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What is American?
“The entire Western Hemisphere is the Americas, North and South. Therefore, it’s inappropriate to use American when referring only to the United States.” There is some truth to that argument. Randy Newman called attention to this verbal conundrum in his classic parody, “Political Science,” when he satirically sang, “South America stole our name.”
As I’ve discussed in my blogs, national and ethnic labels are arbitrary and sometimes confusing. In Latin America, norteamericano is often used to refer to the people and things of the United States (and sometimes Canada). This occurs even though, geographically speaking, Mexico and Central America are part of the North American continent. I’ve heard critics (usually non-Latinos) argue that using the term American in reference to only the United States is arrogant or even offensive, especially to Latinos. Well, not to me. I’m not offended. Rather, I find its use to be a proud tradition, a historically-grounded expression of national identity.
Admittedly, not all traditions are sacrosanct, but our use of the label American has deep, hallowed roots. We sing “America” at public events and that’s not about to change. When Latino veterans formed an organization shortly after World War II, they proudly called it the American G.I. Forum. My forthcoming four-volume encyclopedia of ethnicity in the United States will be entitled Multicultural America.
Our country certainly doesn’t have a monopoly on the term American — after all, our schools teach Latin American history. I taught Latin American history. Nevertheless, I’m going to continue using American to depict the people and things of the United States. One reason for this is that I’ve never encountered a good alternative.
Occasionally I’ve heard suggestions of other terms, such as U.S. American and even United Statesian. However, I find these labels to be clunky, distracting and overly self-conscious, and I’d rather not use them.
On the other hand, one day some expression might replace American as the standard. After all, language does change. African-American was not widely used half a century ago. Maybe in the distant future American will become a linguistic relic, like Thee and Thou. But don’t hold your breath.
Source: Published originally on Univision’s Hispanic Insights Weekly Digest as What Is American? by Dr. Carlos E. Cortés, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of California, Riverside. He can be reached at carlos.cortes@ucr.edu.
Mexican-origin Hispanics in the United States
Mexicans are by far the largest Hispanic-origin population in the U.S., accounting for nearly two-thirds (64%) of the U.S. Hispanic population in 2012.1 Hispanics of Mexican origin are also a significant portion of the U.S. population, accounting for 11 percent overall.
The size of the Mexican-origin population in the U.S. has risen dramatically over the past four decades as a result of one of the largest mass migrations in modern history. In 1970, fewer than 1 million Mexican immigrants lived in the U.S. By 2000, that number had grown to 9.8 million, and by 2007 it reached a peak of 12.5 million Since then, the Mexican-born population has declined as the arrival of new Mexican immigrants has slowed significantly Today, 35 percent of Hispanics of Mexican origin were born in Mexico. And while the remaining two-thirds (65%) were born in the U.S., half (52%) of them have at least one immigrant parent.
Mexican immigration has also played a large role in shaping the nation’s immigrant population. Today, 11.4 million Mexican immigrants live in the U.S., making them the single largest country of origin group by far among the nation’s 40 million immigrants. The next largest foreign-born population, from greater China at 2 million,2 is less than one-fifth the size of the Mexican-born population in the U.S.
In addition, Mexican migration has shaped the nation’s unauthorized immigrant population. More than half (55%) of the 11.1 million immigrants who are in the country illegally are from Mexico.
Among Mexican immigrants, half (51%) are in the U.S. illegally while about a third are legal permanent residents (32%) and 16% are naturalized U.S. citizens. Overall, naturalization rates among Mexican immigrants who are in the country legally are just half that of legal immigrants from all other countries combined.
Internationally, the U.S. is far and away the top destination for immigrants from Mexico.
Mexican Immigrants Today and Two Decades Ago
The characteristics of Mexican immigrants have changed over the decades. Compared with 1990, Mexican immigrants in 2011 were less likely to be male (53% vs. 55%), considerably older (median age of 38 vs. 29), better educated (41% with high school or more vs. 25%), and have been in the U.S. for longer (71% had been in the U.S. for more than 10 years, compared with 50%).
On economic measures, Mexican immigrants have mixed results. Although median personal earnings increased by about $2,000 during the last two decades, the median household income of Mexican immigrants suffered a drop of more than $4,500. This reflects the effects of the recent economic recession that drove up unemployment rates in the nation, particularly among Mexican immigrants.
This demographic portrait compares the demographic, income and economic characteristics of the foreign-born and native-born Mexican-origin populations with the characteristics of all Hispanics in the U.S. It is based on tabulations from the 2011 American Community Survey by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center. Key findings include:
- Immigration status. Almost two-thirds of Mexicans in the U.S. are native born (65%). About two-thirds of immigrants from Mexico (65%) arrived in the U.S. in 1990 or later.
