spanish only. The percentage of people speaking one language is in total thirty-one percent and they are monolinguals (Gessler, 1998). The people who speak Spanish mostly have knowledge about English, as it is mostly spoken language in United States. In is predicted that the coming years are going to witness a tremendous augmentation in Hispanic population is due to numerous reasons; innate increase, colonization from Caribbean and South America is creating noteworthy involvement resulting in new Latino subgroups- Salvadorians, Dominicans and the emerging presence of Mexicans in places like New York (Aguirre-Molina, 2001). Another reason of their growth is economic diversity. Hispanics have suffered very high poverty rate but due to migration the per capita income is has increased remarkably. Data express that between the year 1997 and 1998 their per capita income enhanced from 3.3% to 4.5% and 3.2% for White community (Aguirre-Molina, 2001). According to National Centre for Health Statistics (2000), 18% of African American and 15% of Latinos possess poor-to-fair health as compared to 9% by Whites. The health problems faced by Latinos are due to their poor socio-economic status and also due to lack of political powers and therefore results in unfortunate synergy when placed in the context of the demographic transformation (Aguirre-Molina, 2001). It is inopportune that Latinos face poor contemplation by health care system. It is therefore essential that there should be some kind of incremental changes that must be incorporated in the nation’s health care system. The Hispanics are growing in population and hence their voting powers are also growing, it is therefore vital that the human organizational infrastructure of national groups, and health professionals pay attention to the health issues of the Hispanics (Aguirre-Molina, 2001). It is therefore essential that a new paradigm be established with a great vision and new strategies to bring changes in reforms and attitude. With the enormous growth in the population, their command over politics and power to buy, in music and entertainment persists (Aguirre-Molina, 2001). To summarize it is essential to understand that Hispanic or Latino are individuals with Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, South or Central American or other Spanish culture or origin. Census 2000 describes the Hispanic population as the population that is distributes at national and sub-national levels- Mexicans were the largest Hispanic group representing 59% of the total Hispanic population, other Hispanics were subsequent contributing to 16% of the Hispanic community, Central America witness 5.1% of Hispanic population. Amongst them Salvadorans, contribute around 39%, while Guatemalans contribute to 22% and Hondurans only 13%, South America displays only 4% of Hispanic population. Here distribution of Hispanics is like- 35% = Colombian, 19%= Ecuadorian and 17%= Peruvian, Cubans represented 3.5% of Hispanic population where as Dominicans contribute to 2.3% and Spaniards as low as 0.3%. It is estimated that Hispanic population was younger than the total population: The percentage of male and female. The Median age for Hispanics was 9 years less than the whole population: According to the Census 2000, the median age of Hispanic population was 26 years as against the 35.4 years for total population. 1/3 of the total Hispanic population was younger than 18 in contrast to the ¼ of the total population. Around 4.8% of Hispanic population was contributed by 65 years or older as against 12% of total population. It was estimated that more than ½ of the Hispanic population were married in contrast to 14% of Hispanics who are widowed or divorced in contrast to 19% of the total population. Amongst Hispanics Cubans were most probable to be married, followed by South Americans, Mexicans and Spaniards respectively. On the other hand, Cubans were highest amongst the separated, widowed or divorced population. The Hispanics form a major population group of United States due to which, the advertisements and media targets them as consumers for their products largely. Because of the settlement of Hispanics on American land for a long time, the culture, food and music of Hispanics are well known to American population and they own it (Fenner, 2009). Different festivals are arranged that enable the Hispanics to revise the memories of Mexico and their native lands. Many festivals and celebrations such as Cinco de Mayo, Puerto Rican Day Parades and Carnaval Miami are organized for Hispanics in the United States (Fenner, 2009). The Hispanics of America contribute towards the American music, film industry, visual art, writing, fashion industry and much more (Fenner, 2009). Being American makes them to share their talents and culture to the American culture as a whole. The Hispanics also take part in sports activities in the United States and many have also gained fame as American players. The Hispanics take part in various sports such as baseball, basketball, soccer, boxing, tennis, golf, hockey and softball. The famous names of players participating in various sports are “Nomar Garciaparra (baseball), David Ortiz (Baseball), Carlos Arroyo (basketball), Claudio Reyna (soccer)” and many more (Fenner, 2009). The contribution of Hispanics to American society as a whole is accepted by US government due to which, the government appreciates the participation of Hispanics in various fields. President Obama has appreciated the role of Hispanics towards American society as he has said that Hispanics have brought enrichment and innovation to different fields of American society (Fenner, 2009). Hispanics contribute largely towards the business sector of United States as they have their own business settings of nearly 1.6 million according to a survey conducted on 2002 and it was also considered that these Hispanic businesses will expand to a much more greater size within five years (Grieco, 2003). There are various people of Hispanic origin who have gained reputation and name in business with the passage of time. They have their own companies, clubs, television networks, banking firms and food companies (Sanjur, 1995; Noble and LaCasa, 1991). The businesses run under the ownership of Hispanics are equally as good as that of non-Hispanics. They have a strong determination towards their success and betterment. As far as the political views of Hispanics are concerned, they are divided into Democrats and Republicans. Majority of Hispanic population is with the Democrats as the Hispanics that vote for Democrats are nearly fifty-seven percent while those supporting Republicans are only twenty-three percent (Oboler, 1995). To support Democrats is considered as a liberal decision among Hispanic population. The Hispanics contribute towards governmental construction of cabinets. They are among the elected members of the American society (Oboler, 1995). There are many names of elected members from Hispanic origin. They are part of the local as well as state government. Their elected ratio in the government sector is not negligible as they form a major part of the government (Census 2000 Special Report). According to Fenner (2009), the Hispanics have obtained key positions in the government of United States. The US Congress has twenty-five Hispanics while there are five thousand and six hundred local and state nominated government representatives (Fenner, 2009) The growth rate of Hispanic population is quite large due to which, it can be said that Hispanics are going to be a dominant community as a minority due to its growth. Hispanics form the second largest group of American population and their participation in various affairs and aspects of the country cannot be negated. The presence of Hispanics in the United States can be traced back to sixteenth century; era of St. Augustine (Gessler, 1998). Spanish is considered as one of the oldest known languages in the whole Europe and the people, who are known as Hispanics have used this language for a very long time (Gessler, 1998). Like Spanish language, the culture of Hispanics is very old and rich. It is due to the cultural characteristics of Hispanics that it is regarded as the most influential minority in American region. As per the 2000 census, 75% of Hispanics speak language other than English at home. It further depicts that ½ of the Hispanic population above 25 years possess high school diploma while 10% has bachelor’s degree. Hispanics were less in labor force and more Hispanic women than Hispanic men hold government or managerial post or professional jobs. Amongst the Hispanics, Spaniard, South American and Cuban families had higher income than other Hispanic communities did. Poverty rates also varied amongst the Hispanic population. The most poor were Latino group. When housing sector was analyzed, it was found that more than half of the Hispanics resides in rental residential units (Census 2000 Special Report). Thus, the article provides the view that in coming years, Hispanics are going to have a superior grasp on various aspects of United States. The Hispanic population is an umbrella term, one that encompasses a variety of Spanish backgrounds. Once considered a minority, the Hispanic population has begun to make up a huge part of our culture backgrounds in States such as California, Texas, and Florida. From this, we begin to understand their culture and way of life, and how they depend greatly on family and religion. As there are no generic Hispanics, many subgroups have been distinguished, though they all share the same general characteristics. As the Hispanic population continues to flourish, it is realized that reform and attitude must begin to change to allow these people to feel one with the majority than being singled out as a minority. References Aguirre-Molina, M., Molina, C. W., Zambrana, R. E., Health Issues in the Latino Community. Jossey-Bass; 1 Edition. 2001. Census 2000 Special Report. We the People: Hispanics in the United States. Available at http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/censr-18.pdf [Accessed on 11th March 2010]. Fenner, Lousie. Hispanics, the Largest U.S. Minority, Enrich the American Mosaic: They contribute tradition, creativity and innovation to U.S. society. America.gov, 22nd September 2009. Available at http://www.america.gov/st/peopleplace-english/2009/September/20090921163442xlrennef0.8085836.html Gessler. The Language Learning Center - Spanish. Hispanic culture capsules. Roanoke, Va. Gessler Publishing Co., Inc. 1998. Grieco, E. 2003. Migration Information Source. Available at http://www.migrationinformation.org/usfocus/display.cfm?ID=95 [Accessed on 11th March 2010]. Noble, J. and LaCasa, J. The Hispanic way: Aspects of behavior, attitudes, and customs of the Spanish-speaking world. Chicago, Ill. Passport Books. 1991. Oboler, S. Ethnic labels, Latino lives: is entity and the politics of (re) presentation in United States. Univ of Minnesota Press; 1 edition. 1995. Rodriguez, S. Hispanics in the United States: An insight into group characteristics. Department of Health and Human Services. Web Site: http: //www/hhs.gov/about/heo/hgen.html. 1995. Sanjur, D. Hispanic foodways, nutrition, and health. Needham, Mass. Allyn and Bacon. 1995. Read More

