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NASW Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month 2003
Hispanic Heritage Month evolved and grew from Hispanic Heritage
Week, which was established in 1968 as a way to honor, recognize,
and acknowledge Hispanic culture, achievements and heritage.
In 1988 President Ronald Reagan extended this week to a month.
The dates were chosen because September 15 is the Independence
Day for five Hispanic countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala,
Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico celebrates its independence
September 16 and October 12 is El Dia de la Raza. Now, more
than twenty years later, Hispanic Heritage Month is acknowledged
by the President of the United States and celebrated across
the nation.
Statistics/Facts
The Hispanic/Latino population is the largest and fastest
growing minority group in the United States. According to the
2000 U.S. Census there are 35 million Hispanics living in the
United States- that is 12.5 percent of the country’s
population. The U.S. Census Bureau also reports that Hispanics
total 16.5 percent of school enrollment, with 9.4 million Hispanics
enrolled in nursery school through 12th grade as of October
2001. An estimated 28 million individuals speak Spanish at
home (Washington Post, September 15, 2003) and, according to
a recent article (September, 2003) in the Hispanic Link Weekly
Report, one out of every five, or 9.8 million children, between
the ages of five and 17 speak a language other than English
in their homes. Research conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center
in Washington, D.C. also found that, according to Hispanic
demographic trends, Latinos have spread out faster than any
other previous immigrant or internal immigration wave.
The Hispanic/Latino population is made up of individuals from
various parts of the world.
- 20.6 million (58 percent of the nation’s Hispanics) – are
of Mexican origin
- 3.4 million are of- Puerto Rican origin
- 1.2 million are
of- Cuban origin
- 1.7 million are of- Central American origin
- 1.4 million
are of- South American origin
- 765,000 are of- Dominican
- 100,000 are of Spanish origin
- 6.1 million have- other Hispanic
origins
The 2000 Census confirmed that Hispanics are the youngest
of all racial and ethnic groups in the United States; 17.1
percent of all persons under the age of 18 in the U.S. are
Hispanic. The median age of the Hispanic population in 2000
was 25.9, with the median age for Mexicans being 24.2, and
40.7 years for Cubans.
The economic status for the Hispanic population has improved
significantly over the past 10 years. The percentage of Hispanics
employed in service occupations or as operators and laborers
in 2000 was 41 percent and 14 percent are employed in managerial
or professional occupations. The median income of Hispanic
households in 1999 was $30,735- the highest ever recorded.
The number of Hispanic-owned businesses is currently at 1.2
million, employing more than 1.3 million individuals and generating
$186.3 billion in revenues. Hispanics own 39 percent of all
minority-owned businesses, more than any other minority group,
of which women own 28 percent.
As of 2000, 57 percent of all Hispanics age 25 and over had
attained at least a high-school education, 11 percent at least
a bachelor’s degree, and 573,000 had an advanced degree
(master’s, MSW, PhD, MD, or JD).
Politics
Cesar Chavez was monumental for his work as a labor leader,
as was Herman Badillo, a politician. Dennis Chavez was the
first ever Hispanic U.S. Senator, and Henry Cisneros was the
Secretary of Department of Housing. Lauro Cavazos was the first
Hispanic American to hold a U.S. Cabinet post as Secretary
of Education from 1988-1990. Other Hispanic politicians of
note include Henry Gonzalez, Gloria Molina, and Congresswoman
Illeana Ros-Lehtinen.
Education
Miguel Algarin, Joseph Fernandez, and Jaime Escalante have
all contributed to the education field. Miguel Algarin holds
a Professor Emeritus for his more than 30 years of service
to Rutgers University, where he taught Shakespeare, Creative
Writing and United States Ethnic Literature. His many accomplishments
include editing several anthologies, writing for television
and theatre, and authoring more than 10 books of poetry. Joseph
Fernandez was the chancellor of the New York Public Schools,
the nation’s largest school district. Jaime Escalante
was the inspiration for the feature film “Stand and Deliver”.
The movie illustrates how he inspired a class of high school
students and helped transform them into mathematicians and
scientists.
Although the Hispanic community has gained in education and
socioeconomic stability there are still areas of concern that
social workers can address. These issues include income and
poverty, language barriers, access to healthcare, immigration
challenges, and high school drop out rates.
The number of Hispanics living in poverty is 1.5 million (20.2
percent). This represents a 20-year low. Research indicates
that Hispanics who speak primarily Spanish are less likely
to have a regular doctor, more likely to lack health insurance
and report poorer health status. Hispanics are more likely
than any other minority group to be uninsured in the United
States.
It is appropriate for social workers to assess whether we
are meeting the needs of this population. The Health Resources
and Services Administration’s State Health Workforce
Profiles reveal that, as of 1998, a vast majority of social
workers in the United States were non-Hispanic whites (65 percent).
Only seven percent of social workers are Hispanic/Latino (www.hrsa.gov).
How many of you speak Spanish? Take the poll.
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