1. Culture & Demographics
Chapter 3

2. Bases for community among Latinos
Major themes:
Continuing high population growth
Broader geographic presence of Latinos throughout the United States
Visible “impressions” about Latinos’ significant population growth & cultural persistence have reignited public interest in such communities.

3. Community Building Basic theme:
Grounded on the understanding that even though Latinos are ancestrally linked to a variety of countries…
They have historic & cultural ties as well as common circumstances & conditions living in the United States.
Labels: “Latino” & “Hispanic” used to identify persons of Spanish origin
Long-established communities in the U.S. dating to 17th century
Latinos among both the oldest groups in America & the most recent newcomers.

4. Pan-ethnicity Pan-ethnic:
Group affinity is not automatic
nor is it always positive
Latinos have stronger affinity w/ country of origin than “socially constructed” grouping or cluster called “Latino/Hispanic”

5. Essential to Latino Politics
Bridging national-origin boundaries
Developing an additional sense of being connected to:
others persons & communities of Spanish-origin ancestry & background.

6. Creation of Latino Communities
Accomplished through:
Conscious efforts, policies, &
Consciousness raising by leaders & social institutions to create this additional social category.
Chapter 3 provides:
Brief demographic profile of Spanish-origin communities
Demographics help identify important features of such populations
& essential background information contributing to a sense of being Latino in America

7. Population
1970 Census
9.6 million Latinos/ 4.7% of total U.S. population
By 2010
Over 48.4 million Latinos/12.5% of total U.S. population
Latino population increased by over 57% between 1990 & 2000 decennial census
Latino growth continues to outpace general non-Hispanic population.

8. Population
Latinos are projected to exceed 100 million & compromise nearly ¼ of the total U.S. population in 2050.
Growth rate attributed to 3 factors:
(1) Significant portions of the female population in the fertility age range
With a younger population & greater % of Latinas in the fertility age range, births as a contributor of growth will be higher in the future
(2) Higher birthrates than the general population &
(3) International migration
Spike in international migration evidenced in the mid-1990s remains significant as 52.4% of the contribution of Latino growth is attributed to net international migration.

9. Geography Two regions where Latinos gravitate in U.S.:
Midwest & South
Southern Region:
Georgia, North Carolina, Arkansas, & South Carolina
Midwest Region:
Rural Counties

10. Population Growth by Sub-group
Mexican-origin community historical largest sub-group
Mexican origin, Mexican Americans or Chicanos
60% of all Latinos
Puerto Ricans or Boricua population 2nd largest component of Latino community
4.1 million persons
Cubans or Cubanos are the next largest
3.5% of all Latinos

11. Sub-group by Demographics
Central Americans:
El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, & Nicaragua
Spanish-speaking South American countries:
Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, & Argentina
Spanish-speaking areas of the Caribbean:
Dominican Republic
This segments include more immigrants & refugees (fewer native-born persons)
are settling in both larger-established Latino communities
& newer destinations in the South, Midwest, & New England.

12. Geography Top Ten states for Latinos: California -Texas
New York -Illinois
Arizona -New Jersey
New Mexico -Colorado
Washington -Florida

13. Geography Washington D.C. New York City Florida Central Americans
Dominican & Colombian populations rivaling Puerto Ricans
Florida
Puerto Ricans & Central Americans fastest-growing Latino sub-groups

14. Geography…what does it mean?
Latino populations are the largest minority group in 27 states
In an increasing # of states, Latinos compromise more than 5% of states population
This development illustrates that a Latino political presence has been established &
Political mobilization is a critical element for further political development

15. Public Policy Public Policy aimed in support of Latinos
1998 Texas governor George W. Bush:
Bilingual Education reform & funding
Opposition to anti-immigrant & English-only initiatives
Public Policy that garnered increased Latino political participation & decreased support of Republican party
Betwn & 1998, former CA. governor Pete Wilson:
Supported several statewide propositions (e.g. against immigration, affirmative action, & bilingual education)

16. Public Policy
Since 2003
Rise in anti-immigrant state initiatives (e.g., Arizona Senate Bill 1070)
Has had partisan effect
Most part initiatives have been proposed & passed by Republican elected officials w/ substantial Latino protests.

17. Culture, Latinos, & Demographics
Common perception:
Spanish language unifies Latinos
For all Latinos, nearly 79.4% reported speaking Spanish at home while growing up.
Speaking Spanish is a fairly universal experience for most Latinos.
Hence, English-only & loyalty issues continue to occupy the political landscape.