The total Hispanic population is classified into two groups: A. Native Hispanics and B. Foreign born Hispanics; both these classes have enhanced Hispanic population, but the foreign-born Hispanic population experienced surprising growth in their population owing to the enhanced immigration (Grieco, 2003). The distribution of Hispanic population is in California, Texas and Florida. Vermont, North Dakota and Maine possess least foreign-born Hispanics whereas Columbia, North Carolina and Georgia possess highest magnitude of foreign Hispanic populations.

On the other hand, smallest degree of foreign-born Hispanics is found in Hawaii and Montana (Grieco, 2003). Hispanics display a strong family bonding and their family comprises of extended family and all the close family members reside together with father as the head of the family and mother as the homemaker. Members of the family bear moral responsibilities of helping each other in ups and downs of life. Celebrations and occasions like birthdays, baptism, weddings etc are performed as a great get-to-gather function.

The family members give importance to etiquettes, respect and mannerism and inculcates these thoughts in their children with due respect to culture and Spanish language (Rodriguez, 1995). Hispanics are rather stretchy about time and promptness any deferred arrival or not meeting the time constraint is tolerable (Noble, 1991). Hispanics are very religious and almost 90% of them are Roman Catholic. Hispanics have a diverse eating habit with light meal as breakfast and lunch as the main meal called el almuerzo.

On arrival of guests, the meal is usually followed by a prolonged talk over coffee or after dinner drink (Sanjur, 1995). Hispanics pay great accent on arrangement, liberation and appraisal of educational hard work. The culture encompasses a great deal of respect towards teacher and also towards learners. The education is value oriented with emphasis on language skills, income levels and cultural values (Gessler, 1998). The Hispanics are usually bilingual because many of them are US born while others are immigrants.

They know English as well as Spanish. According to Gessler (1998), sixty-nine percent of the population above the age of five years speaks Spanish as well as English due to which, only twenty-two percent of the entire population speaks English only. Nine percent of the population speaks Spanish only. The percentage of people speaking one language is in total thirty-one percent and they are monolinguals (Gessler, 1998). The people who speak Spanish mostly have knowledge about English, as it is mostly spoken language in United States.

In is predicted that the coming years are going to witness a tremendous augmentation in Hispanic population is due to numerous reasons; innate increase, colonization from Caribbean and South America is creating noteworthy involvement resulting in new Latino subgroups- Salvadorians, Dominicans and the emerging presence of Mexicans in places like New York (Aguirre-Molina, 2001). Another reason of their growth is economic diversity. Hispanics have suffered very high poverty rate but due to migration the per capita income is has increased remarkably.

Data express that between the year 1997 and 1998 their per capita income enhanced from 3.3% to 4.5% and 3.2% for White community (Aguirre-Molina, 2001). According to National Centre for Health Statistics (2000), 18% of African American and 15% of Latinos possess poor-to-fair health as compared to 9% by Whites. The health problems faced by Latinos are due to their poor socio-economic status and also due to lack of political powers and therefore results in unfortunate synergy when placed in the context of the demographic transformation (Aguirre-Molina, 2001).

It is inopportune that Latinos face poor contemplation by health care system. It is therefore essential that there should be some kind of incremental changes that must be incorporated in the nation’s health care system. The Hispanics are growing in population and hence their voting powers are also growing, it is therefore vital that the human organizational infrastructure of national groups, and health professionals pay attention to the health issues of the Hispanics (Aguirre-Molina, 2001).

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