Latinos: A Minority in America

Theresa Moore

Race and Minority

Fr. John Shanahan

November 14, 2016

Franciscan University
Introduction

Every race has advantages and disadvantages. Often, people can be blind and see only

the strengths of their own race and the weaknesses of others. Something that is important to

keep in mind is that we are ​always​ learning about one another’s cultures. I have learned and

researched more about the Latino culture and their advantages and disadvantages. Latinos are

those people whose descent comes from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central and South America,

and other Spanish cultures. The Latino population has been increasing and is expected to

continue to do so (Morales & Lara p.1). Latinos in general have many strengths and advantages

to offer to the American culture. This paper will discuss Latinos as a minority group in America

while exploring their advantages and disadvantages and how they affect Latinos in the United

States.

Strengths/Advantages

Some major advantages that Latinos have are: close-knit families, cultural preservation,

bilinguality, passionate temperaments etc. The Latino culture is a group whose strengths can

often be overlooked. They are often stereotyped as people who typically work in jobs such as

landscaping or food services. However, this is not true of the Latino people. They have many

strengths and many have accomplished great things. In fact, there are many Latino people who

contribute to our country’s politics such as Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz. Rubio and Cruz were

both in the running to become the Republican candidates in the election of the next President of

the United States of America. Latinos are also an increasing political force in the way that they

loyally vote in American elections. The Latino Elected Officials of America states: “Research
done prior to Election 2014 for the 2014 NALEO Directory of Latino Elected Officials, nearly

6,100 Latinos are serving in elected office nationwide. This is up from the 4,853 Latino elected

officials who held office in 2004, an increase of 25 percent (Naloe Education, 2013). The four

states with the largest number of Latino elected officials are Texas, California, New Mexico and

Arizona” (Naloe Education, 2013).

A great strength of the Latino people is their view on the family. Family is something

that is extremely important to them. The mother is always very caring to her children and the

father has authority, setting the rules for his house. It is clear from my own experiences that

Latinos love and celebrate their extended family members. In my experience, I have witnessed

undying support of one family member to the next in the way that they recognize each other’s

strengths and values in every aspect of their lives. They love to come together and be united as a

family. This is a great strength of the Latino culture because of how much the world needs to

recognize the importance of family today.

Another strength that Latinos have is that many of them are bilingual. In fact, of those

who speak English, 59% are bilingual (Krogstad & Gonzalez-Barrera 2015). Not all, but many

come from families that have spoken Spanish and also learned English when they came to

America. Having this skill of knowing two languages can benefit them in the way that it may aid

them in getting hired in certain jobs. Employers may be more likely to hire Latinos that are

bilingual in occupations such as teaching or translating. They are likely to get hired over

someone who can only speak one language in these certain scenarios.

Latinos are fascinating in the way that they know numerous languages very well. Because

many Latino families are close-knit, they tend to cultivate family tradition in the home. Part of
this tradition is the language. Many immigrants that have come to the United States lose their

native language in a matter of generations (Naloe Education, 2013). This is not necessarily true

for Latinos. Again, because they are so nurturing and supportive in the family circles, their

culture and tradition is kept alive and well in the home. This is why so many Latinos do not lose

their native language. It continues to be passed down from generation to generation as a source

of pride and honor for their family.

Institutions such as colleges and universities are often looking to diversify their

communities. They strongly encourage Latinos and other minority groups to attend with the

hopes of accomplishing this. They also desire to reach out to the Latino community because

they have many strengths to offer any college or institution that they are involved in. There are

even many scholarships offered that are specifically for Latinos. In fact, Latinos receive the

second highest amount of scholarships than any other minority group (Kantrowitz, 2011). This

encouragement is a great advantage of the group. Latinos are given opportunities to succeed

from Universities particularly because they have so many strengths and values to offer.

Another strength that Latinos offer to the culture in the United States is their passion.

Latinos are known for their passion and their dedication, not only to their family, but also for

their beliefs and their country. It inspires Americans of other ethnic backgrounds to witness this

culture of passion and dedication for the things that they love. It teaches others to learn how to

fight for what they believe in, which is something that people of all backgrounds desire to have.

