1

Impact\Changes on the Latino Community in American Culture

The Impact of The Hispanic\Latino Community and The Changes that These Impacts Have

Created In The American Culture

Neil Bowman

Instructor: Gregory Falls

Global Connections
 2
Impact\Changes on the Latino Community in American Culture

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abstract………………………………………………………………………….3

Introduction……………………………………………………………………….4

Limitations………………………………………………………………………..5

Literature Review…………………………………………………………………6

Discussion………………………………………………………………………….8

Education……………………………………………………………………9

Government & Politics…………………………………………………….10

Arts & Entertainment………………………………………………………11

Identity……………………………………………………………………...1

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………...14

Bibliography………………………………………………………………………16

Appendix 1………………………………………………………………………..19

Appendix 2………………………………………………………………………..20

Appendix 3………………………………………………………………………..21
 3
Impact\Changes on the Latino Community in American Culture

ABSTRACT

The author of this research paper uncovers the impacts that the Hispanic\Latino

Community has on the American Society\Culture. This research paper explains the changes that

the Hispanic\Latino Population has on impacting the American culture through 4 major

concepts...Education, Government & Politics, Arts & Entertainment, and Personal Identity.

These aspects impact American culture on daily basis. What an individual sees, believes,

interests, etc. are formulated and even affected by Education, Government & Politics, Arts and

Entertainment and Personal Identity. The research paper digs deeper by giving the insight of

why the Hispanic\Latino Community is impacting and potentially changing the American culture

through Education, Government & Politics, Arts & Entertainment, and Identity.
 4
Impact\Changes on the Latino Community in American Culture

INTRODUCTION

What is immigration? What are the concepts and ideas that come to mind when the word

immigration is mentioned? What would people say about immigration? Words like diversity,

New York, or even Latin America may come to mind. Different people will always have

different views about immigration, but despite those views immigrants from Latin America have

been the changing force of the American culture throughout the late 20th and the 21st century.

The Constitution of the United States of America declares that people have the right to

life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and the 1st Amendment states that the people of the

United States have the freedom of religion, assembly, press, petition, and speech that is granted

to the American people. The American people are descendants of immigrants coming from

Europe, Central and Latin America, and Asia or slaves from Africa. Throughout history,

diaspora from different cultures has shaped America and made various cultural backgrounds that

has created the American culture that we know today. Now, the most recent wave of immigrants

are coming from Latin America. From the 1990’s to present time, immigration from Latin

America has greatly affected the culture of America; creating diaspora in Southern America and

major urban cities like New York City, Chicago, Detroit, Miami, and Los Angeles. They have

created diaspora and small communities in the cities of United States as they come from different

countries like Mexico, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, etc. As the Latino population

rises, the remarkable attributes that they put on education, arts/entertainment, politics, and more

keeps influencing the American culture.

 5
Impact\Changes on the Latino Community in American Culture

LIMITATIONS

The author of this research paper had to limit their research to the immigration that

specifically comes from Latin America. The author’s research is narrowed down into the region

of Latin America and the Caribbean because of the strong influence of the Latin American

culture that is prevalent in the United States. Researching how immigration in the United States

affects the American culture would be too broad to solidify. According to the author’s research,

the United States is flooded with American immigrants that come from different places around

the world. Another limit that the author had to narrow down was the preference of any long-term

research due to the time limit and schedule that the author had to follow. The author’s

opportunity to complete any type of study that would take a number of days, weeks, or even

months connecting to immigration was not possible for this research paper. There were also

restrictions on how much information that the author shares. The author describes the topics of

how immigration from Latin America affects Education, Government & Politics, Arts and

Entertainment, and Identity on the culture of the United States. There are only 4 major concepts

because the information had to be condensed to a reasonable size that is formal but also specific

enough to gather meaning. In addition to that, these 4 concepts continue to signify the American

life every day. Notice that the author repeats the concepts many times in the research paper. The

author wants to emphasize the importance of these 4 (Education, Identity, Government &

Politics, and Arts & Entertainment) major concepts. The vital part of one’s life lies within these

topics.
 6
Impact\Changes on the Latino Community in American Culture

LITERATURE REVIEW

The Hispanic\Latino community has made positive influences on the American Culture

in many different aspects of life. As these sources proves this phenomenon, their improvements

have transitioned into 4 major changes in life: Education, Arts & Entertainment, Government &

Politics, and Identity.

