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Latino Face of America By Alan Caruba A
funny thing happened to me while I was pushing a cart up and down the aisles of
my local Pathmark supermarket. I hit one aisle and suddenly realized that a very
large portion of it was devoted to Goya and other products favored by Latinos.
Not being a Hispanic or Latino—the terms are interchangeable—I had not
noticed that before, but the fact is, New Jersey and nearby New York are major
population centers for Latinos, even though much of the Hispanic population
remains spread throughout the Southwest and, of course, throughout California.
In
the past, I have written some pretty harsh analysis of the impact of illegal
immigration on the United States of America. I have not favored the further
granting of amnesty to the eight to twelve million illegal aliens here, most of
whom are from Mexico, South America, and Caribbean nations. There is, however, a
power in numbers and in history. They are both relentless when examined without
prejudice. Let
me share some numbers with you from an interesting book, “Right Before Our
Eyes: Latinos Past, Present & Future” (Scholargy Publishing, 1555 W.
University Drive, Suite 108, Tempe, AZ 85281, www.scholargy.com)
by Robert Montemayor with Henry Mendoza. *
Latinos are the largest and the youngest ethnic minority in the United States.
*
At approximately 40 million today, Latinos account for 13.7 percent of the US
population. *
By 2050, one out of every four Americans will be Latinos, a number that will
exceed 100 million. *
In 2020, one out of six workers in the US will be Latino; in 2050, it will be
one out of four. *
Latinos will spend $700 billion this year. *
Latinos represented between 6 to 8 million votes in the 2004 presidential
election; they were estimated to represent the critical swing vote in six
States.
All
of a sudden, I began to think that maybe Social Security might not go broke if
those illegal aliens were given the opportunity to become tax-paying Americans
with a better opportunity to have their children schooled so they too can join
the workforce as the baby-boomers head toward retirement. What does America
need? A “geezer” workforce or one that taps the ability of native-born and
immigrant Latinos? A
lot of Americans are going to be very surprised to discover that the taxpayer
base in ten years and the workforce in 2020 are going to be predominantly
Latino. It will be same kind of surprise I felt when I realized that aisle in
Pathmark represented a change I hadn’t really noticed. Part
of the problem is that Latinos, particularly native-born, have had an especially
hard time climbing the ladder of success in America. The appointment of Alberto
G. Gonzalez as the first Latino US Attorney General was widely heralded, but
Latinos remain under-represented at the executive levels of business, education,
law, politics, and policy. There are exceptions, yes, but they remain
exceptions. Latinos
are virtually invisible with the exception of entertainers like Jennifer Lopez
and Salma Hayek, musicians such as Emilio and Gloria Estefan, and from the world
of sports, golfers LeeTravino, Chi Chi Rodriquez or Nancy Lopez. Baseball has
many Hispanic stars such as Alex Rodriquez, Sammy Sosa, and Manny Ramirez. When
you look to science, aerospace, art, architecture, medicine, the military, and
politics, the names of Latino achievers are barely known to most people, let
along to the vast Hispanic community. As
far as the mass media is concerned, Latinos are an even greater minority than
African Americans, but Latinos outnumber them these days. When you read or hear
about a Latino it is most likely because they have been arrested. This totally
ignores the growing Latino middle class. For those born here and others who
arrive here legally or illegally, there is an astonishing 600 Spanish-language
radio stations and an estimated 550 Spanish-language magazines, newspapers, and
websites. As Montemayor notes, “It is an industry all its own, and it exists
within the largest English-speaking country in the world.” Give the gift of music with iTunes gift certificates Language
is a major sore point among advocates and critics of immigration. All previous
groups that arrived on our shores, Italians, Russians, Germans and others,
embraced English as the unifying language of these United States. It is language
that, more often than not, stymies the progress of Hispanic immigrants and, if
history is any guide, it is the necessity to learn English that will permit them
to make a life for themselves and their children here. Education
is the key to progress, but our education system is in meltdown, poorly serving
an entire generation of young Americans and, more often than not, neglecting
Hispanic children to the point of their dropping out in numbers too great to
ignore without peril to the growth of our economy and the well being of our
society. The
numbers of Latinos born here and coming here cannot be ignored. Ways must be
found to integrate new Hispanic immigrants into our society, nor should we
forget that there are already millions of first, second, third and fourth
generation Latinos for whom America is their home. A group that will spend $700
billion this year alone cannot be ignored and that aisle in Pathmark says
they are not being ignored. For
those who resist this, a bit of history. Hispanic explorers had begun their
travels around the North American continent centuries before their English
counterparts. Years before the first English settlement at Jamestown, Virginia,
Spanish explorers had discovered and traversed most of what would become the
Southern States from Florida to Texas, “discovered Lake Michigan in the north,
trekked down the Mississippi River, crossed New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, and
Arizona, and claimed the California coast extending as far north as Vancouver
Island. In 1565, the Spanish admiral Pedro Menendez de Aviles founded St.
Augustine, Florida.” It would serve as Spain’s military headquarters in
North America for the rest of the 16th century. Best NEWS Magazines. LOWEST PRICES Online! MAGAZINES.com. There
are all kinds of issues swirling around the fact that some 400,000 illegal
immigrants from Mexico, South America, and the Caribbean are arriving yearly.
There are national security issues, education issues, medical care issues, crime
issues, language issues, but there aren’t values issues. Latinos who risk
everything, including their lives, to come here want to work, want their
children to have a better life, want to live in a nation that offers real
opportunity. And many come here legally, but go unnoted against the television
images of those who do not. So,
let’s face it. The future face of America is going to be less English, less
Scandinavian, less Russian, less Irish, less Italian, less German. We are going
to learn to celebrate Cinco de Mayo along with St. Patrick’s Day. Alan
Caruba writes a weekly column, “Warning Signs”, posted on the Internet site
of The National Anxiety Center, www.anxietycenter.com. ©
Alan Caruba, March 2005
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