Exercise 2: Informative piece. “The importance of addressing the needs of the Hispanic population in our community”

The Hispanic population in the United States is increasing. In our state of Indiana, census figures speak for themselves. In the 1990 U.S. census, Hispanics represented 98,788 out of the total population of 5,544,159. In other words, persons of Hispanic origin represented about 1.8% of the total population in the state of Indiana. Compare with the 2000 U.S. census; out of a total state population of 6,080,485, the Hispanic population represented 214,536 or about 3.5% of the total population in Indiana. In ten years, the Hispanic population in our state more than doubled.

Our state of Indiana reflects a national trend, since the increase of the Hispanic population can be observed in the Unites States at large. According to the census 2000 brief on the Hispanic population, the Hispanic population “increased by 57.9 percent, from 22.4 million in 1990 to 35.3 million in 2000, compared with an increase of 13.2 percent for the total U.S. population.” It is clear, whether we like it or not, that the Hispanic population in the U.S. is growing, and while our state does not represent an area of dense Hispanic population -as states in the West and South of the county- the increase is significant enough to notice changes at the community level. In fact, a closer analysis of census figures shows a significant increase in the Hispanic population in the Midwest region, from 2.7% in 2000, to 26.1% in 2006.

Midwest communities can no longer ignore the impact of the Hispanic population in smaller communities in which, until recent years, the population was homogeneous to a large extent. This shift in population compositions brings new opportunities as well as new challenges. It is easy to see the new opportunities, for example, smaller rural communities may find a reactivation of a lagging local economy with the influx of new migrants -Hispanic or otherwise. In addition, the richness of local commerce increases when specialized markets flourish and make way for a different offer of products and services. These are some of the advantages of the population shift and the impact of the Hispanic population in the Midwest. Nevertheless, there are aspects which can be seen as challenges brought by the shift in population.

An important observation to make regarding one of the challenges of an increased Hispanic migration, is that the Hispanic foreign born population is lagging behind in educational achievement. According to a study realized y the Pew Hispanic Center that analyzed 2006 American Community Survey data, the majority of foreign born Hispanics – at 34% in 2006- had a “less than 9th grade” education. Even though this figure shows an improvement from the 2000 data – which showed a higher number at 39.4%- it is important to note the sharp difference of educational achievement as compared to the native born Hispanic population, of which only 9.8% had less than a 9th grade education. Even though the native born Hispanic population has a higher level of educational attainment, the Hispanic population still lags behind when compared to any other race group in the country.

Since educational attainment has been closely linked to economic opportunity, it would be important to stress the importance of education in the Hispanic community. In terms of poverty, Hispanics (foreign and native born) occupied the second poorest group (behind Blacks at 25.3%) representing 21.7% of people living in poverty in the U.S.

Another example of a challenge of an increase in Hispanic population is the language barrier. According to the Pew Hispanic Center, in the 18 an older Hispanic population (both foreign and native born), 81.7% of those surveyed state that a language other than English is spoken at home. Out of this group, 46.1% falls under the “English spoken less than very well” category. As a consequence of the existent language barrier that exists in the Hispanic population, the offer of educational, social, and government services -just to name a few- is limited. For example, in the issue of access to health care in the Hispanic population, according the the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2006 35% of the Hispanic population under 65 years of age lacked health insurance coverage. In contrast, in 2004 “the percentage of the nation’s population without health insurance coverage [was] 15.7 percent.”

It is undeniable that the population in the United States is changing, and that part of the change consists in the current and projected growth of the Hispanic population. Communities must address their needs, and as communities become more diverse, community based solutions that address the needs of a diverse population are required. Some of the existent challenges in the Hispanic population consist of educational, language, and access to health care barriers. The first two challenges can effectively be addressed at the local level through community action. It is of the foremost importance to make sure that as a community, and as a country, in the living exercise of an engaged citizenship and democracy, we do not create of the Hispanic population a second-class population. The consequences of the growth of an uneducated citizenship will undeniably affect all people in our community, and all people in our country.

Hispanic or Latino? Potato Potahto?

It would be quite easy to use the term Hispanic or Latino as a clear definition of race for Spanish-speaking persons in the US. But this is not possible, since Hispanics or Latinos come in a variety of colors and races, many times as a mixture of both colors and races. What is our commonality? Sometimes the Spanish language is the unifier, but it is not true in a lot of cases. Wikipedia provides an interesting discussion in the meaning of these two terms. Generally, the term Hispanic is the older term, the term that refers specifically to our Spanish past, a past in which the pain of colonialism in the American continent brings us a sense of invasion, abuse, and dismissal of our brown ancestors. Therefore, the term Latino is the more widely accepted choice. It does not point to our long ago removed Spanish past, but it refers to our Latin American and our most immediate past and origin. So whether you say Hispanic or Latino, or potato potahto. Let’s call the whole thing off!