Education

Heavily influenced by the American Educational System, the Hispanic/Latino population

in schools has grown significantly within the last 20 years with Latinos of Generation Y

(Millennials) and Z. According to NEA.com, Latinos are not getting a sufficient amount of

education even though they are continuously growing in the United States. The article

emphasizes the disadvantages for both naturalized Hispanic Americans and Hispanic immigrants

in obtaining a sufficient education. In cehdvision2020.umn.edu explains other challenges faced

in education and what the future should be for education in the Hispanic/Latino community.

Opportunities and threats are affecting their education and the aspects of improving their

education since their population has been growing over the past 30 years.

Arts & Entertainment

One of the most important branches that influences the American Culture which is

ultimately entertainment. Music, Movies, celebrities, etc. are extremely influential in shaping the

American mainstream that the people are influenced by every single day. In the

americansabor.org, it explains on how music in the Latin culture created a name in major cities

like New York City, Miami, cities in southwest US, and other places. www.economist.com has

an article about television shows and channels like Univision & Telemundo are entering into the

American entertainment industry and how the number of viewers are increasing every year.
 7
Impact\Changes on the Latino Community in American Culture

Government & Politics

The Hispanic/Latino population has changed government politics significantly.

According to an article from www.msnbc.com, the Hispanic/Latino community’s importance in

politics are growing. As the population for Hispanic Americans increase, their political views

become more important and they are also more involved into political duties like voting and

working in the government. according to the article. Prospect.org (ran by website The American

Prospect) explains how Latinos are becoming more active and involved into their civic and

political duties as American citizens like voting. Other sources by www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, CNN

Español, and News on other Hispanic American outlets, help influence encourage, and support

those that are discouraged or apathetic towards politics.

Identity

Last, but not least the identity of Hispanic Americans and the change in their culture

creates lasting impacts; acquiring the ideology of tradition and the meaning of culture.

www.innerexchange.org wrote an article about the Hispanic culture with many different aspects

and attributes that goes in depth about Hispanic identities as well. An article on CNN Español

explained on how the Latinos do not want to be called “Latinos” or even “Hispanic”. They want

to be called by the place that they were born in or the place where they are considered a

“citizen”. Other sources that the author has found on Hispanic American identity with sources

such as Pewhispanic.org, and CNN.com, the author has found was about how they consider

themselves to be and describes who they are and what they would like to be called. These

sources surveyed, and gathered data from Hispanic Americans in different parts of the United

States to find out why they would want to be called by such terms. The surveyed concluded that
 8
Impact\Changes on the Latino Community in American Culture

51% of Hispanics\Latinos would want to be “labeled” as the place where they originally came

from or where their parents, grandparents, etc., originated.

DISCUSSION

Dating back to the times the U.S. Mexican War in the 1800’s, the population of Hispanic

Americans has been prominent in America since then. (Daedalus, 2013). As of 2017, There are

over 58 million Hispanic/Latino Americans in the United States, making up 18% of the nation’s

population (Krogstad, 2017). According to the United States Census Bureau, studies show that

Hispanics growth is increasing significantly; jumping from 18% to 31% in 2060. Statistics from

the Pew Research Center also show that Hispanics have the fastest growth rate in the United

States even exceeding White Americans, African Americans, and Asian Americans with an

annual growth rate at 3.4% between 2007 and 2014 (Krogstad, 2017). Immigrants coming from

South American countries alone like Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Venezuela and more

make up over 2 million of the population as states like New York, California, and Florida

continue to fill their Hispanic populations (Batalova et al, 2016). Even Spanish speaking

countries in the Caribbean (Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico & Cuba) also make up 2 million of

immigrants as well. The statistics about immigrants from South America and the Caribbean were

from a timespan between 1980 and 2014. The largest wave of Hispanic immigrants come from

Mexico and cities like Los Angeles, El Paso, Corpus Christi, etc. have one of the largest Latino

diaspora in the United States by far. There has been a significant increase of Mexican immigrants

from over 2 million in 1980 up to 11 million in 2014 (Batalova et al, 2016). Ever since the

arrival of Hispanic\Latino Americans, their culture, strong influence, and great impact in the
 9
Impact\Changes on the Latino Community in American Culture

United States have transcended into 4 major concepts...Education, Government & Politics, Arts

& Entertainment, and Identity.