They can be described as fiery and animated about life in general. All Americans should desire

to be as passionate as the Latinos are. This is certainly a strength that is widely known by most

Americans because of its contagious spirit.

 Latinos generally have many strengths and advantages as a whole. They are usually

people who treat everyone with kindness, respect and genuinity. They are also extremely

hospitable and caring for those who are not of Latino descent, making them a very likeable

culture and race of people. I think of my own experiences with things such as going to a

Mexican restaurant for example. The employees of the restaurants are always very hospitable

and gracious and make the experience very pleasant. This race is a shining example of how all

people should act towards their fellow man. If more people took the time to see the strengths and

values that Latinos have to offer this great nation that is comprised of numerous different

cultures, this country would be a better place.

Disadvantages/Discriminations

Latinos are not always treated well in American culture despite the numerous strengths

and values that they have to offer. People have set ideas and opinions of them that they associate

with the entire race. For example, in the 1970s, a study showed that white Americans believed

Mexicans to be unclean, prone to drunkenness, criminals, unpredictable, and child-like. Of

course, the 1970s was a long time ago, but that does not mean the feelings of all have changed.

Some disadvantages that they have are: hot-headedness, lack of knowledge of the English

language, and sometimes they can be babied by their close families.

Previously, I mentioned their ability to be bilingual as an advantage for Latinos. This can

also be a disadvantage. Many first generation Latinos, have the disadvantage of having to learn

English when they come to America. It is easy to take for granted that many of us can easily

communicate in English because most of us were born in America and have grown up with the
language. Some Latinos who are not born here do not have that opportunity and they are

expected to learn English, one of the most difficult languages in the world, as soon as they come

over to America. (Krogstad & Gonzalez-Barrera 2015)

Another advantage that I spoke of previously was their strong culture within the family

that preserves their Latin cultures from the place they originate from. This can also be a

disadvantage in the language barrier that often erects itself between Spanish-speaking Latinos

and English-speaking Americans. Many babies born into a Latino family here in America are

taught Spanish before they are taught English. What happens a lot of the time is that a child is

taught Spanish by his parents, and then when they are sent to school, they often fall behind in

class because they are not completely fluent in English as most other Americans are. Even if a

Latino knows the language, but not well, their accent or incapability to speak with perfect

fluency may hold them back from getting treated as equals. There is even the possibility that

they will not get hired for an opportunistic job because of it.

A disadvantage about having a tight-knit family is the fact that they can seem

unapproachable because of the closeness that they have as a family. To an outsider, it may be

difficult to try and get to know a Latino if he or she feels intimidated by the family of the Latino

person that he or she is trying to get to know. Latino children may also grow up thinking that

they do not need to seek friends outside of his or her own extended family because they are so

close as a family. This may not be a real threat or danger to the life of a Latino person, but it

could be disadvantageous in the long run. A Latino person may have difficulty in finding and

making friends if they are used to only being friendly with their own family.
 Another disadvantage that Latinos possess is their passion. Passion was a strength of the

Latinos, but it can also be a downfall. Sometimes, Latinos can come off to others as hot-headed

or loud because they are passionate about the things that they believe in. This is not true of all

Latinos, but it can occur. Their inspirational passion can be overused when they experience a

misfortune or if another person attacks their beliefs. Latinos are not a culture that is known for

backing down from a fight, and while this is inspirational, it can also be disadvantageous for

them as a culture. As in any minority group in America, a whole race of people can be

stereotyped because of an ill-experience that someone had with a few people from that particular

race.

Latinos have the disadvantage of being misunderstood or uncomfortable simply because

they come from a different cultural background. Latinos have different customs such as

involving extended family members into personal situations or having different views on the

importance of time and timeliness. Little ways that they live their daily lives differently can

affect Latinos and the way that they adapt to the American culture. They are at a disadvantage

from the beginning by simply being “different.”