- Language. Two-thirds (66%) of Mexican-origin Hispanics ages 5 and older speak English proficiently.5 The remaining 34% report speaking English less than very well, equal to the share among all Hispanics. About nine-in-ten (89%) native-born Mexicans ages 5 and older speak English proficiently. This compares to about one-in-three (29%) among Mexican immigrants.
- Age. Mexican-origin Hispanics are younger than both the U.S. population and Hispanics overall. The median age of Mexicans is 25; the median ages of the U.S. population and all Hispanics are 37 and 27, respectively. U.S.-born Mexicans are considerably younger than their foreign-born counterparts. The median age of native-born Mexicans is 17, compared with 38 of the foreign born.
- Marital status. Among those ages 15 and older, Mexican immigrants are more likely than native-born Mexicans to be married—58% vs. 34% respectively. As a group, Mexican-origin Hispanics ages 15 and older are slightly more likely (45%) to be married than Hispanics overall (43%).
- Fertility. Almost one-in-ten (8%) Mexican women ages 15 to 44 gave birth in the 12 months prior to this survey. That was the same as the rate for all Hispanic women—8%—and slightly higher than the overall rate for U.S. women—6%. More than four-in-ten (45%) Mexican women ages 15 to 44 who gave birth in the 12 months prior to the survey were unmarried. That was similar to the rate for all Hispanic women—47%—and greater than the overall rate for U.S. women—38%.
- Regional dispersion. More than half (52%) of Mexican-origin Hispanics live in the West, mostly in California (36%), and another 35% live in the South, mostly in Texas (26%). There is no significant difference in the regional dispersion of Mexicans by nativity.
- Educational attainment. Mexicans have lower levels of education than the Hispanic population overall. Some 10% of Mexicans ages 25 and older—compared with 13% of all U.S. Hispanics—have obtained at least a bachelor’s degree. Mexicans born in the U.S. are almost three times more likely to have earned a bachelor’s degree than those born in Mexico—15% vs. 6% respectively. About six-in-ten Mexican immigrants have not earned a high school diploma (59%), compared with 21% of Mexicans born in the U.S.
- Income. The median annual personal earnings for Hispanics of Mexican origin ages 16 and older was $20,000 in the year prior to the survey, the same as for U.S. Hispanics overall. U.S.-born Mexicans had higher earnings than their immigrant counterparts—a median of $22,000 vs. $19,000 respectively.
- Poverty status. The share of Mexicans who live in poverty, 27%, is slightly higher than the rate for Hispanics overall (25%). U.S.-born Mexicans are slightly less likely to live in poverty than their foreign-born counterparts—26% vs. 29% respectively.
- Health insurance. One-third of Mexicans (33%) do not have health insurance, compared with 30% of all Hispanics. More than half (57%) of Mexican immigrants are uninsured, compared with 20% of those born in the U.S.
- Homeownership. The rate of homeownership (49%) among Mexican-origin Hispanics is higher than the rate for all Hispanics (46%). The rate of homeownership among U.S.-born Mexicans (53%) is higher than that of Mexican immigrants (45%).
Source: Originally published on Pew Research Hispanic Center as A Demographic Portrait of Mexican-Origin Hispanics in the United Statesby Ana Gonzalez-Barrera and Mark Hugo Lopez, May 1, 2013.
Manténgase saludable todo el verano
Bueno yo soy un bebé del verano y estoy aquí para ayudarle a sobrevivir el calor con recetas saludables y consejos para cocinar en familia.
Alimento de la temporada de verano:
- Prepare una ensalada de verano. Coloque en capas pepino cortado, tomates y ejotes y cúbralas con lechuga y su aderezo favorito.
- Reduzca las colorías de su postre optando mejor por las frutas.
- Busque recetas refrescantes de la estación en la página Pinterest de MyPlate’s.
Deje que los niños participen:
El verano significa que los niños están en casa y ¡aburridos! Así que déjelos entrar a la cocina y cocinar. He aquí algunos consejos sobre qué hacer para que sus pequeños participen.
- Deles a escoger recetas saludables. Si los deja elegir es más probable que quieran participar en la creación de una comida saludable.
- ¡Juegue con su comida! Use plátanos, fresas, mantequilla de cacahuate y pretzels para crear una criatura o una cara divertida.
- Prepare, junto con los niños, paletas de hielo con frutas. Simplemente licúe fresas frescas, melón o frutas de hueso y congélelas en una bandeja para cubos de hielo insertando palitos de madera. También puede usar estos cubos de hielo para darle sabor a su agua.
En la Extensión Cooperativa de la Universidad de California ¡estamos ayudando a desarrollar y mantener familias saludables! Para más consejos saludables visite nuestra página Web.
