EssayVVazq019

The Impact of Hispanics as the Largest Minority in the United States

 My great grandmother has a picture of her, my great grandfather and their 6 children holding snow for the first time. Everytime I see that picture it’s a reminder of the sacrifices the made for our family and a reminder of how blessed I am to live the life I live today. My great grandparents moved to Connecticut in 1958 from Puerto Rico. They wanted to provide their children a better life and make sure they had greater opportunities than what they had in Puerto Rico. They came with almost nothing and no knowledge of how their lives would change or be at that point. They had no money but they had a lot of desire to better their lives and lots of determination to make it happen.  My great grandparents and their 6 children did not speak English making it difficult to communicate with others, apply for jobs and make friends at school. My great grandmother was finally able to find a job at a factory after a few months of searching where she worked for almost 25 years. My great grandfather was as a mechanic but also did any side jobs he could to help bring money into the household. Because my grandmother, uncle and aunts didn’t speak English they would get bullied a lot. Sometimes it was so bad the kids would follow them to the house. My grandmother was desperate for help so she went to a Catholic church which also had a Catholic School. My grandmother spoke with the priest and told him what has been going on. She couldn’t afford to pay tuition for 6 kids so the priest had her pay a certain amount each month and in return she and my great grandfather would help in the church and volunteer their time. My family attends this church still today. My great grandmother would work 8-10 hours a day at the toy factory, would come home to cook for the family plus cook extra food to sell. She also would iron clothes to make extra money to be able to pay her part of the school tuition. My great grandparents worked very hard and often didn’t have anything for themselves just so their children could have what they needed. They struggled a lot but their kids always had the necessities they needed. If it wasn’t because of the sacrifices they made I wouldn’t be here today.  Hispanics are hard workers who love family and are willing to make sacrifices for them every day. Hispanics have contributed to the growth of not only the United States but the world. Our determination and heart is what has lead us to not be minorities as it was one seen many years ago. Hispanics have brought a mixture of cultures together; we have brought unity and have shared our love of life.  According to a report by CNN’s Monica Lozano she says “ Latino population means Latinos are projected to make up 26% of the U.S. population by 2050. As today's Hispanic population tends to be younger than comparable groups, Latinos literally represent America's future.”(CNN, Monica Lozano, Latinos play a growing role in Americas Future). As many Hispanics that migrated to the United States are getting older, it’s their offspring who are going to college and becoming successful. Many are our future doctors, teachers, military and so on. America's future economic well-being and competitiveness is increasingly contingent on the success of the Latino population.  Hispanics are known for their hard work and their willingness to do jobs that perhaps others might not want to do. Hispanic Americans are firm believers in the American dream: Hard work will earn you and your family a better life. Expected to make up much of the growth in the American workforce in the next four decades, Latinos are helping revitalize communities and strengthen local economies all throughout the nation (National council of la raza, The economic impact of latino workers). Hispanics have also been big contributors to small businesses in the country. This has allowed them to share their culture, music, food and celebration of the holidays.  Things might not be where they should be today as far as accepting immigrants however slowly we are getting there. Our perseverance and determination will assure us Hispanics to be successful in any field we choose. I will forever be grateful for my great grandparents taking a chance and working so hard just to make our path a little easier. I hope that one day many realize the positive impact Hispanics have had in the United States and the negative impact it would cause if we weren’t here.

“The Hispanic community understands the American Dream and have not forgotten what they were promised – that in the U.S., a free market system, allows us all to succeed economically, achieve stability and security for your family and leave your children better off than yourselves.” — Marco Rubio

Reference:

Hispanic Heritage Month: Quotes and Sayings to Celebrate Latino Culture and Values, By Zack US news, September 17, 2014 []

The Economic Impact of Latino Workers: A By-the-Numbers Breakdown for Tax Day, National council of la Raza, April 15, 2014 []

= Latinos play a growing role in America's future, Monica C Lozano, May 11, 2015 = = [] =


 * None of the sources above are correctly formatted. They should be: **

"Hispanic Heritage Month: Quotes and Sayings to Celebrate Latino Culture and Values." //The Epoch Times //. N.p., 17 Sept. 2014. Web. 06 May 2017. <http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/964116-hispanic-heritage-month-quotes-and-sayings-to-celebrate-latino-culture-and-values/>.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #323232; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Lozano, Monica C. "Latinos will play a growing role in America's future." //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #323232; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">CNN //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #323232; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">. Cable News Network, 11 May 2015. Web. 06 May 2017. <http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/11/opinions/lozano-latinos-growing-influence/>.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #323232; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Raza, National Council of La. "The Economic Impact of Latino Workers: A By-the-Numbers Breakdown for Tax Day." //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #323232; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The Huffington Post //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #323232; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 15 Apr. 2015. Web. 06 May 2017. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/national-council-of-la-raza-/the-economic-impact-of-la_b_7071880.html>.