Education

Education in the Hispanic\Latino community has been falling behind within the past 35

years; even to the point of considering this problem as a crisis. As other races\ethnicities increase

in education (White Americans, African Americans, Asians, etc.) Latino Americans struggle to

progress in education on a statistical level. According to The National Education Association,

24% of White Americans who were between the ages of 25-29 received a B.A. and\or higher in

1975 and growing significantly to a 33.1% in 2005. Only 9% of Latino Americans received a

B.A. in 1975 and increasing up to 11.2% in 2005 (Gándara, 2005). In most cases, teenagers who

are American citizens do acquire more education than their immigrant parents or grandparents,

but usually their highest form of education stops at High School. 77% of Hispanic\Latino

Americans graduated from High school in 2015; a significant increase in 2010 that resulted in

71%. (Latimer, 2016). These projections are excellent, but there is still slow (but growing steady)

growth of college students. Since Hispanic Americans have not witnessed an influx in education

while the population continues to grow, there is strong concern for the future of the

Hispanic\Latino Americans. Presidents like George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama

has made ways to help Hispanics gain education beyond High School and pursue their careers in

the future. Congress have been passing laws and implementing programs in order for

Hispanic\Latino Americans to give them support for their education. The United States

Department of Education launched the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for

Hispanics to help Latino Americans overcome educational struggles like social infrastructure,

insufficient amount of teachers and more. There were 45.4% of elementary students of Hispanic
 10
Impact\Changes on the Latino Community in American Culture

origin who were enrolled into federal programs. Scholarships, donations, and grants have

supported the cause to increase education for minorities in the United States as well. Even

though the concerns for education is still alive and well, it is still continuing to increase and

progress over the last 20-35 years. When education progresses, the country progress and people

are more educated about the world, jobs are created, in addition to creating an even bigger

economy than before.

Government & Politics

Involvement in political affairs is nothing new within the Hispanic Population. The

Hispanic/Latino community has been an important part of American politics from The Chicano

Movement to modern day politics. With these statistics, there is no doubt that the

Hispanic\Latino community continues to evolve into contemporary politics as involvement

increases steadily over the years. Political movements like the Chicano Movement sparked

involvement into politics and social problems that existed in the United States at the time.

Considered as the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement, it created a strong, political

movement that fought against socio-political issues like racism and discrimination (Mendoza,

2001). Stretching acrossing the United States, the movement expanded across the United States

from the cities to the southwest and northern pacific; creating change for the fastest growing

minority in the United States today (Castañeda, 2006). There is no doubt that the In the

American society today, both political parties (Democratic and Republican party) has attracted

the Hispanic\Latino Community. For example, George W. Bush claimed that he “understood the

factors of immigration” and valuing family, religion, morals & beliefs, etc.” (Sarlin, 2014). In an

article according to MSNBC, political scientist Matt Barreto is being interviewed with MSNBC

political reporter Benjy Sarlin, Barreto states “...Latinos are not socially conservative as people
 11
Impact\Changes on the Latino Community in American Culture

think they are or as they used to be 30 years ago. The Latino community is itself evolving on

many of these social issues and they’re much more open-minded on issues of same-sex marriage,

abortion, death penalty, all sorts of issues…” (Sarlin, 2014). An article from scholar Louis

DeSipio who works at the National Center for Biotechnology in Maryland extends on the growth

of political participation. Louis DeSipio states “ In the recent presidential elections in 2012 and

2016, votes from Latinos specifically have been one of the most important voters as more

Hispanic immigrants continue to gain citizenship. Laws have affected the Hispanic\Latino

community (ex. immigration) had determined their political stance. In 2010, Arizona passed a

law enforcing police to interrogate any person suspected to being involved in any act of illegal

immigration. (Pew Research Center, 2010). A law like this has been suspected to racial profiling

and discrimination that is already prevalent in America. In 2009, a survey was done in response

to which races were being more discriminated than the others. Hispanics had the highest

percentage (close to 23%) while other minorities like African Americans scored 18% and Asian

Americans scored 8%. In 2008, there were also more than 12 million immigrants undocumented

and close to 75% were of Hispanic\Latino Origin (Pew Research Center, 2010). Events like these

can shape America’s view of foreigners and how they are treated, whether positive or negative.

In a good or bad light, Hispanics influence politics one way or another through voting,

participating in civic American duties, or illegal immigration and crime.

Arts & Entertainment

Music, movies, entertainment, etc. from the Hispanic\Latino community continue to

inspire people across the nation and people all over the world. As latin music creeped its way

into the cities in the north and south west, the sounds of different music genres like Tejano,

Merengue, Conjunto, and more were being popularized from Hispanic immigrants that carried
 12
Impact\Changes on the Latino Community in American Culture

their traditions, values, etc. to the United States (Schroer, 2004). There has been an increase in

these genres and famous singers like Lydia Mendoza, Selena, and Freddie Fender have graced

the stage and popularized these genres within the Hispanic\Latino Community in the United

States. Transitioning into the 90’s, a movement called the “Latin Explosion” created new

opportunities for Hispanics\Latinos coming from many different countries in Latin America

(including Hispanic Americans) in the music industry. This movement popularized Latin music

as artists like Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Shakira, etc. help expand it beyond the Americas

and out to the world. Aside from the music, movies and television is a major component to the

impact of American Society. Hispanic owned television channels like Univision and Telemundo

has made their way into American businesses as more viewers continue to watch every year.