Hispanics and religion
Hispanics and religion
More than 7 in 10 Hispanics 18 to 34 are Christian - and most are Catholic. To be exact, 72 percent of Hispanics age 18 to 34 are Christian, and 51 percent are Catholic. Other Christian religions represent smaller segments of the Hispanic population: 9 percent are “Christian,” 4 percent are “other evangelical Christian,” 4 percent are Pentecostal/Charismatic, and 3 percent are Baptist.
Just over half of Catholic adults 18 to 34 in the U.S. are Hispanic. Among total U.S. Catholic adults, more than 1 in 3 are Hispanic.
Hispanics 18 to 34 are four times more likely than non-Hispanics to be Catholic. 51 percent of Hispanics age 18 to 34 are Catholic, compared with 13 percent of non-Hispanics.
Young Hispanic adults are less likely than older Hispanics to be Catholic - and as likely to be Protestant. Though the percentages of young Hispanic adults are still large, they are smaller for the 18 to 29 group. 47 percent of Hispanics 18 to 29 are Catholic, compared with 56 percent of Hispanics 30 to 49 and 60-61 percent of those over 50. Meanwhile, 29 percent of Hispanics 18 to 29 are Protestant - compared with 27 percent of Hispanics over 30. While the Catholic Church is losing young adults, other Christian religions are not.
Over the last five years, Hispanics overall have become less likely to identify as Catholic - but are as likely to be Protestant. 54 percent of Hispanics said they were Catholic in 2012, down from 58 percent in 2008. However, 28 percent said they were Protestant, comparable to the 27 percent reported in 2008.
Catholicism is in rapid decline among non-Hispanics 18 to 34. From 2008 to 2012, the percentage of non-Hispanics 18 to 34 who consider themselves Catholic fell from 18 percent to 13 percent -- a decrease of nearly 30 percent. Hispanic Catholics 18 to 34 fell at a slower pace (61 percent in 2008 to 51 percent in 2012, a 16 percent decrease). Because non-Hispanic Catholics are declining faster, Hispanics will represent a larger share of young Catholics in the U.S. in the years to come.
Though smaller in number, Hispanic Protestants are more likely than Hispanic Catholics to identify as “very religious.” 60 percent of Hispanic Protestants said they were very religious, compared with 43 percent of Hispanic Catholics. Hispanic Catholics were more likely to consider themselves to be moderately religious (39 percent, vs. 29 percent of Hispanic Protestants). This trend held across age groups, though Hispanics over 30 were more likely than the 18-29 group to classify themselves as “very religious.”
When it comes to marriage, religious compatibility is very important to young Hispanics. They consider religion to be the third most important thing, following trust and love.
Source: Originally published in Insight Tr3s as Hispanics and Religion, using various reports: Experian Simmons, Fall 2012 and Fall 2008 NHCS Adult Study 12-month; Tr3s 2012 “Hispanic 18-34s Living The 'Next Normal'”; Gallup, “U.S. Catholic Hispanic Population Less Religious, Shrinking,” March 27, 2013.
ANR de la UC presenta Foro sobre Sistemas Alimentarios
El departamento de Agricultura y Recursos Naturales (ANR, por sus siglas en inglés) de la Universidad de California presentó la semana pasada un foro de un día sobre Sistemas Alimentarios Globales. Proveer a ocho millones de personas alimentos de calidad, costeables y accesibles es el tema económico, sociopolítico y ético determinante de nuestros tiempos. Es un reto global. Pero también es un reto para uno de los principales productores agrícolas del mundo. UC se enorgullece de haber proveído la oportunidad de discutir sobre este vital tema.
La charla de Robinson fue seguida por un panel sobre alimentos globales en el que se abordó una serie de asuntos, incluyendo el de GMO, agua, pobreza, acceso a alimentos y salud humana. Los comentarios durante el almuerzo fueron presentados por el líder sobre sustentabilidad, Wes Jackson, del Land Institute de Salina, Kansas, donde la producción agrícola bio diversa tiene gran importancia.
California juega un papel importante en el sistema alimentario global y la sesión de la tarde se dedicó a discutir temas relacionados con California. Varias instituciones, incluyendo la UC y el Departamento de Agricultura de Estados Unidos estuvieron representadas; los productores también participaron. La participación de jóvenes envueltos en el movimiento de justicia alimentaria añadió vitalidad a la discusión; la suya es la generación que sentirá por completo los efectos de las decisiones que tomemos ahora. No obstante que no se logró un consenso en cada uno de los temas, sí surgieron algunos pensamientos sobre la agricultura en California. Somos innovadores, somos de vital importancia para el suministro alimentario nacional y global, y lo que hagamos aquí importa.
Información adicional sobre el programa y los oradores está disponible.
El enlace para la transmisión se localiza en http://food2025.ucanr.edu/webcast.
Esperamos que vea la transmisión y pueda aportar a la conversación. Es algo que vale la pena tener y en lo cual todos tenemos un interés.
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