18 September 2006

Hispanic Americans Contributing to the American Mosaic

Latin presence enriches U.S. government, society, popular culture, sports

 

Omar Cisneros, left, Manager and Mauricio Solorzano, rigth, Director of equipement of baseball, San Fernando of Masaya, present Roberto Clemente Jr., center, the son of baseball player Roberto Clemente, a plaque and t-shirt with the name and number of his father, during a press conference in Managua, Nicaragua, January 1, 2006. (© AP Images)

Roberto Clemente Jr., center, recieves a plaque and t-shirt honoring baseball star Roberto Clemente, in Nicaragua. (© AP Images)

Washington — Hispanics, who became the largest minority group in the United States in 2002, are changing American society and culture.

Hispanics now fill top positions in the U.S. government, with Mexican-American Alberto Gonzales serving as U.S. attorney general and Cuban-born Carlos Gutierrez as secretary of commerce. In 2004, Florida voters elected another Cuban native, Mel Martinez, formerly secretary of housing and urban development, to the U.S. Senate.

Language might most dramatically reflect the influence of Hispanics on American life.  Author and journalist Richard Rodriguez, a Mexican-American commentator for the Public Broadcasting System, says Spanish is heard everywhere in the United States, and that because of the massive migration of Latin Americans northward, the United States might be home to the world’s fifth-largest Spanish-speaking population, after Mexico, Spain, Argentina and Colombia.

The roots of the Hispanic experience in America lie in St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest city in the United States.  The city, founded in 1565, served as a strategic sea and land base for Spain to block foreign advances against the Spanish empire in "New Spain," which included present-day Mexico, the countries of the Caribbean and Central America, and the U.S. states of California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

The word "Hispanic," once used as a reference to people originating from Spain, has taken on new meaning.  In modern-day America, the overwhelming majority of the U.S. Hispanic population hails from Latin America.

The "Hispanic" label is precise. Mexican-Americans, especially, often choose not to identify with Spain because of their colonial experience under Spanish domination.  Many Latin Americans in the United States call themselves Latinos or claim other ethnic identities because of their racially mixed background, either Native American or African, along with some European ancestry.  And other Hispanics are Caucasian of European ancestry.

Whatever their ethnic background, people of Latin American or Spanish-speaking European origin are affecting American society and life.  The two major U.S. political parties, judging by their outreach efforts to attract the Hispanic vote, are well aware of the growth in the country's Hispanic population. U.S. census data show the Hispanic population in the United States now numbers more than 41 million, or one-seventh of the U.S. total population of more than 296 million.

Los Angeles, named by 18th century Mexican settlers, is the largest Hispanic city in the United States. The city’s highest-rated television and radio stations carry Spanish programming. In January 2005, voters in Los Angeles elected their first Hispanic mayor in more than 100 years, city councilman Antonio Villaraigosa.

The list of Hispanics' contributions to American life has been recognized by the U.S. government, which designates each September 15 to October 15 as National Hispanic American Heritage Month.  During this period, the United States honors Hispanic Americans, who have long served as leaders in business, government, law, science, athletics, the arts and many other fields.  

Bianca Alvarez helps Esmeralda Vargas write in her journal in a Dodge City, Kansas, dual language first grade class. (© AP Images)

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE

Since the 1950s, a number of Hispanic American music performers have gained widespread popularity, including Julio Iglesias, Jennifer Lopez, Carlos Santana, Gloria Estefan and the group Los Lobos.

One of the most popular singers of traditional Latin music was Cuban-born Celia Cruz, known as the Queen of Salsa.  Cruz performed for more than 50 years in both Cuba and the United States until her death in 2003. Cruz achieved cross-cultural success when she began teaming with such popular African-American singers as Patti Labelle and Dionne Warwick.

A number of painters and writers also have sought to capture the Hispanic American experience, such as Hispanic artists John Valadez, Martin Ramirez, Frank Romero and Arnaldo Roche.  Tomas Rivera, Julia Alvarez, Sandra Cisneros, Luis Valdez and Heberto Padilla rank among the many Hispanic writers who have achieved distinction in the United States, while other major Hispanic American figures in the arts include architect Bernardo Fort-Brescia and fashion designers Adolfo Sardina and Oscar de la Renta.

Among many prominent Hispanic American actors is Edward James Olmos, who starred in such movie as Stand and Deliver, about a Los Angeles educator, and American Me, a dramatic portrayal of how crime and violence afflicts the Hispanic community.

Another area in which the Hispanic influence is readily apparent in the United States.  Mexican foods are especially popular, with the taco -- a folded tortilla filled with meat, cheese, and other ingredients -- as common in some areas as the American staples of hamburgers and hot dogs.  Other Mexican dishes, such as enchiladas, tamales and tostadas, also are served in restaurants throughout the United States.

SPORTS

Many Hispanic athletes have made their mark in American sports, particularly in baseball.  The list of notables includes Roberto Clemente of Puerto Rico, who died in a 1972 airplane crash while delivering humanitarian supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.

Other Hispanics in Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame include Orlando Cepeda, Juan Marichal and Luis Aparicio.  Ted Williams, considered the quintessential American ballplayer, was also of Hispanic heritage.  As shown by his birth certificate in the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum in San Francisco, Williams' mother, Maria Hernandez Venzor, was born in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

The Hispanic Baseball Museum says that as of 2005, at least 30 percent of all Major League Baseball players were born in Latin America, coming mostly from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.  The Hispanic influence is apparent in other sports as well, notably soccer.  U.S.-based Hispanic immigrants have imported their love of soccer north to their new home, and the game's growing popularity in the United States is at least partly attributable to this trend.

As more and more Hispanic Americans are making their presence felt in their chosen fields, the 21st century likely will witness even greater Hispanic contributions to U.S. society and culture.  National Hispanic American Heritage Month aims to recognize past and present achievements and to encourage future ones.

See also Diversity.