Preview

Personal Narrative: Miami Is Not The United States

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
384 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Personal Narrative: Miami Is Not The United States
"Miami no es los Estados Unidos" (Miami is not the United States) is a phrase that I heard many times while growing up in Miami. It is problematic, because at its core lies the idea that a city that is teeming with Latinx/Hispanic immigrants could not be representative of what the United States "really" is. An idea that is pervasive but that unnecessarily emphasizes the vibrant culture of Miami, and underplays the socioeconomic inequality that exists in many other cities. As an immigrant I have grown up as a part of communities that are often considered under-served, and that consistently struggled financially. Something that I was aware of from a young age, and that truly shaped the way I looked at my future. With every time that my mom woke

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    This is most obvious in Huntington’s “The Hispanic Challenge,” in which he argues that Latinx immigrants and their descendents are a threat to the American ‘creed.’ Huntington uses Miami as an example of his fears realized. He argues that the city has become characterized by large populations of Cubans. He describes this as a “Cuban takeover” and claimed it led to “major consequences” for Miami, and then proceeded to describe only positive economic outcomes for the city and many of its inhabitants, as well as developments in arts and entertainment influenced by Cuban culture (Huntington, 42). The implication here seems to be that Latinx communities should only be successful if they sever their ties to their culture and adopt the predominate American creed.…

    • 480 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Arturto Banuelas Analysis

    • 1226 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Like Fr. Deck, Msgr. Arturto Bañuelas tends to focus on practical theology and real issues that affect Latinos and Hispanics in the United States; and of course, no discussion of these issues would be complete without touching on immigration reform. Bañuelas’ experience with immigration is a personal one. He grew up in the El Paso-Juárez communities on the U.S.-Mexican border and saw the massive disparity between the cities firsthand; the situation, as he himself was described it, was that “For the past 15 years, El Paso has been ranked as the second safest city in the nation [The United States], while, just across the border, Ciudad Juárez ranks the second most dangerous city in the world.” (The Lies Are Killing Us: The Need for Immigration…

    • 1226 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    After the wake of Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico was left completely without electricity or potable water. During his presidential visit to the island, President Trump diminished the humanitarian crisis that the island is going through by comparing it to a “real catastrophe” like Hurricane Katrina, which had made landfall in the United States twelve years priors. By contrasting the loss of American lives to that of Puerto Rican lives, he suggested that there was a vital difference between the two ; they are not equal, even if they’re both Americans. This same detachment from “true Americans” is seen in how the United States sees and treats American-born Mexicans that have been living in the Texas for centuries. Of course, Mexicans and Puerto…

    • 193 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    The year is 1776. In an act of defiance of the oppressive rule of the powerful nation of Great Britain, the political leaders of the British-American colonies sign into existence the United States of America. Even before this inception of the United States, North America had been seen as a place where one could move to start a new life and reap the full rewards for one’s work. These opportunities combined with the new United States government founded on the ideals of freedom and equity have attracted countless families from all over the world, making the United States truly a country of immigrants. Immigrants from European nations coming to America both assimilated and helped to shape the culture of the nation. Others, either immigrants or those forced to come to the United States, were marked with distinguishable differences from the European majority. The Africans and Asians are examples of some of these minorities, but, in my belief, one of the groups that has had the most unique struggle to become part of the ‘great melting pot’ of America is the Latino culture. For many different reasons Latin Americans have struggled to assimilate with the American culture for hundreds of years.…

    • 1291 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Miami Florida has the biggest Latin population than any other city in the United States. The majority of Latin's being of Cuban descent. Since the Cuban revolution there have been constant waves of immigrating Cubans to Miami. The result has been a Cuban American society that has created culture diversity within. In order to understand the Cuban American culture you must understand its ethnic origin, politics, and the varying times of immigration.…

    • 1660 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Throughout history immigration has always been evident in the United States, but in the recent years the amount of influx of immigrants has greatly increased and continues to grow. In the history books we study, immigration was always seen as an opportunity for America to grow and develop with the unique cultures and innovations that immigrants brought in. Today, immigration is seen in a negative light because people all around the country have an oversimplified idea of why people come to the United States and what they hope to achieve. In the belief of several Americans, when immigrants come to the United States they take jobs, increase crime, and do not make an effort to live the American culture. The problem with this common belief is that it is misconstrued; there is not enough knowledge in the country of the real issues. This issue is compelling to me and vital in this country because the lack of knowledge is causing the definition of the United States as a “free country” that is openly diverse, is coming to a standstill as the opinions throughout the country constantly contradict this idea of freedom and diversity.…

    • 1525 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In his op-ed piece “America’s mixed messages to foreigners at the gate,” published in the Seattle Times in 2004, Ruben Navarrette, Jr dives into a topic prevalent if not more so in the fourteen years that have passed since this article’s publication. Navarrette criticizes the message broadcasted to those who immigrate to America and specifically from Latin America illegally: “Come legally, or don’t come at all.” He not only retorts in his op-ed piece how oxymoronic this message comes across by providing examples of these messages which present mixed signals from issues such as employment, education and taxation but also continues to perpetuate the narrative on America’s disorganization and lack of a clear plan.…

