The U.S. now has more Spanish speakers than Spain. Only Mexico has more Spanish speakers. We have 41 million native speakers and 11 million bilingual speakers. The U.S. Census office estimates that by 2050 the U.S. will have 138 million Spanish speakers, making it the biggest Spanish speaking country on Earth. They estimate that almost one third of the U.S. will have Spanish as their first language. We have more students taking Spanish as a second language than any other country.
The Index of Human Development ranks Spanish as the second most important language on Earth, only ranked after English but ahead of Mandarin. It is also the second most used language on Twitter and on Facebook.
Spanish speakers account for almost 10% of the world's GDP. The Census Bureau in 2014 found that there are more Latinos in California than non-Hispanic whites. That makes California the second state where Latinos are the majority. New Mexico is the other state. In the next few years Latinos will be the majority in Texas. The Latino vote in the next presidential vote, many say, will decide who the next president of the USA will be.
This strength in numbers has not shown as a political force as the Latino community lacks the structural and organizational and economic skills presently but that will change and they will become a stronger political and economic force in America.
By Maibort Petit
How is your relationship with the Latin community?". This is a line from the movie, Maid in Manhattan. The spokesperson, a gringo answer this question," It's excellent, he speaks Latin, I mean Spanish".
I am from Venezuela and often wonder about the attitude taught in the United States. Venezuela is a country in South America. I now live in the United States. I became a citizen a few years ago and my neighbors congratulated me on becomes an 'American'.
What was I before? Was I not an American? I always saw myself as an American but in this country I am considered a Latin or Hispanic?
As my Colombian friend told me, Americans calling the U.S. “America” is jingoistic, even imperialist—as if the U.S. owns the whole continent.
But the truth is the term being used in the United States is done with any thought. It was first used in the inaugural speech by John Adams, our second president. We were hardly a country back then and definitely not a super power.
It's strange but all Americans live on the same continent but I will always be an Latina. Being Latin is not a race but the area that I was born. Yet, my good friend who was born in Poland and my friend from Canada are not distinguished in name by their country. When they became citizens, they were called American, fully accepted. Go figure!
By Maibort Petit
In an article from USA Today, Hispanics and blacks are not getting equal pay for equal work in the high-tech industry. That's the finding of new research that shows Hispanics earn $16,353 a year less on average than their colleagues who are not Hispanic. Blacks made $3,656 than white workers in the same field. In summary Hispanics working in the USA are on a different pay scale than the rest of the country.
They also are passed over when it comes to promotions. When it comes to job interviews and selection of resumes, the Spanish name at the top of the resume hurts an applicants chances.
The AFL-CIO came out with a report that said, Although Latino's wages increased, they continue to earn smaller wages than other ethnic groups." The situation for the elderly is even more dire. The amount of latino elderly living in poverty in the USA is twice the percentage than it is for whites.
The USA has always considered itself an ethical country made from a melting out of diverse people and nations needs to find a way to fix this inequity. Presently one out of five children born in our country is from Hispanic descent. Predictions are that in a few years, that will rise to two out of five children.
If we want our country to prosper and continue to be the greatest economic super power on the planet, we can not have our Latino Americans treated as second class citizens when it comes to pay.
By Maibort Petit
Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, on the approval of Public Law 100-402.
The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September18, respectively. Also, Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, which is October 12, falls within this 30 day period.
According to a Census taken in 2010, 50.5 million people or 16% of the population are of Hispanic or Latino origin. This represents a significant increase from 2000, which registered the Hispanic population at 35.3 million or 13% of the total U.S. population. Presently, it is believed that one out of every five children born in the USA is of hispanic descent.
It is impossible to run a business without taking into account the hispanic culture and appealing to therm as a buying force. Politically, it is now believed that neither party can win an election without getting the hispanic vote. In the next few years, it is projected that the hispanic population in the USA will double in size.
By Maibort Petit
The Hispanic population in the USA has become so significant. For any business that wants to grow nationally in our country, it is advisable for them to go after the Latin community.
Coca Cola is the largest beverage company on the world and they recognize this. For Hispanic Heritage Month, Coca Cola has come out with a film called The “Orgulloso De Ser”. This film evokes the power of family, culture and Hispanic community by bringing people together in celebration of their heritage and unique family stories.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame have installed a permanent 'viva baseball' exhibit that recognizes Hispanic influence on baseball. Presently American baseball is comprised of over 28% Hispanic.
In all areas in life in the USA, Hispanic influence has been becoming more of a fabric of our culture. Our concept of beauty has changed due to the Latin influence. Our music has changed. TV and cable has been influenced as now Univision is one of the most influential networks.
Now that we are heading into a presidential election, the Hispanic vote and their influence on our country with both documented and undocumented families are the major debate issue of the campaign.
By Maibort Petit
I was watching all the different english speaking political views on TV cable news, FOX, MSNBS and CNN. What did they all have in common despite their differences. They were all concerned about the crises in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. There are millions of people fleeing horrible conditions. This is a true humanity crisis.
At the same time, there are major debates on the Latin undocumented situation in the USA. We do not see in the news , the human crisis in Venezuela, in Cuba and Honduras. These Latin American undocumented in US did not come her because they are criminals wanting to break the law. They came here because they had no other choice. In countries like Venezuela and Cuba the government will jail you because you do not agree with them. In Venezuela there is no food for citizens, there is no medication. Murder rates are the among the worst on the planet. You could get killed for your car battery.
Along the Mexican border, many are from Honduras. Many are them are unaccompanied children escaping. Hoping to have a normal life. Hoping to be able to get food, medication. Hoping just to be able to live. Yet, we see none of this on the english speaking American news. We see horrible human situations all over the world. Yes, they are horrible situations. But what about the human crisis in our own continent? Why do we worry more about dying people in Syria and ignore the children dying of cancer in Venezuela where they have no medication to save their lives. Where getting a cold can be a death sentence.
It is important for our news outlets in America to cover the world's human crisis. The News commentators talk about taking in refugees from the middle east while at the same time, they want to throw out the refugees from our own continent. But Priority in American news should be given to what is happening in their own continent. Remember, charity should begin at home first.
