Week_7_Assignment_Hispanic_American_Diversity_Essay

Hispanic American Diversity Essay ETH 125 January 16, 2011 Hispanic American Diversity Essay The confederation of peoples collectively known as Hispanic Americans actually are comprised of peoples from several nations across the world. From Mexico to South America, to Spain and Puerto Rico, to name just a few countries of origin, there are more than 35 million Hispanic American citizens currently residing in the United States. This represents more than 13% of the population. The first misconception which must be erased is that these diverse peoples are all of one race, when it is rather a shared language, Spanish, which provides the tenuous connection among Hispanics. Indeed, far from being members of a race such as African, Caucasian, or Asian, "Hispanics and Latinos may be of any race (U.S. Census Bureau, 2002)." Further, according to the 2000 Census, 48% of Hispanics selected White as their race, while 42% selected one other race (U.S. Census Bureau, 2002) and 10% selected multiple races. Clearly, distinctions exist and by comparing and contrasting four unique groups; Cubans, Dominicans, Mexicans, and Puerto Ricans these distinctions will be apparent. Mexicans are the largest and most prominent group of Spanish speakers living in the United States. In addition to 45 million legal citizens, it is estimated that an additional seven million, a total of 2% of the U.S. population, are here illegally (Hoefer, Rytina, & Baker, 2008). Mexicans have settled in the United States since its inception and many became de facto citizens when formerly Mexican lands were incorporated into the United States. Mexicans bring a heritage of mixed ancestry as a result of the Conquest of Mexico by Spanish and other Caucasian invaders. Today, Mexican American culture has not strayed far from its roots. Mexicans' value system revolves around pride in family, which is ideally large and close knit, and respect for the deceased as celebrated every November 1st the Day of the Dead, El Dia des los Muertas. However, this celebration is considered a folk tradition, as the vast majority of the population, approximately 90%, is Roman Catholic (Sanchez, 1993). While known for their devout faith, Mexicans are not as renowned for their success in politics or business. This is likely for a number of reasons, not the least of which is their lack of education and English fluency. Less than half of Mexican immigrants are proficient English speakers and 87% of the Mexican American population has not completed a college degree, while the overall average is 71% (Census, 2008). This lack of educational attainment means an average of $25,000 less income per year, which translates to less buying power and a lower status level. Another major factor which hinders recognition and advancement in the U.S. is that while 12.5% of the population is Mexican American, in major elections, only 3.5 percent of votes cast are by Mexican Americans (Sailer, 2001). Although nowhere near as populous as Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, who hail from a U.S. commonwealth, total 7 million residents, who are concentrated in Puerto Rico and the Northeast. While Puerto Ricans speak a distinct Spanish dialect and some French, due to the proximity of French speaking immigrants to the nearby Caribbean (Puerto Rico Encyclopedia, 2010), the group tends to be fluent in English. Puerto Ricans boast a unique heritage of diverse influences, from the afore-mentioned French and Spanish, to Chinese, Afro-Caribbean, Caucasian and Lebanese (Puerto Rico Encyclopedia, 2010). This helps explain some untraditional elements of religious practices such as a belief in faith healing and superstitions in an otherwise devoutly Catholic population (Puerto Rico Encyclopedia, 2010). Puerto Ricans have made their own unique contributions to the United States, both in politics and the corporate world, though residents of the commonwealth struggle with poverty. Puerto Rican historically focused on sugar plantations, but today tourism and industry reign. Now, many residents now subsist on a combination of odd jobs called chiripas, farming, and a limited amount of government aid (Puerto Rico Encyclopedia, 2008). This method of making a living results in a high poverty rate, which tops 30%, and an average family income of $17,741, well below the U.S. average of $50,462 (Census, 2002). In the political sphere, Puerto Ricans are avid followers of politics but are hampered by the inability to vote in presidential elections, although Puerto Ricans living in the mainland have a very high turnout at elections. Boasting approximately 1.2 million citizens, Cuban Americans are second only to Puerto Ricans in population size in the United States. The Cuban American population is concentrated in Florida, New York, California, New Jersey and Louisiana (Firmat, 2010). Many Cuban Americans first immigrated as refugees from Cuba in the 1960s in response to its 1959 takeover by Fidel Castro (Firmat, 2010). Cuban Americans have an extremely strong family structure, reinforced by the difficulties of leaving behind family as refugees; large, intergenerational family structures are common, marriage outside the culture is uncommon, and family celebrations such as the Quinceañera, a traditional coming of age, debutante-type party for 15-year-old young women are extravagant and well attended (Firmat, 2010). Both professions and politics critical elements of Cuban Americans lives. The interest in politics stems partly from the disenfranchisement experienced with the forceful seizure of property and political freedoms by Castro, and the perceived ability to lobby for change in the United States. Cuban Americans, in addition to being very politically active as a rule particularly pro-Republican, are also among the very most well educated and financially successful of Hispanic groups. This is particularly true of American born Cubans who boast degree rates of 39% and median incomes of $50,000, higher even than