Social, Economic, and Political Factors that Impact them Both Positively and Negatively

Social factors that impact the Latino community negatively could be the language

problem that I spoke about previously. Socially, it is hard to get along with others if

communication is inconsistent. It is important that Latinos learn to speak English, and it is also

important that Americans reach out to them and try to help them with communication if they

need help, or even try to learn the language so that Latinos will not feel so alienated socially.
 A positive social factor that impacts Latinos could be their uncanny ability to remain

loyal to their friends. Latinos are known for their loyalty and undying support of those who are

lucky enough to be called ‘friend’. This is certainly a positive social factor. They are very

friendly and hospitable to everyone that they meet.

A positive economic factor that impacts the Latino culture is the fact that many Latinos

are given the opportunity to receive a good education and progress towards high-paying jobs.

The Latino work- ethic is something to be amazed by and this can give Latinos the opportunity

to progress and move forward in their successes and advantages in the economic world.

A negative economic factor that impacts the Latino culture is that some Latino groups

have a low rate of graduation and education from high schools so that they will not go on to

receive a degree and a high-paying job in the economy. They take low-skilled jobs which pay

very poorly. This reduces their status in the economy and can make it extremely difficult for

certain Latinos to succeed in the economy. The National Center for Education Statistics shows

that in 2011, the percentage of white students graduating from high school is higher than the

percentage of Latinos graduating from high school. A particular example is that in Iowa 77% of

Latinos graduated from public high school in comparison to the 91% of whites (National Center

for Education Statistics).

A social factor or that negatively affects Latinos is that many Americans define them

incorrectly. Only 20% prefer to be called a general panethnic name such as Latinos. Many

Latinos want to be known by their specific ethnicity such as Cuban or Mexican rather than

generally as “Latinos”. In the 1990 census, when asked to choose a race, the options were:

White, Black, Asian or Pacific Islander, American Indian, and “other race”. (Gonzales, 2001 p.
118). In this census, 43% of Latinos chose “other race” because they rejected the idea of

choosing a race based on skin color. Many Latinos also have mixed racial backgrounds and do

not have a race option to choose on the census. This is unfair to Latinos because it makes them

feel like their race is not important enough to be apart of the census.

Two Advocacy Efforts For the Minority Group

These unfair disadvantages can not only be recognized, but must be acted on to be

changed. Social workers have the responsibility of aiding their clients in what they need. An

advocacy effort that can be made toward Latino clients is to help them to graduate from school

and to have the passion and drive to do so. As I mentioned as a negative social problem, the

percentage of Latinos who graduate from school is comparatively low. It is important for social

workers to make the effort to change this. This could mean setting up tutoring opportunities for

the children or helping them through any obstacles that stand in their way of succeeding in their

education.

Another advocacy effort social workers can make is to help them with the disadvantage

of the language barrier. Social workers can aid them in finding good programs or teachers to

help them learn the English language. Supporting and encouraging them through this difficult

task will greatly benefit their ability to communicate and succeed in the American culture with

ease.

Conclusion
 I have learned many things about the Latino people. Recognizing their advantages and

disadvantages is a great way of reaching out to the Latinos and helping them to adapt to the

culture. We need to be accepting of them and embrace them into our culture.

Citations

Gonzales, M. (2001). Latinos in the united states: Their history and racial identity. ​Journal of
American Ethnic History,​ ​21(​ 1), 118-120. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/27502781

Kantrowitz, M., (2011). The distribution of grants and scholarships by race. ​Student Aid Policy
​ etreived from
Analysis. R
http://www.finaid.org/scholarships/20110902racescholarships.pdf

Krogstad, J. M., Gonzalez-Barrera, A. (2015). A majority of english-speaking hispanics in the

U.S. are bilingual. ​Pew Research Center.​ Retrieved from
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/03/24/a-majority-of-english-speaking-hispani
cs-in-the-u-s-are-bilingual/

NALEO Educational Fund. (n.d.). Retrieved December 02, 2016, from ​http://www.naleo.org/

Socioeconomic, cultural, and behavioral factors affecting hispanic health outcomes. (n.d.).
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State high school graduation rates by race, ethnicity. (n.d.). Retrieved December 02, 2016,
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The condition of education - Elementary and secondary education - student effort, persistence
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Retrieved December 02, 2016, from ​http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_coi.asp