LATINO DEMOGRAPHIC EXPLOSION
BY STUDENT
Born and raised in the heart of Long Island and being a Hispanic 20 year old woman, I have witnessed enough to confirm that Long Island has been hit with a booming growth of Hispanic residents. How does this growing factor affect the lives of families already residing in Long Island? It is very clear that some areas contain a greater population of Hispanic migrants than others. Most Hispanic families come here legally from El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Guatemala according to a CUNY census study (Dept. Homeland 2005). Permanent residents and middle class workers either have a hard time accepting this change within their society, or welcome travelers with open arms. Depending on the areas, some permanent residents may be exposed to greater Hispanic populations than others. For example, if you are in the middle of Hempstead, NY or Brentwood, NY you will clearly see that the majority of the population is of Hispanic heritage. The statistics say that 1,321-4,253 persons in Brentwood are foreign born Hispanics (Urban Research 2007). Therefore, your view on the reasons why and thoughts of the families migrating to your neighborhood depend on where you live and also most likely your social status. Are you a middle-class working citizen struggling to find seasonal jobs and compete with many? Or, are you the head manager of a business looking to hire the hardest working employee willing to go for long shifts and get paid a less than reasonable amount?
The reason I find this topic so interesting is due to the extreme variation in opinions of non-Hispanics. I personally will start of by stating my belief that Hispanics contribute most of the time positively to society. Hispanic families come here motivated to start working and to send money to families across borders with potentially little to no source of income for food, clothes, or shelter. Where is the harm in this idea? I believe that most Hispanics do not come into this country to bring drugs, crime, or any violence. Compared to all the violence committed in this country, The Hill states that immigrants commit less crime than U.S. born citizens (Bernal 2017). The Sixth Section as shown in class clearly depicts the motive for most travelers into the U.S. The Newburgh, NY situation can be attributed amongst the entire country and can account for the reasons of many families leaving their home country. Once again, depending on the area you come from, your social status and position in society, your view may vary immensely.
From the area I come from I have personally witnessed every year the Hispanic ratio increase in my middle and high school. I was not the only Hispanic girl in my class anymore by the time I reached senior year and many of my Hispanic classmates that came straight from their homelands began to assimilate. I connected with many of them and sympathized with many about life, goals, and their dreams. My white best friend’s mother works in the heart of Brentwood, NY as a radiologist. She is currently learning Spanish and not once says “you should speak English we’re in America”. She says instead, teach me. I am luckily raised around compassionate people. Unfortunately, all of Long Island isn’t like this. Therefore, barrios are formed and most Hispanics tend to stick together in their own communities where they are accepted. My hometown is luckily growing into a welcoming area for hardworking people.
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I'm from Long Island as well and I have definitely seen the population of Hispanic people grow in the certain parts of Long Island. I agree with the reasons why the Hispanic community is segregated that you brought up and can relate by being able to see it first hand.
ReplyDeleteI love how much you reflected on your personal life in this blog post. I also really liked that you made it a point to speak about how the increase in the Hispanic population is a positive thing. I feel as though Hispanics are attached to a negative stigma and I like that you proved that otherwise.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blogpost! I totally agree with your view on how immigrants are hardworking people. They come into the U.S. to better their lives and help their families. They're not doing anything to harm society, so they shouldn't be seen as a target.
ReplyDeleteThis blog post was very well thought out and it helped me see how life can be for Latinos in Long Island, since I'm not from there. I agree with you on the thought that people's socioeconomic status and location in which you live does greatly impact the way they see Latinos and how they affect the communities when they migrate here from other places. I don't think that Latinos should be seen as a burden, instead I think they should be treated as a new way to bring culture and diversity to many places.
ReplyDeleteI love how you related your own life and perspective into these topics and related your view points into this. I definitely agree with the statement about people having different perspectives on immigrants depending on how they are living such as neighborhood location and social status. This goes hand in hand on how they will be welcomed into America especially when certain people did migrate such as Puerto Ricans into the Bronx, they were treated as a problem instead of being welcomed.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post! I was able to really envision the rise in the latino population in Long Island. Relating your personal experience is also great because you lived it first hand and can legitimately advocate for the latino population. The stigma latinos have in society is far from positive, but you were able to show otherwise and I can not do anything but agree.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I really enjoyed reading your personal opinions on the topic. I agree with you that Hispanics positively contribute to society. I think they are an important part, and things would be so different if we did not have them here. I also disagree with the negative stigma placed on them, and I really think you did a great job at pointing out the other side.
ReplyDeletei really like how you started off in your blog. it really got me more entertained in your blog. i like your statement that you addressed in your first paragraph. why do you think there is such a large range of income be Hempstead and Garden city but both down are right next to each other.
ReplyDeleteI greatly enjoyed reading about the growth trends of Latin populations in Long Island. Your personal experiences with foreign born residents is interesting and the level of content you experienced in a from cultural trans nationalism.
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