Racial Groups

The Hispanic

The Hispanic people are of any race who are of mixed race of African origin, Native American, and who come from a Spanish speaking culture in America. The people from Mexican Heritage are the largest among the Hispanic constituted in the UHS as being 66.9% in total. The Puerto-Ricans (8.96%) and the Cubans (3.7%) another group of the Hispanics  are those coming  from South  and Central America such  as the Nicaraguans,  Costa Ricans,  Panamanians,  Salvadorans and the Honduras who make  up a total  of  14.3% of the total  Hispanic  group. I fall under the Mexican group.  The history of the Hispanics dates back to five hundred years old marked by a variety of colonial experiences. They did not cross the bounder into their current territories but the borders crossed them.

Material culture is the product of the people whose culture is derivative of Spanish Culture. The Spaniards brought their manifacts and artifacts with them to America from a variety of regional backgrounds. They brought with them their technologies, education, skills and value styles which reflect to material culture that make up significant American landscape of the South west. Their culture enabled them to prosper and survive in the new hostile environment. They have now built an environment which stands as their monument of their persistence, courage and creativity.  The Hispanic culture has had a great influence in North America.  The Anglo American, Native American, Spanish and Mexican interaction has had a primary impact on the development of south western culture.

Discrimination against Latin Americans

Since  there is  a  wide  variety  of  ethnic  an d racial ,backgrounds  of   the Hispanic  community ,  not  all  Latinos  are distinguishable  as  racial  minority.  Discrimination  of  The  Mexicans  started  after  the Mexican American  War of  1846  to 1848 leading  to the US  annexing  most  part of  the Current  Southwestern  Region.  All the Mexican s residing in that territory was subject to discrimination.  Over 597 Mexicans were lynched between 1848 and 1928.  the lynched  Mexicans  were  art  a rate  of  27.4 per  1000,000  in the years  between  1880 and  1930. During the great  depressions, the government  of  US  sponsored Mexican Repatriation program which  was  a  program  to  encourage  Mexican  workers  immigrating  to the US   to  voluntary  return to  Mexico.  Many of the Mexicans were however returned forcefully to against their will. More  than  one  million  Mexican  people  were  deported yet  Sixty percent  of  those  individuals  were  actually  US citizens. Colonization of the Americas by the Spain has negatively marked the history of the Hispanic and the Latino in the US. Five hundred years later the Hispanics continue to live the consequences of history of colonization and conquest in which most of their living standards have not improved.  This applies to the Latin both in America and the Mexicans    Racial  violence against  Mexican- Americans was  also  seen  in the Zoot  Suit  Riots in  Los  Angeles  in  1943.

Naval  servicemen who  were  stationed  in  a Latino  neighborhood  conflicted with  youth  in the dense  neighborhood. There  was  frequent  confrontation  between  individuals  and  small  groups  which intensified  into  several  days  of  rioting. Large  mob  of service  men  entered  civilian quarters  with the  intension  of  attacking  Mexican  American  groups  youths. Some  of  the service  men wore Zoot  Suits  which  were  distinctive   exaggerated  fashion  that were for the Mexican  youths .   The disturbance continued  unchecked  and  was assisted by the local  police  for  several  days  before  based  commanders  declared  down  town  Mexican  American and  Los  Angeles    neighborhood   off  limit  to  servicemen.There  was  discrimination  in  mainstream businesses,  institution  and  home  owners  associations  for they  had  policies  to  exclude  Mexican  Americans.   School  Children  of  Mexican  American  descendent  were  subjected to racial  discrimination  in  the school  system.  Mexican  Americans  in  many  counties  were  excluded  from  serving  a s  juros  in  court cases especially  those involved  in  Mexican  American  defendant.  The Mexican  Americans  in  many  areas  across the South  west  lived in  separate  residential  areas because  of the real  estate  company  policies  and   laws.(Takeaki,  1993,p 277-283).

Conclusion

Discrimination based on race in the US has been a major issue since the colonial era.  Heavy  burden of  racism  in  the country falls  under  Native  Americans  Asia   Americans  ,  Mexican Americans   American  Muslim  an  other  immigrant  groups  and  their  decedents among others

 Reference

Ronald Takaki, A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America, New York: Little, Brown & Co., 1993,p  277-283.

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