non-Hispanic whites. For while many Hispanic immigrants came to the United States to achieve economic prosperity, Cuban Americans who were already well educated and successful in their homeland formed the majority of permanent immigrants to the U.S (Cuellar, 2005) characteristics which also influence these immigrants’ U.S. born children and grandchildren. While Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans represent the ‘big three’ of Hispanic residents of the United States, there are many other populations with significant contributions to the culture of the United States. One of these groups is Dominicans, hailing from the island of Hispaniola, which is also in close proximity to Cuba and Puerto Rico (Buffington, 2008). Dominicans actually have a similar population as Cubans, approximately 1.2 million in the U.S. according to 2006 Census figures. These residents tend to be centered around Florida, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, and are the most racially diverse of any of the Hispanic groups with 30% describing themselves as Black and almost 40% choosing ‘Other’ on Census surveys (U.S. Census Bureau, 2002). Dominicans are predominantly Catholic and also boast a large extended family structure, with a uniquely significant number practicing common law rather than legally binding marriages, particularly among lower income Dominican Americans (Buffington, 2008). Dominican Americans have a unique perspective on the American political process as they are one of few populations which are allowed to vote both in the United States and the Dominican Republic (Castro, 2004). Due to tumultuous political developments in their home country however, large numbers immigrated to the United States throughout the latter half of the 20th century and do not participate in U.S. elections, retaining their primary political interests and often, investments, in the Dominican Republic. In terms of labor, many Dominicans have very poor English skills, coupled with low expectations for job fulfillment, and often accept low paying, unrewarding work (Buffington, 2008). Based on this analysis of four unique cultures, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Dominican, it is clear all of the cultures have commonalities and distinctions. The primary similarity is a pair of related values: church and family. Each of the four groups has extremely deep Catholic roots which include approximately 90% of their individual collective populations, although the evidence of Afro-Cuban spirituality is evident in Puerto Rican and Dominican practice of the faith. The family-centric nature of these communities is also evident in their focus on family, ancestry, and prevalence of two parent households and extended family units, although Dominicans in particular have a higher rate of common-law rather than church sanctioned marriages. There are however, many unique qualities among these groups. While three of the groups lean towards Democratic candidates and values, the economically and educationally superior Cubans tend to vote Republican, in line with other relatively wealthy U.S. subgroups. In contrast, Mexican and Puerto Rican immigrants have been largely unsuccessful in financial ventures and employment, and evidence a large portion of their populations living below the poverty line. Finally, while three of the groups are centered in the Northeastern United States, the Mexican population is much more dispersed throughout the country, but unfortunately, also much less politically active, despite the size of the Mexican American population. So while some values are almost identical, cultural expressions vary, as do educational, economic, and political involvement and success. It is clear that speaking Spanish does not make a race, and that each culture must be respected and recognized for its own valuable contributions to the United States. References Buffington, S. (2008). Dominican Americans. Retrieved October 4, 2010 from http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Bu-Dr/Dominican-Americans.html Castro, Y. (2004, October 26). Dominican Republic: Dual Citizens. Frontline World. Retrieved October 4, 2010 from http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/elections/ dominicanrepublic/ Cuellar, J. (2008, July 5). Cuban Americans: Profile of a community. Retrieved October 4, 2010 from http://www.contactomagazine.com/cubanamericans.htm Englekirk, A., & Marin, M. (2008). Mexican Americans. Retrieved October 4, 2010 from http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Le-Pa/Mexican-Americans.html Firmat, G. (2010). Cuban Americans. MSN Encarta. Retrieved October 4, 2010 from http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761587474/cuban_americans.html Hoefer, M., Rytina, N., & Baker, B. (2008, September). Estimates of the unauthorized immigrant population residing in the United States: January 2007. Department of Homeland Security. Retrieved October 4, 2010 from http://www.dhs.gov/ xlibrary/assets/statistics/publications/ois_ill_pe_2007.pdf Puerto Rico Encyclopedia. (2010, September 20). Retrieved October 4, 2010 from http://www.enciclopediapr.org/ing/article.cfm'ref=08100302&page=4 Sailer, S. (2001). Mexican American vote smaller than many think. Retrieved October 4, 2010 from http://www.isteve.com/2001_Mexican_Americans_Smaller_Share_of_Vote.htm Sanchez, G. (1993). Becoming Mexican American. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Retrieved October 4, 2010 from http://books.google.com/books'id= sqM31q9EulMC&pg=PA165&lpg=PA165&dq=mexican+american+religion+by+ percentage&source=web&ots=H6yI6tSnSB&sig=hPrMrpemLVx_utEs0UXLu We2tY&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result U.S. Census Bureau. (2008, January 10). One-Third of Young Women Have Bachelor’s Degrees. Retrieved October 4, 2010 from http://www.census.gov/ PressRelease/www/releases/archives/education/011196.html U.S. Census Bureau. (2002). Race data. Retrieved October 4, 2010 from http://www.census. gov/population/www/socdemo/race/acefactcb.html