18. Culture, Latinos, & Demographics
Latino communities are composed significantly of persons born in Spanish-origin countries.
Since 1970s, more Latinos have immigrated into the United States than members of any other group.
The # of foreign-born Latinos varies across the different subgroups:
The Cuban community’s foreign-born members have refugee status with access to specific governmental assistance programs, while the rest of Latinos are viewed as economic migrants.
Puerto Ricans is a commonwealth, & Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens.

19. Culture, Latinos, & Demographics
Language & nativity (country of birth) are critical cultural dimensions that help define the Latino community of common cultures.
Cultural dynamics would be less likely to exist w/o the persistence of Spanish-language use & the steady influx of immigrants.
A clear political connection for Latino communities with a significant foreign-born segment is either the extent or the lack of naturalization.
Citizenship status links directly w/ electoral participation.
28 million foreign-born in the U.S.
41% are Hispanic

20. Culture, Latinos, & Demographics
Even w/ such population gains, millions of eligible Latinos still have not applied for citizenship
& increased financial costs have been identified as an impediment.
The consequences of lower #s of foreign-born Latino citizens are connected to elections, job opportunities, immigration petitions, and scholarship opportunities.

21. Communities of Interests
Common experiences among a major segment of the Latino community:
Lower levels of educational attainment
Living in poorer school districts
Lack of available bilingual programs
& attending “lower-quality” schools

22. Communities of Interests: Educational Attainment
General adult population over 25yrs.
Over 25% graduated from college
Over 80% graduated from high school
Latino adult population over 25yrs.
Only 11% Latino males & 13% Latinas are college graduates
Less than 60% are high school graduates

23. Communities of Interests: Educational Attainment
Indication that younger Latinos are completing more schooling than older ones;
However gap betwn. non-Latinos & Latinos is widening
Additional consideration is educational attainment betwn. U.S.-born & foreign-born Latinos
70% versus 42% are high school graduates

24. Communities of Interests: Employment Sector
Labor force participation rates, especially for Latino males, have been higher than those for the general population
Latinos are more concentrated in blue-collar jobs & in the service, and manufacturing, & construction industries.
Hence, if more Latinos tend to be occupationally “stratified” & located in particular industry sectors…
Then issues, problems, & union, or organizational connections serve as common bases for mobilization & action.

25. Communities of Interests: Employment Sector
Additional significant feature lies in the difference between unemployment rates.
Latino unemployment for males & females is:
50 to 100% greater than for their non-Latino counterparts.
There are measurable differences between most of the Latino subgroups & Cubans.

26. Communities of Interests: Labor Force
The occupational location of Latinos is also influenced by nativity
U.S. born Latinos fare better occupationally
As labor force participation rates continue to increase, especially for Latinas, all Latinos in the labor market will play a greater role in the:
composition of the workforce, contribute more to Social Security, & have more human resource labor force mobility
Hence, issues like job mobility, job training, & educational preparation, labor market discrimination, & entrepreneurship become more salient issues for Latino communities.

27. Communities of Interest: Family
Larger size of Latino families
2.2 times more likely to include 5+ persons
2/5 of Latino households include children younger than 18yrs. of age
Additional relevant aspect of Latino families, % of individuals born outside the U.S.
More than twice as many Latino-families have incomes under $10,000 as non-Latino families
The household income difference for Latinos & non-Latinos creates a significant disparity, such lack of resources has implications in terms of socioeconomic mobility, political engagement, & organizational activities.

28. Communities of Interests: Family
Among all family types (two parents, female headed, etc.), 3 times as many Latino families live below the poverty level as non-Latino families.
The interrelated factors of a youthful age structure, residential locations in central cities, & declining urban economies contribute to the situations of many Latino families.
With the centrality of family as a positive value for many Latinos, the economic condition of a substantial segment of Latino families warrants concern & attention.
Hence, the linkage of family economic status as a common interest is quite likely.

29. Communities of Interests: Family
Larger family
Lower levels of family income
& corresponding higher rates of family poverty…
Place Latino families at risk in terms of quality of life:
(e.g. housing conditions, educational isolation, limited employment opportunities, economic segregation, & vulnerability to violent crime)
Which suggest both common ground & limited political resources to mobilize for effective change.

30. Conclusions
A community of interests consists of similar socioeconomic conditions & statuses.
There are more similarities, or clusters of traits, among Latino subgroups than there are substantially differential statuses.
The somewhat less similar group is the Cuban population.
The basis for a pan-ethnic community is evident & open to greater community-building efforts.

31. Conclusions cont’d
Garcia does not suggest that either or both sets of similarities of culture & interests will automatically result in political empowerment or influence.
In essence, if some forms of community are present, then the accompanying factors of active & effective organizations & leadership can serve as a conversion component of political capital.
i.e. political power