Univision, television channel that entertains the Mexican American population, was bought by

various private-equity firms for 13.7 billion dollars in 2006 according to an article in The

Economist in 2012. Another popular television channel that airs in the United States is

Telemundo, which ultimately caters to the countries in the Caribbean (Dominican Republic &

Puerto Rico). Both channels have programs that have both Spanish\English speaking programs,

telenovelas (soap operas), and airs world “noticias “ (news) on primetime television. Even

Hispanics have made it to the “A-List” when it comes to Entertainment, even going through

stereotypes and heavy criticism that came within the industry. Now, Hispanics have made a

global impact when it comes to the arts and creating their own industry.

Identity

Between the 4 different themes that contribute to the change that Hispanic Americans

have on American culture, the author considers Identity as the most important theme. This theme

in particular is more introverted and personal than any of the other 3 themes. The author’s
 13
Impact\Changes on the Latino Community in American Culture

intentions is not to diminish the importance of the other 3 themes, but the importance of identity

may be the reason why Hispanic\Latino Americans are who they perceive to be as they blend and

influence the culture of America. In a news article from CNN Español, Hispanics consider

themselves as their place of origin instead of the term “Hispanic” or “Latino” on a personal level.

On a survey conducted by CNN Español, only 24% of Hispanics would actually want to be

called “Hispanic” or “Latino” while up to 51% of Hispanics wanted to be called by their birth

country or their parents’ birth country (Basu & Castillo, 2012). In an article from CNN, reporter

W. Kamau Bell goes into 2 boroughs within Los Angeles looking for answers that deal with the

Identity of Hispanic Americans. In one interview, W. Kamau Bell talks to a man named Hector

Flores and ask for his opinion about the word “Hispanic” or “Latino”. Flores states “Latino is

another complicated term...people use it as an umbrella term.” “Hispanic is a census word used

to put everybody in categories.” (Vega, 2016). The United States government is considering to

take this into consideration for the 2020 census as well. Adding a second example, the author of

this research paper did an interview with a high school student who immigrated from Panama to

the United States at a young age. Some of the questions the author asked to the high school

student considered her experiences, what and how she feels being an immigrant and how feels

about the American culture. The author asked “What are the differences between the

Hispanic\Latino culture and the American culture to you?” High school student’s response: “...In

my country, you have to pay more attention to how you dress and how you carry yourself

because you can get easily judged.” Author: “What do you identify yourself as? American?

Country of Origin? Ethnicity? Etc. and why?” High School Student: “I identify myself as a

Hispanic or Panamanian. I was born in Panama and I have a strong Hispanic background. It’s the

culture that I grew up with and the one that I know the most.” Author: Do you feel more
 14
Impact\Changes on the Latino Community in American Culture

American or Panamanian and why?” High School Student: “I honestly have no idea, but it would

more likely be Panamanian. I don’t think like an American at times.” 95% Hispanics believe in

preserving their culture for the future generations, but up to 71% believe that speaking spanish is

not required to be a “Hispanic” or “Latino” (Vega, 2016). This can create a conclusion that being

“Hispanic” or “Latino” does not correlate with actions, but it connects with what the person

believes and the culture that they were raised with. How a Hispanic\Latino American describes

his\herself depends on the culture that one knows the most.

 15
Impact\Changes on the Latino Community in American Culture

CONCLUSION

Overall, these 4 concepts are important not just for Hispanic\Latino Americans, but for

every American. Latino Community’s culture affects us whether we realize it or not. Since they

have become the largest minority in the United States, Latino Americans have created diaspora

bringing their own culture as it enters into the American culture. The Hispanic\Latino is the

largest minority and will continue to grow in the future. From Government to Entertainment,

even into Education, the influence continues to become more significant throughout the years

and will continue to be significant in the years to come.

