BY STUDENT
In class, we have discussed in depth Latino/a/x migration to prominent cities like NYC and LA. In the early 20th century, Latino/a/x immigrants tended to settle in urban areas. However, more recently, we have seen a “new” Latino/a/x migration which entails Latino/a/xs moving out of urban areas and big cities and into suburbs. I just moved to the DMV area so for this topic, I chose to focus on suburban counties in Virginia and Maryland that have seen a significant growth in the Latino/a/x population: Prince William County and Frederick County. I discuss the reasons for this new migration and the reactions of people in these counties to this demographic change. Why have Latino/a/xs started migrating to more rural areas and how has this “new” migration affected suburban areas in Virginia and Maryland?
The DC metropolitan area has become significantly more ethnically diverse in the last 20 years (Jones-Correa, 192). Frederick County in Maryland has seen an overall increase in their Latino population in the last 6 years. According to The Frederick News-Post, in 2010 the Latino population was 7.3% and in 2016 it was 8.4%. Considering how large the county is, that is a significant increase. If we look more closely to towns in this county, such as Brunswick, we can see “new” migration more clearly. In 2010, Latinos only made up 3.77% of the population in Brunswick. By 2016, the percentage more than doubles to 8.89%. In the article “Census: Hispanic residents moving to suburbs, rural outskirts of Frederick County”, a hispanic woman named Dinora Garcia discusses what it was like moving to a predominantly white town, Brunswick, in the early 2000s. She felt her family attracted a lot of attention and that they were the only hispanics living there. Dinora said that her family moved to Brunswick because it was more affordable. This holds true for many Latinos migrating to more rural areas. They are searching for lower costs of living, especially housing costs. The other benefits and reasons for this migration includes close proximity to jobs, open space, and close knit communities. The public school in this town has grown with the population. The elementary school offers programs for students whose first language is not english.
Not all towns react in the same positive light. In class, we watched 9500 liberty, a documentary based in Prince William County, that follows the reactions of the non-hispanic population. This county has very negative views on the rising Latino/a/x population. This is shown in the film when a man yells at a Latin family to learn english because he “doesn’t want to hear spanish in this country.” The county even passed an ordinance that allows police to stop anybody they think “looks like an illegal immigrant” and ask for documentation. If we needed any more proof that racism is still alive, here it is. This reaction is very different than the one in Frederick County. No matter what it is, people will always have different opinions on things. These two counties are a great example of that. However, no matter how people react, this “new” Latino/a/x migration is happening and will continue to happen.
References
Jones-Correa, Michael. 2006. The New Suburban History: Reshaping the American
Dream.Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Lavin, Nancy. 2018. “Census: Hispanic residents moving to suburbs, rural outskirts of Frederick
County”. The Frederick News-Post. Accessed April 16th, 2019.
Prince William County Government. N.d. “Demographics”. Accessed April 16th, 2019.
9500 Liberty. Film. Directed by Eric Byler and Annabel Park. Virgina: 2009.
It's a shame how this country is so divided on the topic of immigration. The lack of empathy from certain media outlets and lawmakers is disheartneing. It is our job to make sure that immigrants get treated like the human beings they are. IN all, great blog post.
ReplyDelete-Derrick
This post was important because it related to what we discussed in class. Unfortunately, whites are more likely to be approved for housing in the suburbs than the Latino population. Therefore, this makes it more likely for Latinos to experience discrimination in these areas because the people already living in the suburbs are not welcoming towards minorities. Although some people may not like it, Latino migration will continue. Especially with the increase of lack of housing opportunities in urban areas.
ReplyDeleteThis blog post brings up very important topics. It is very disturbing when someone does not like hearing another language and says only English should be spoken. The United States is very a diverse country and it is sad that many people do not like this diversity.
ReplyDeleteThis post really relates to our class content. Immigration is a hot topic in many suburban areas that are seeing a rise in minority and immigrant populations due to the lack of housing opportunities in urban cities. This migration is raising tensions in many parts of the nation.
ReplyDeleteHesan
As you mention the film and the quote you gave " doesn't want to hear Spanish in this country" is a subject i have had experience in because that has been said to many family members and my self. immigration is talked about very world wide especially with the new president we have and the wall he was and is trying to build. this causes many media outlets to paint this picture of immigrants being bad always.
ReplyDelete