When people talk of ‘racism’ in America, their minds automatically turn to the conflict between blacks and whites. However, racism entails much more than that. In America blacks are not the only ones that suffer from racial prejudice. The ‘hordes of foreigners’ Adamic mentioned are also discriminated against. They include the Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, Italian-Americans and people from the Middle East. People fail to realize that all these people brought when them a unique language and culture when they migrated here which add flavour to America’s heritage. The most prolific of this population and perhaps those with the most outstanding culture are the Hispanic Americans or simply the Hispanics.
Soldiers, sailors and explorers of Spanish origin were among the first Europeans to set foot in the “New World”. The earliest record of this was in 1492 when Cristobal Colon led a Spanish expedition that ended Native-American isolation and freedom. Now centuries later, people of Spanish origin are the second largest and fastest growing population subgroups in the United States, constituting over thirty-four million (34,000,000) or twelve per cent (12%) of the total national population. It is estimated that by the year 2050, one out of every four American citizen will be Hispanic. The Hispanic Americans trace their roots to the indigenous peoples of the Americas including the Spanish explorers, the Arawaks (Puerto Rico), the Aztecs (Mexico), the Incas (South America), the Mayans (Central America) and the Tainos (Cuba).
Music, art, language and cuisine in the United States owe much to Hispanic American influence. Words like tornado, hurricane, cigar, alligator, rodeo and corral come directly from the Spanish language. Foods like tacos and burritos have become part of the regular diet of many Americans. Performers like Gloria Estefan, Enrique Iglesias, Ricky Martin and Selena entertain us all. Also, many cities like San Francisco, San Antonio and states like Florida and Texas have Spanish names.
Many Hispanic Americans are also bilingual. Although they speak English they continue to use Spanish as well. The Spanish language and the Roman Catholic religion are among the oldest ties that unite all Hispanics. During Spain’s colonial period, which lasted from the 1500’s to the 1800’s, Spanish missionaries and landowners spread their language and religion throughout the areas they colonized. As a result, nearly all Hispanic Americans can speak Spanish and a large number of them are Roman Catholics. The Spanish dialect common to most Hispanics is standard Latin American Spanish. It is sometimes called ‘Highland’ Spanish since it is generally spoken in the mountainous areas of Latin America.
The Spanish language provides forms of formal and informal addresses such as different uses of usted and tu for the pronoun you, polite and formal commands, and the use of titles of respect such as Don or Dona before a person’s first name. Hispanics tend towards formality in their treatment of one another. A firm handshake is a common practice between people as greeting and for leave taking. A hug and a light kiss on both cheeks are also common greeting practices. In informal settings, conversations between Hispanics are usually loud, fast and adorned with animated gestures and body languages to better convey points. Hispanics usually give importance to, and place great value on looks and appearances as a sense of honor, dignity and pride. Formal attire is commonly worn by Hispanics to church, parties, social gatherings and work. They are more relaxed and flexible about punctuality than the rest of the American population. They also tend to be reserved about public speaking because of their heavy foreign accent.
In addition to their language, Hispanic Americans have preserved many other traditions of their homelands. Traditionally, the Hispanic family is a close-knit group and the most important social unit. The term ‘familia’ usually goes beyond the nuclear family. The Hispanic family unit includes not only parents and children but also the extended family. In most Hispanic families, the father is the head of the family but great respect is shown for the grandfather is he lives in the same household. Family ties are very strong and when someone travels to another town it is a common practice to stay with relatives. Families often gather to celebrate holidays, birthdays, baptisms, first communions, graduations and weddings. Hispanic families instil in their children the importance of honor, good manners and respect for authority and the elderly.
Ever since the 1940’s when the music and dance of the Hispanic Americans “crossed-over” into the American culture, they have played a major role in aiding the acceptance and integration of the Hispanics into the American society. Today’s high profile world of music includes several Hispanic artists who have brought the energy and beauty of Latin music to the forefront of American popular culture. Hispanics love to sing and dance and over the years they have incorporated different forms into their music and dance such as the Cuban sones, cha-chas and rumbas; Colombian bambucos, pasillos, porros and cumbias; Argentinean tangos, zambas and chammes; Chilean cocas, polkas; Mexican, Cuban and Puerto Rican boleros; Brazilian sambas and bossa novas and of course the salsa. The just concluded Festival Hispanic 2001 is a prime example of Hispanic culture at it best. The festival featured international, national and regional Hispanic artists and colorful presentations of traditional ballroom and social dancing.
It is therefore surprising that despite all the contributions of the Hispanic Americans to the American society they are not fully accepted by the rest of the American population. The civil persecution they suffered since the 1800’s continues to this day. Statistics shows that 80% of all the jobs in the United States require cognitive rather than manual skills and 52% of these jobs require some kind of post-secondary degree. However, 37% of employed Hispanic Americans do not have a high school degree and thus have more difficulty finding well-paying jobs in the labor market.
Some Hispanic Americans have however been able to transcend and break free from the continuous cycle of poverty and degradation and attain respectable status in the society. Today many of them have made their mark in politics, public service, the entertainment industry, organized sports, business and science, as well as military service. Hispanic Americans have made a difference in the history of the United States. They leave a proud heritage for future Hispanic leaders of the 21st century to emulate. Hispanics in the United States share many of the traditional values claimed by most Americans. They place high values on their families and on success through hard work. They are also proud of their Latin American heritage, as exemplified by Gloria Estefan in her song ‘Get on Your Feet’:
Get on your feet
Get up and make it happen
Get on your feet
Stand up and take some action
Get on your feet
Don’t stop before it’s over
Get on your feet
And take this weight off your shoulder.
Many Hispanic Americans feel that they should not lose contact with their culture and language. Instead, they choose to be bilingual and bicultural. All they ask is that their culture be accepted as being part of the American culture and that they be given a fair chance to reach their full potential like the rest of the population: a chance to live the American Dream.
A Nation of Nations, pg 267, Louis Adamic.