 16
Impact\Changes on the Latino Community in American Culture

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Vega, T. (2016, May 6) What does it mean to be Latino today? Retrieved on December 2, 2017

from www.cnn.com/2016/05/06/living/latino-identity-america/index.html

Castillo, M & Basu, M (2012, 4 April) Los hispanos explican por qué no se identifican con las

etiquetas sociales. Retrieved on October 28, 2017 from

http://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2012/04/04/los-hispanos-explican-por-que-no-se-identifican-

con-las-etiquetas-social

The Economist (2012, December 5) Hispanic Television in America: Lights, Camera, Acción!

From https://www.economist.com/news/business/21568429

Schroer, C (2004, March 5) The Roots of Tejano and Conjunto Music. Retrieved November 15,

2017 from https://www.lib.utexas.edu/benson/border/arhoolie2/raices.html

Varela, J (2015, November 16) HBO’s “The Latin Explosion “ Sizzles...Then Fizzles. Retrieved

on November 30, 2017 from http://latinousa.org/2015/11/16/hbos-the-latin-explosion-

sizzles-then-fizzles/

Basu, T. (2015, September 28) Immigration: How The Past 50 Years of Immigration Changed

America. Retrieved on October 20 2017 from http://time.com/4050914/1965-

immigration-act-pew/?scrlybrkr=42d6288b

Pastor, M. (2017, January 17) Latinos and the Future of American Politics. Retrieved on

November 13, 2017 from http://prospect.org/article/latinos-and-future-american-politics

De Davila, S. Ph.D. & Michaels, C. (2016, April 29) Falling Behind: Understanding The

Challenges Facing Latino Education in the U.S. from

https://cehdvision2020.umn.edu/blog/challenges-facing-latino-education/
 17
Impact\Changes on the Latino Community in American Culture

DeSipio, L. (2006) Latino Civic and Political Participation. Retrieved November 20, 2017 from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK19906/

Taylor P. et alt. (2012, April 4) When Labels Don’t Fit: Hispanics and Their Views of Identity.

Retrieved on December 2, 2017 from http://www.pewhispanic.org/2012/04/04/when-

labels-dont-fit-hispanics-and-their-views-of-identity/

Sarlin, B (2014, September 25) How Latinos Are Transforming American Politics. Retrieved

October 30, 2017 from http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/how-latinos-are-transforming-

american-politics

Gándara, P. (n.d.) The Crisis In The Education of Latino Students. Retrieved October 30, 2017

from http://www.nea.org/home/17404.htm

Mendoza V. & The Journal for MultiMedia History (2001) Chicano! The History of The

Mexican American Civil Rights Movement. Retrieved November 20, 2017 from

http://www.albany.edu/jmmh/vol3/chicano/chicano.html

Castañeda, O (2006) The Chicano Movement in Washington 1967-2006. Retrieved November

20, 2017 from http://depts.washington.edu/civilr/Chicanomovement_part1.htm

Batalova, J. et alt. (2017, April 5) Central American Immigrants in The United States. Retrieved

October 25, 2017 from https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/central-american-

immigrants-united-states

Griswold, D. (2002, February 18) Immigrants Have Enriched American Culture and Enhanced

Our Influence in the World from

https://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/immigrants-have-enriched-american-

culture-enhanced-our-influence-world
 18
Impact\Changes on the Latino Community in American Culture

American Sabor (2017) The Story: How Latinos Influenced Popular Music In The United States.

Retrieved on November 8, 2017 from http://americansabor.org/story

Batalova, J. & Zong, J. (2016, March 1) South American Immigrants in the United States.

Retrieved on October 20, 2017 from https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/south-

american-immigrants-united-states

Batalova, J. & Zong, J. (2016, March 17) Mexican Immigrants in the United States. Retrieved on

October 20, 2017 from https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/mexican-immigrants-

united-states

Batalova, J. & Zong, J. (2014, September 14) Caribbean Immigrants in the United States.

Retrieved October 21, 2017 from https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/caribbean-

immigrants-united-states

InterExchange (n.d.) Latino\Hispanic Culture In The United States. Retrieved October 10, 2017

from https://www.interexchange.org/articles/abroad/2015/08/17/latino-hispanic-culture-

in-us/

Bowman, Neil (2017, November 27) Interview: Personal Identity in the Hispanic\Latino Culture

& Retrieved on November 27, 2017

Pew Research Center (2010, April 29) Hispanics and Arizona’s New Immigration Law from

http://www.pewhispanic.org/2010/04/29/hispanics-and-arizonas-new-immigration-law/
 19
Impact\Changes on the Latino Community in American Culture

APPENDIX
 20
Impact\Changes on the Latino Community in American Culture

APPENDIX 2
 21
Impact\Changes on the Latino Community in American Culture

APPENDIX 3