Preface

Like any racial or ethnic category, the designation Hispanic American often obscures more than it reveals, blurring distinctions between races, languages, economic classes, and countries of origin. Indeed, the term can describe a person with white, black, indigenous, or mixed ancestry; a Spanish, English, or Guarani speaker; a Cuban exile in Miami, a Mexican American in Southern California, or a Dominican in New York City. Given the sheer breadth of this diversity, any analysis that proposes to present a complete picture of the Hispanic-American community will likely come up short. Nevertheless, the articles contained in this collection were chosen to provide as accurate and full a portrait of the American Latino as possible, combining the demographic figures—the hard numbers—with a more personal exploration of the cultural aspects of the community.

The first chapter offers an overview of the Hispanic-American experience, providing a demographic profile while charting the myriad regional, linguistic, and ethnic variations that exist within it. Particular emphasis is given to the American West, where Mexican Americans have well-established ties; Florida, where the Cuban community has long been ascendant; and New York City, with its melting pot of Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and other Latinos. Coverage is also given to a locale not often associated with Hispanic immigration: a sleepy town in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee. Indeed, as their numbers grow, Latinos are becoming increasingly rural.

As with previous immigrant waves, the influx of Hispanics has engendered a backlash in certain sectors of the population: Anger over undocumented workers, who some believe drive down wages, and fears of permanent changes to the nation’s cultural and ethnic makeup have led to a vociferous debate as to just how welcoming the country ought to be toward these new immigrants. Entries in the second chapter explore these controversies from a range of perspectives.

Articles in the third section analyze the expanding political clout of Hispanic voters. While many consider Hispanics, like Irish, Italian, and Jewish immigrants before them, a traditional Democratic constituency, Republicans have made inroads among Latino voters in recent elections, proving, at the very least, that neither party can afford to take their support for granted.

The fourth chapter charts the rapid ascendance of Hispanics in the economic and cultural spheres of American life. From the Internet, to music, to television and the movies, Latinos are leaving an ever greater imprint on American entertainment and commerce.

Entries in the final chapter focus on the education of Hispanic Americans, considering the debate over bilingual education, the importance of early childhood education for Hispanic toddlers, the history of segregation and integration of Hispanic students, and college attendance and graduation rates for Hispanics.

In conclusion, I would like to thank the many authors and publishers who have granted permission to reprint the articles contained in this book. I would also like to extend my gratitude to the many friends and colleagues at the H.W. Wilson Company who contributed their time and talent to this endeavor, particularly Richard Stein and Lynn Messina.

Paul McCaffrey
February 2007