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Hispanic American Diversity Eth125 Assignment

Diversity 1

Hispanic American Diversity
Ethnic Diversity 125
University of Phoenix/Axia College

Diversity 2

When you hear the reference Hispanic or Latino American there is a tendency to think of a group of people that are all the same because they usually speak Spanish. However, the truth is that this group is very diverse in many ways, and is made up of people from a variety of different regions around the world. In this paper we will take a look at a few of these groups and consider some of their differences and similarities. Latino Americans have rich cultures and communities, and exploring their cultures can be very enriching for Americans as a whole.
Mexican Americans
Americans of Mexican descent are commonly referred to as Mexican Americans. They represent about 12.5% of the American population which is approximately 28 million people. The United States has the second largest population of Mexicans in the world. Most of the population live in urban areas with a moderate number residing in rural areas.
While many Mexican Americans are bilingual and speak English and Spanish, their primary language in most cases is Spanish. Today there are 3rd, 4th, and even 5th generation Mexican American families that have been greatly influenced by the English language through television or radio creating a greater reliance on English than ever before. (González-Berry, p. 304).
Politics
Political participation by Mexican Americans has historically been limited by discrimination. In the United States there has always been a concentrated effort to limit the voting participation of most minorities and Mexican Americans were no exception. While political participation was limited, Miguel Tirado points out that during the early part of the twentieth century Mexican Americans formed protective organizations—
Diversity 3

mutualistas (mutual aid societies) which were quite similar to...