Introduction to Hispanic Life in America

“Though Latinos represent nearly one in five Americans today and are projected to account for nearly one in three Americans by 2060, there is very little in our public dialogue that accurately represents who we are and what we contribute to this nation.” These words of Abigail Golden-Vazquez of the Aspen Institute in 2019 reflect a widely accepted assessment of Hispanic life in America.

Despite notable achievements over many generations, the contributions of Hispanics still are accorded little attention in relation to the variety of their accomplishments and the impact they have had on all aspects of the country. This difference between the realities of Hispanic successes and the awareness of their achievements was addressed in the U.S. House of Representatives. In 2020, Rep. Tony Cárdenas, Democrat from California, stated, “The American people deserve to learn the truth of our history and our heritage.” Rep. Joaquin Castro, Democrat from Texas, echoed his colleague: “Latinos have contributed significantly to the success of the United States while overcoming systemic discrimination – and our stories have largely been erased from U.S. history.” A 2022 U.S. Government Accountability Office report requested by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus supported these claims about the missing Hispanic narrative in America. Hispanics are rarely present in major newsrooms, Hollywood films and other media industries where their portrayals – or lack thereof – are likely to influence how they are viewed by their fellow Americans.

The fact that Hispanics rarely see themselves represented at all (let alone accurately) in American media helps to explain the findings of the first annual Hispanic Sentiment Study conducted in August, 2018 by the We Are All Human Foundation. The study measured opinions about the current state of life in the Hispanic community. An alarming 77 percent of the 2,500 U.S. Hispanics who participated were unaware of recent accomplishments achieved by members of their community across the country. The 2023 Sentiment Study revealed that Hispanics felt even more undervalued than five years previously – 43 percent felt undervalued in society compared to 53 percent in 2018. These findings demonstrate how much remains to be done before the Hispanic community in the U.S. believes that it is fully appreciated for its contributions to this country and to the American way of life. Hopefully, aspirational levels among members of this large community can be raised once a more complete picture of its heritage in America is widely available. To this end, the Latino Donor Collaborative was created by an accomplished group of Latino national leaders to “reshape the perception of Latinos as part of the American social mainstream.” This organization publishes reports that deal with the economic impact of Latino commercial activity as well as articles about prominent Latinos in various professions.

The national celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month (see below) has provided many organizations with an incentive to recognize the significance of Hispanic individuals, culture, and influence on American society. The occasion of Hispanic Heritage month has been the stimulus for many public schools across the country to offer special programs that draw students’ attention to Hispanic history, customs and important figures. Beyond the bounds of this celebratory month, Hispanic heritage is now a required element of high school curricula throughout Connecticut. In 2020, Governor Ned Lamont directed all regional and local boards of education to include an elective course of studies that provides students with a better understanding of Hispanic contributions to U.S. history, society, economy, and culture. The Connecticut State Board of Education unanimously approved the curriculum, the final step needed to implement the requirement. (The law also compels similar curricula options for African American contributions.)

What follows is a brief look at Hispanic life in 21st century America beginning with descriptions of the Hispanic population, including its size, distribution throughout the U.S., and employment status. Because a substantial proportion of the Hispanic population in the U.S. is young, the challenges confronting this group stemming from their necessary participation in two different cultural worlds are portrayed. For those individuals interested in learning more broadly about Hispanic people and culture, organizations, events and media are identified that present historic and current information regarding Hispanic society in the U.S.

A Note on Terminology

The term ‘Hispanic’ will be used to identify Spanish-origin people with different cultural, ethnic, and racial backgrounds. Originally, the term referred to the Hispanos residing in the territory of New Mexico that was settled by Spanish conquistadors at the end of the 16th century and that later became a portion of the southwestern U.S. Today, the term commonly refers to persons with a historical and cultural relationship with Spain, regardless of race and ethnicity. For example, Hispanic refers to “a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race,” according to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The U.S. Census Bureau identifies Hispanics as individuals who classify themselves on various Census Bureau survey questionnaires – “Mexican, Mexican Am., Chicano,” or ”Puerto Rican” or “Cuban” – as well as those who indicate that they are “another Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin.” Consequently, the Pew Research Center concluded that the most common approach to identifying who is Hispanic on public opinion surveys, voter exit polls and government surveys such as the census is “anyone who says they are, and nobody who says they aren’t.”

Because cultural differences exist among people in the broader Spanish-origin community, members of various Spanish-origin groups prefer to use names that differentiate themselves within their community. For example, residents in urban areas in the 1980’s created the term Latino to identify people who had immigrated from Latin America during this era. Despite the intended distinction, it became commonplace to use the terms Hispanic/Latino interchangeably, as do several federal government agencies. Further, both Hispanic and Latino are used in the titles of professional organizations (see below) which have members that represent different Spanish-origin groups.

The word Latinx was proposed to refer to Spanish-origin groups formerly called Latino. However, recent polling suggests that Latinx is not, in fact, a name that those groups want to be called. Rather, a majority report that they prefer to be recognized as “Hispanic.” Finally, while both Hispanic and Latino have official recognition and are broadly used, research has revealed that the population they are meant to describe is generally ambivalent about the two labels. Therefore, with no prejudice favoring the members of any identifiable ethnic subgroup, the more inclusive term ‘Hispanic’ will be used more often in the following material, although the term Latino will appear occasionally. The gender-specific terms ‘Latina’ and ‘Latino’ facilitate discussion of female and male persons, respectively. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino has a more a more complete discussion of the labeling of Spanish-origin groups.