    • 805 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    About ten years ago, my family moved to this country. As a Mexican legal resident people believe I didn’t struggle; however, I often remind them that I also come to the United States with little to no knowledge. I was expected and demanded to learn a foreign language, which was going to aim me in the future. A future that was unknown, surrounded by a different culture.…

    • 299 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The story of the Puerto Rican people is unique in the history of U.S. immigration, just as Puerto Rico occupies a distinctive—and sometimes confusing—position in the nation’s civic fabric. Puerto Rico has been a possession of the U.S. for more than a century, but it has never been a state. Its people have been U.S. citizens since 1917, but they have no vote in Congress. As citizens, the people of Puerto Rico can move throughout the 50 states just as any other Americans can—legally, this is considered internal migration, not immigration. However, in moving to the mainland, Puerto Ricans leave a homeland with its own distinct identity and culture, and the transition can involve many of the same cultural conflicts and emotional adjustments that most immigrants face. Some writers have suggested that the Puerto Rican migration experience can be seen as an internal immigration—as the experience of a people who move within their own country, but whose new home lies well outside of their emotional home territory.…

    • 1139 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Being Chicano in America

    • 3681 Words
    • 15 Pages

    The plight of the Hispanic citizen in the United States is difficult to characterize; a massive demographic that has made its home in an equally massive nation - every major US city today boasts an impressive and diverse Hispanic population. Nowhere is this more true than in Los Angeles and New York City, where Hispanic Americans number in the millions. But who are Hispanic Americans? To what degree have they assimilated to the broader “mainstream” American culture? How do they differ from one another? In major American cities, Hispanics have, by degrees, experienced a blend of alienation and acceptance.…

    • 3681 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The United States is known as the melting pot because of the many different cultures that live here. Hispanics make up 35.3 million according to the 2000 census. Many people don’t realize that within the Hispanic culture there are many different groups. The different groups have different linguistic, political, social, economic, religion, and statues. Most Hispanics see themselves in terms of their individual ethnic identity, as Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Cuban, etc. instead of members of the larger, more ambiguous term Hispanic or Latino (U.S. Diplomatic Mission to Germany, 2009).…

    • 1531 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Latino Immigrants

    • 2133 Words
    • 9 Pages

    escalated the vitriolic debate on both sides of the issue. Media attention about the recent surge of…

    • 2133 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Latinos are constituted as the largest minority group in the United States due to high immigration and birth rates. Roberto Suro’s book discusses the changing social and economic policies in this country in accordance to the emergence of the Latino population. Latinos in the US, especially the younger generations and the children of immigrants, are closely tied to teenage pregnancies, gangs, and drug dealing. It is very clear that the Latino migrant experience is very different according to each respective community. As we see, the Cuban community in Miami is in some ways an exception to the stereotypes associated with Latinos that go hand in hand with the downward social and economic mobility of this population. The Guatemalan migrant experience in Suro’s book is closely linked to this idea of Latinos creating transnational networks, as there was a huge influx of Guatemalans into the Huston area. Suro outlines possible forms of stopping the flow of illegal immigration into the US. On of the main arguments in this research is the idea of short-term gains vs. long terms costs which is what Suro says is what Latino bring to the United States. His views on potential tactics that could be taken by the United States government to punish illegal immigration would somewhat be too costly but in the long run this country…

    • 1633 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Born in East La

    • 2813 Words
    • 12 Pages

    Oboler, Suzanne. Ethnic Labels, Latino Lives: Identity and the Politics of (Re)Presentation in the Unted States. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota P, 1995.…

    • 2813 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Specifically, he explores the complexities of the feeling of belonging in Mexican immigrant populations who are unsure where to call ‘home’. This article is important to me because it reminds me how my parents experienced when they migrated to the US mainland from Puerto Rico. They moved in hopes of providing a better life for me the rest of extended family in Puerto Rico. Since I grew up in a semi-Hispanic culture, I know how family is very important and central to our culture. Thus, while reading Striffler’s article, I was able to relate to Mexican immigrants who left to work in the US and collect money to sustain their families back in Mexico. Similar to how Mexican immigrants who were exploited by US food industries, my parents are experiencing similar exploitations from the government and their jobs. Although the level of severity for economic stability probably not the same, my parents are bound to live in low-income housing similar to how Mexican immigrants were forced to shift to permanent residence in the US. Additionally, my parents raised in a predominantly American culture with a little bit of Hispanic culture. Although I was not born in Puerto Rico, a part of me still feels that “home” is there because Puerto Rico is where my family is. This is similar to how the decedents of Mexican immigrants visit their “home” in Santo…

    • 1230 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays