Several weeks ago, I found myself challenged by the way I use the words Latinos and Hispanics. Since, I have found that for every "Hispanic or Latino", there are just as many definitions of these words. After doing some digging, here are a few of the definitions I discovered:
OMB Directive 15, issued in1978
Hispanic: A person of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or other Spanish Culture.
U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division, March 1993
Hispanic: Persons of Hispanic origin, in particular, were those who indicated that their origin was Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South
The Oxford University - 2008
Hispanic: Relating to Spanish-speaking people or their culture. Spanish-speaking person living in the U.S (one of Latin American descent)
Princeton University
Hispanic: An American whose first language is Spanish. Latino: an artificial language based on words common to the Romance language.
Real Academia Española- Vigésima segunda edición
Hispano: Perteneciente o relativo a la población de origen hispanoamericano que vive en los Estados Unidos de América.
Latino: Natural de los pueblos de Europa y América en que se hablan lenguas derivadas del latín.
Effective January 1, 2003, all Federal agencies adopted the revised standards for race and categories. The revised standards have five minimum categories for data on race: American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and White. There are two categories for data on ethnicity: "Hispanic or Latino" and "Not Hispanic or Latino."
U.S.Hispanic Vs. Foreign-Born Hispanics?
Hispanics form one of the fastest growing segments of consumers in America. Wise companies are trying to get ahead of the game by recruiting people who not only look and sound like, but also share similar customs to their consumers.
Despite the increasing opportunity for Hispanics in the workplace, we now see U.S. Hispanics competing with Foreign-Born Hispanics. Some U.S. Hispanics who are not fluent in Spanish are finding it more difficult to move up the ladder to upper management positions. They are reaching what some people call a "Linguistic Glass Ceiling". We currently see more American corporations bringing executives from other countries to diversify their ranks. These executives can speak, read and write English and Spanish at a professional level.
A comprehensive survey of Hispanics in the United States conducted in December 17, 2002 by the Pew Hispanic Center and The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation reveals some very interesting findings, including an overwhelming percentage of Hispanics in the USA who feel discriminated against by other Hispanics. Hispanics attribute this type of discrimination to disparities in income and education, as well as country of origin.
For more information on the survey visit http://pewhispanic.org/reports/report.php?ReportID=15 |