Hispanics
Hispanics are often referred to as the fastest growing minority group in the United States. The Texas Credit Union site provided the following statistics. There are 38.8 million people of Hispanic origin residing in the U.S. By 2007, the number of Hispanics in the U.S. is expected to reach 50 million (http://www.tcul.coop/Demographic_Information.html). Hispanics are defined as those who claim a Spanish speaking country as their or their ancestor 's country of origin. Thus, the designation of Hispanic is one that crosses racial barriers and is instead a description of language and background. There are those of all racial backgrounds that consider themselves Hispanic (Cafferty 2000). With that in mind, as I interviewed Ms. Adelina Winston about the relationships between Hispanics and other groups, I asked her whether or not conflicts existed in those relationships. She stated that in her experience, that was not the case. The more stringent racial lines of Caucasian and African-American prevailed, and most people were interested in learning which group out of those two she identified with, rather than seeing her background as a separate group. Therefore, she felt more readily accepted by both of those major racial groups.
There are many myths and stereotypes that exist about Hispanics. One of those is that Hispanics are mainly rural people, probably stemming from the perception that most work on farms. In actuality, the opposite is true. In 1990, 90% of Hispanics lived in urban areas (Cafferty 2000).
Another myth is that most Hispanics are immigrants. This is untrue as well. A little over 33% of Hispanics are immigrants. The rest have been born in the United States. A fact to remember when considering this is that all Puerto Ricans are American citizens, as Puerto Rico is an American territory (Cafferty 2000). However, due to distinct Spanish culture of Puerto Rico and the adjustment experiences of Puerto Ricans who come to the United States, it can be
There are many myths and stereotypes that exist about Hispanics. One of those is that Hispanics are mainly rural people, probably stemming from the perception that most work on farms. In actuality, the opposite is true. In 1990, 90% of Hispanics lived in urban areas (Cafferty 2000).
Another myth is that most Hispanics are immigrants. This is untrue as well. A little over 33% of Hispanics are immigrants. The rest have been born in the United States. A fact to remember when considering this is that all Puerto Ricans are American citizens, as Puerto Rico is an American territory (Cafferty 2000). However, due to distinct Spanish culture of Puerto Rico and the adjustment experiences of Puerto Ricans who come to the United States, it can be
References: Cafferty, P. & Engstrom, D. (Eds.).(2000). Hispanics in the United States. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers. Carrasquillo, A. (1991). Hispanic children and youth in the United States. New York: Garland Publishing. Delgado-Gaitan, C. & Trueba, H. (1991). Education for immigrant families in America. London: The Falmer Press. Gollnick, D. & Chinn, P. (2002). Multicultural