The invisibility of the Latino minority in the educational system

I read an interesting article which talked about the then upcoming conference presented by Gerardo Gonzalez, Dean of the Indiana University School of Education, on the subject of “Educational Equity for Indiana’s Latino Students.” Gonzalez shared some of his educational experiences as a Cuban immigrant in Florida’s educational system in the ’60’s. The educational system didn’t know how to handle the large influx of Latino students, and reacted by establishing an English only education. Gonzalez tried to make himself “invisible”  in order to survive as a Spanish speaker in an English language only system. The issue of “invisibility” is something that is very present in my mind right now, because in my Contemporary Literature class we just finished reading “Invisible Man” by African-American writer Ralph Ellison. Minorities resort to the technique of becoming “invisible” in order to overcome a system that does not accommodate for differences, in the form of an alternate language or alternate skin color. As deviants, minorities seem to be told by society at large that we must try to hide our deviance the best way we can, and must strive to adjust to become as close to the white mainstream as we possible can. The result will always be an illusion though, because as much as we can perfect our English and our attire is changed, our skin color and last names will be a tell-tell sign of our origin.

As it is the case with Dr. Gonzalez, the “otherness” is noted first, before his actual achievement as an educator and Dean of a department at an important state university. Americans are always ready to congratulate minorities for striving to overcome their origins -be it national, racial, geographical and/or class- and pursuing the American dream, yet we will always be seen as suspect, a hyphenated mix of an American, as an exemplary case to others like us who must too strive to conform and adapt. Gonzalez remarks on the difficulty of overcoming the challenges of an English education for Spanish speaking students, ” for every child like me who experienced those problems and is able to overcome and succeed there are literally hundreds of thousands, maybe millions out there, who don’t get that second chance.” The question is not whether the challenges are insurmountable, but how many are left behind?

At the hospital I had to interpret for a young Mexican female patient who finished high school at one of our local South Bend schools. How come you do not speak English? -I asked her in Spanish trying to sound as polite as possible. Por el programa bilingüe, because of the bilingual program, she replied. The educational system has changed in a great way since the ’60s. It seems as though it has been transformed from a system who left many behind, to a system that does not leave anyone behind. In an age of inflated grades and lowered expectations, what does it mean to have an American high school diploma if a person is not functional in English? Are we not in actuality leaving people behind if we grant them a diploma that they do not deserve and will not help them advance in an economy where demonstrable skills are of the foremost importance?

Latino immigrants and the economic downturn in our community

“They should send all Mexicans back, they are taking our jobs.” Many times I’ve heard this statement and variations of it. It seems as though immigrant hatred -speakers show their ignorance, since not all Spanish-speaking members of our community are Mexicans- has historically intensified during times of economic uncertainty. Immigrants are the common and easy target, in a community where jobs are scarce, the eyes turn to the brown people who do not speak English, or speak it in a broken or heavily accented manner. We are the common scape goat, and the vox populi believes in the homogeneity of the United States of America as the panacea to the nation’s problems. The panacea to our community’s economic problem.

During the last few months of economic uncertainty I have seen the effects of job losses in my community at large, but I have seen the Latino community be particularly hit by job cuts. I have heard from patients and their families at the hospital, many have lost their jobs in the manufacturing and RV industries, many have left the country, and have returned to their hometowns to look for a better life, if not permanently, just long enough for economic changes to take place and for unskilled labor to become a hot commodity again. Immigrants have a special frame of mind, even if they have lived in a community for years, they know that the tide might change any minute and the time for moving might come again. Immigrants are not of one place alone, home will always be the home country, the maternal home is where the food will always be the most flavorful and nourishing. Yet, immigrants do not longer belong entirely to their hometown, they have transformed to a bird of passage who moves with the winds of economic opportunity.

Focusing on an intellectual pursuit

Gracias, muchas gracias, he says as the nurse finishes picking up the utensils she used after she placed the peripherally installed central line catheter in the patient. “Thank you, thank you very much” I say and the nurse smiles and says “you’re welcome.” No, he says. Gracias a ti tambien, thanks to you too. He is talking to me, the medical interpreter. I facilitate communication at one of our local hospitals. I go wherever Spanish is spoken and English is not. I help Spanish speaking patients and their families by accurately aiding communication. I truly enjoy my work, I feel as though the patients I help are part of my larger Spanish speaking family. I do not only work as a medical interpreter, but I also have been trained as a doula. As a doula I have helped women through the labor process, but my involvement does not stop at the baby’s birth. An interpreter follows his or her patient throughout the hospital stay. I am there, through tests, providers, and processes, I am there. I am the Spanish speaking voice, I am the teacher, and many times, the support. I care about my community at large, and I particularly care for the well-being of the Spanish speaking community. I am an educated bilingual voice, I am a teacher, and I feel a special social responsibility towards the local Latino community. Therefore, I feel as though I should take for a topic something that is already a great part of my life. I hope to provide a cultural window to native borns, to put a voice to Latino faces around the community, to provide a better understanding of issues, but more importantly, of people.