U.S. births, not immigration, drive Hispanic population growth
It’s official, there are now more Hispanics being born in the U.S. than immigrating to the United States. The implications are clear, a growth of diversity, and the shrinking of the “white” population. With an astounding 53 million Hispanic immigrants living in the United States today, there is no question that the growth will only continue expanding and the Hispanic community influence on all things American will only increase. This change in demographics will most surly have an affect on the economy, education, and especially politics. With an Hispanic Supreme Court Judge and more and more Hispanic officials being elected, it makes me how wonder how policies will change in the United States in the next 30 years.
Synonymously however, with over a 5 percent increase from 12.5 to 16.9 percent in Hispanic population, one also can’t help but wonder why the Hispanic community hasn’t made larger steps towards equality. According to U.S.A Today, almost 30 percent of Hispanics living without life insurance, over double the rate of the white population. It makes me wonder if this is mostly due to financial burden or if the issue runs deeper than that.
I once befriended a man who worked as a gardener. He worked with sharp tools and heavy equipment everyday but was not cover by life insurance. When asked why, he explained that it wasn’t the money but rather his dad was undocumented and he was fearful that his application would bring his father to suspicion. Stories like this make me reevaluate the simplicity of things like life insurance and when one can be covered. That being said, if the U.S. births increase, complication for the Hispanic community will only be minimized. What will the future bring? 2042? Equality?
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/04/29/us-born-hispanics-overtake-immigrants/8456933/
I like how you put “white” in quotes. After all, many American Latinos consider themselves to be white when asked about race. Will our definitions of race change with demographic change?
I think it is apparent that so much is changing and that the demographics themselves are completely different than they were generations ago. with that being said, I think people are becoming more conscious of all the spectrum of race characteristics and that what we see does not necessarily define who someone is, which I think will in part change the definitions of race.
Interesting. I think the problem is people with Euro centric backgrounds tend to dominate politics so even if there is a population increase for a specific race, they still don’t have political power