THE DISCRIMINATION OF LATIN AMERICANS, THEIR ISSUES OF UNEMPLOYMENT AND THEIR IMMIGRATION TO THE US.
Introduction.
From Fried et.al (2010), ethnic studies deal with race and ethnic identities of people and nations as an interdisciplinary area. Among the unique emphasis of ethnic studies is on the problems faced by the people of colour and also their needs. The USA, in the 1960s, introduced ethnic studies as an academic prospect to protect and fight for the rights of Latino Americans, African Americans, Chicano and the Jews. Today ethnic studies are being adopted outside of the USA and have been expounded to accommodate gender, age, sexuality and class of peoples. It focuses on how ethnicity and race of persons and groups have impacted their experience.
Discrimination of Latin Americans.
The role of race discrimination in the livelihoods of Latinos has been a topic of discussion over some time. Most people say that Latin Americans are discriminated on as per the history of the United States which consequentially limits their participation in the society. The uprise in the cases of discrimination, stereotyping with educational disadvantages puts to light the above discussions. With my research evidence of the role played by discrimination in the experiences encountered by Latin Americans living in the United States. According to Levitt, (2015), Latin American’s educational levels are a bit low than the blacks and Hispanic whites. It has been debated that it is due to the Latin Americans gaining slightly lower levels of education following the standards provided by united states but this continues and persists to 4th revolution as per (Telles and Ortiz 2008). Expounding on that I argue that educational limits to Latins hugely contribute to their stigmatization as a racial group but not just as a result of inadequate emigration capital or other causes put across by (Telles and Ortiz). The impact of race and discrimination in the challenges of Latin living in the U.S as I mentioned have been discussed over time, however other persons say that Latinos go through discrimination throughout discrimination over time as brought forward by (Acuna, 1972; Almaguer, 1994; Barrera, 1979; Foley, 1997; Gomez, 2007; Montejano, 1987; Ngai, 2004; Vasquez, 2010). their hideous and continuous history as labour migrants at the last hierarchy of the race domain, followed by the conquest of the first Latin inhabitants of the U.S southwest, have also created a distinct racial category of “Latino” int the popular imagination. While they have not been entirely excluded from economic and social integration as African Americans, Latin origin persons have encountered severe discrimination milestones, structuring chances for them (Fried et.al 2010).
Approximately 5-in-10 Latins (38%) confirm that for the past 12 months, people have offered to support them because they are Latins. However, almost the same percentage (38%) say they recently went through 2 of 6 incidents, being referred to with discriminating names, told to go back to where they came from, being assaulted for conversing with Latin in public, or experiencing discrimination or unfair treatment because they are Latin (Hernández 2012).
Latins Unemployment Issues
According to the latest employment data which has blown a hole in the unemployment gap between the Hispanics and the whites, Latinos suffered staggering job losses and have been the hardest hit by the economic thrashing induced by the coronavirus pandemic. According to Alarcon and Novak (2010), Latinos unemployment rate rose to 18.9 per cent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, amounting to an estimated more than 4 million or nearly 1 in 5 Latinos who are unemployed. The news is a severe blow for Latinos whose unemployment numbers had been trending downward since hitting about 13 per cent in early 2010 amid the Great Recession. This is a setback for the Latin Americans since the rate of unemployment was 4.4 per cent in February, and in recent years the group had closed its unemployment gap with whites to within 1 to 2 per cent. Many Latin Americans have been rendered jobless since covid-19 pandemic has left no choice but for businesses to close. Only 17 % of Latins had “work from home” kind of jobs, in comparison to 33.4 per cent of Hispanics, the Economic Policy Institute study written in March, just the time when the U.S was beginning to diffuse large gatherings and shutdown nonessential businesses. Following the Latino job report, The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) found that employers reported the loss of of20.5 million jobs in April. More than 33 million Americans have applied for unemployment insurance since the start of the COVID-19 national emergency, marking the highest rate of seasonally adjusted jobless claims in the history of the department. In the weeks since the emergency was declared, the American economy has lost all job growth since The Great Recession (2007-2009). Latinos comprise 17.6% of American workers, but 22.8% of American workers currently unemployed. In April, the Latino unemployment rate grew from 6.0% to 18.9%.
Emigration to the U.S
As per (The Columbia History of Latinos in the United States Since 1960, David G. Gutierrez), it put to light what’s termed as “rapid increase” of the Latin immigrants in the US. 1960, 74 % of Latinos emigrated from Europe and approximately 15 % from Mexico. In the late 20th century, the percentages had drastically flipped: in that 2000, only 15 per cent of the foreign population in the nation came from the countries of Europe, and increased 77 %, originated in the countries of Mexico and Asia. A key factor to put into consideration includes age: the current Latin numbers are significantly smaller than the non-Latin groups and a much higher chunk of persons in their childbearing years. therefore, Latinos will increasingly shape U.S. population growth even though immigration rates are reported to be decreasing (Hernández, 2012).
Conclusion
Latin Americans will continue to shape the population of the united states and discrimination against them will not come to a sudden halt any soon. Their skin tone and traditions will continue to be an issue for the whites which shouldn’t be the case since they are just as hardworking as they are. Their rates of unemployment had drastically reduced before the coronavirus pandemic and it’s expected to shoot up after.
References
Alarcon, A. V. M., & Novak, K. B. (2010). Latin American immigrants in Indianapolis: Perceptions of prejudice and discrimination. Latino Studies, 8(1), 93-120.
Fried, B. J., Lagunes, P., & Venkataramani, A. (2010). Corruption and inequality at the crossroad: A multimethod study of bribery and discrimination in Latin America. Latin American Research Review, 76-97.
Hernández, T. K. (2012). Racial subordination in Latin America: the role of the state, customary law, and the new civil rights response. Cambridge University Press.
Levitt, B. S. (2015). Discrimination and the distrust of democratic institutions in Latin America. Politics, Groups, and Identities, 3(3), 417-437.
Retrieved from: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Retrieved from: www.nbcnews.com
Retrieved from: www.pewreseach.org
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Employment Status of the Hispanic or Latino Population by Sex and Age,” Current Population Survey, https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf (accessed May 8, 2020), Table A and A-3.