Who is Hispanic and what does it mean? Hispanic

Pablo’s Story I was born in Peru. I moved to the States when I was five. I work as a lawyer and have fully adapted to life in the United States. I still respect and cherish my roots. Am I Hispanic?

Hannah I am from the United States. But I have lived in Mexico for most of my life. I work as a mesera in a local restaurant. I respect the customs, traditions, and practices of the culture of which I consider myself a member. Am I Hispanic?

Jesús My parents are from Spain. But I was born in Philly. I do not speak any Spanish (much to my parent’s disapproval). I am studying to be an architect. Am I Hispanic?

The term Hispanic Origin: Hispano—the Latin word for people from Hispania or the Iberian Peninsula Many people from Spanish-speaking countries do not know or even recognize this term. The term became popular during the presidency of Nixon (1969 to 1974) for census purposes.

Hispanic or Latino? Latino is a term more internationally used for people of Spanish decent. Though this term can be very broad and include most cultures that speak a romance language, it has come to refer to people from the Iberian Peninsula. Many would argue, though, that Hispanic is a perfectly descriptive and acceptable term.

Hispanic or Latino? As we’ve seen, the lines between who is considered Latino or Hispanic have blurred and are essentially up to whatever the individual prefers to be labeled. Similarly, many individuals are offended by the term Hispanic. Fewer are bothered by the term Latino. What they’re labeled is really up to them.

Race Race originally referred to people of similar genetic make-up. “All humans today are 99.9% genetically identical, and most of the variation that does occur is in the difference between males and females and our unique personal traits… [I]t is now clear that our human "races" are primarily cultural creations, not biological realities.” Anthropology at Palomar University

Race and Ethnicity Race is now considered a culturally determined descriptor According to Radford University of Radford, VA, ethnicity is “defined by a sense of shared experience and people hood, defined by a unique socio-cultural heritage that is transmitted across generations.”

The “Melting Pot” Latino Style Race focuses on biological heritage and originally had its roots in shared genetic characteristics Ethnicity focuses on customs, behaviors, and traditions that have been shared by a people and passed down from generation to generation. Due to modern revelations in the field of genetics, the definition of race has increasingly aligned with that of ethnicity and may presumably merge therewith in the near future as the “Melting Pot” becomes less the exception and more the rule.

Latino Lineage

Blanco

Negro

Indio

Mulato

Zambo

Mestizo

Chicano Not a result of mixing races but refers to Mexicans who were absorbed into the United States, and later, the term began to include their posterity. In the 80’s, the term Chicano acquired a strong political connotation.

The Latino presence According to the 2010 Census: Hispanics make up 16.3% That is a 4% increase from the 2000 census (12.6%) 1 in 6 Americans are Latino or Hispanic 10 years ago 1 in 8 Americans were Latino or Hispanic African American make up 11.0% Hispanics are the largest minority group in the U.S.

The Language Factor In the United States 44,468,501 speak Spanish as their first language. The United States is the second largest Spanish speaking country after Mexico and is followed by Spain. Spanish is the 2nd most spoken native language in the world following English as 3 nd most and behind Mandarin 1 st most.

El Fin