Thread: Chicago Area Hispanics: Living in Two Worlds

I placed this in News because such low percentage of those interviewed, although born in the United States, consider themselves "Americans" first or indicate any pride in such a designation.

Chicago area Hispanics: Living in two worlds
February 20, 2010
BY DAVE NEWBART and KARA SPAK Staff Reporters

Chicago area Hispanics: Living in two worlds

Rene Herrera (front) calls himself a Mexican, despite being born in the United States, as a measure of appreciation for the hard work of his father, also named Rene, a mechanic on the Near West Side.
(Chicago Sun-Times)

Hispanic or Latino?
Most young Hispanics — 51 percent — don’t care which term is used to describe them, a survey by the Pew Hispanic Center found. Another 35 percent prefer to be called Hispanic, while 14 percent prefer to be identified as Latino.

For Rene Herrera, identifying himself as a ‘‘Mexican’’ pays homage to how incredibly hard his relatives, including his father — a Near West Side mechanic — worked to succeed after immigrating to the United States.

The 22-year-old Edgewater resident said he, too, has worked hard throughout his life and now is pursuing a graduate degree in counseling, with an emphasis on Latino mental health.

“That seems to be something that is common among Latinos," said Herrera. “They work hard because they want to get a better life for themselves.’’

Though he thinks of himself as Mexican, Herrera was born in Chicago and speaks fluent English without an accent. He, like many young Latinos, identifies strongly with his parents’ home country even while growing up in the United States.

More than half of Latinos between the ages of 16 and 25 describe themselves first by their families’ country of origin, according to a recent report by the Pew Hispanic Center. Another 20 percent identify as Hispanic or Latino. Fewer than one in four refer to themselves as “Americanâ€

Dowling said the fact that young Latinos today have strong pride in their heritage “doesn’t mean that people were raised more patriotic in the past than they are now. It’s more not feeling they have to be forced to fit in as much.’’

They do fit in, but apparently the rest of the country does not fit into their idea of America as it seems their heritage takes precendence over being born here.
As Teddy Roosevelt said: there is no room for hyphenated Americans. Either one is American or not.

“That seems to be something that is common among Latinos," said Herrera. “They work hard because they want to get a better life for themselves.’’

I'm sorry but I find this sentence highly offensive. EVERYONE who wants to better themselves works hard, regardless of their ethnicity. Unlike illegal aliens we have here today. What about them Herrera, hmmm?

[quote]Julie Dowling, an assistant professor of Latino studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, said when her mother grew up speaking Spanish in Texas, having an accent could make you a victim of discrimination, bilingual education was nonexistent, and knowing both languages wasn’t seen as an asset — as it often is now.

“Before, the older generations were telling them, ‘Don’t speak Spanish, speak English,’ â€

eat your crackers in mexico. go home, we are all broke now.no crackers to spare!