And if you’re not well-versed in Caribbean history, you will be soon. And you’ll thank Diaz for opening your eyes. Copyright © 2008 Massachusetts Center for the Book From the Massachusetts Book Awards – A Program of the Massachusetts Center for the Book A WAY TO START Diaz divides his book into geographical and chronological parts. Only the parts don’t move in a predictable orderly way. Instead you shuttle back and forth from the Dominican Republic to New Jersey, and from Washington Heights in the northern reaches of Manhattan—enclave of Dominican-Americans--back to the island.
Reading the book “Bodega Dreams” by, Ernesto Quinonez distinguished many different characteristics in the Latinos society. Quinonez used race to define the contrast of the community and the people who live in. The main character of” Bodega Dream” who are Willie , Chino, Sapo and Nazario all had an American dream they wanted to accomplish. They wanted to make a change in their community and the way they lived. Quinonez uses the descriptions of “El Barrio” which he uses to describe his neighborhood, he gives his readers an inside view of how his way of life once was: the sights, sounds and smells that make up his neighborhood.
A Question of Identity We, no doubt are aware that America is a melting pot of ethnic, persuasion and diversion. Americans often classify people by these measures. However, in certain circumstances these traditional measures do not apply. For example, how would one measure a Puerto Rican of Latino origin who possesses a “black as carbon skin”? (128) In America there exist a parody between skin color and ethnicity: race and ethnicity are often confused and creates questions of identity of the people subjected there under.
1070, many foreigners in Arizona have seen their, “American dream” deteriorate. This law undermines the fundamental democratic principles America is built on because it
They are native-born, immigrants, pioneers, aliens, patriots and rebels. They are still battling to emerge from the obscure margins of official U.S history, still begging to be fully recognized and understood. (97) The stereotypes Anglo Americans say about Mexicans does not help their own understanding of who they are. Mexican immigrants bear some of the worst of the stereotypes in today’s society. They are often viewed as illegal, non-taxing paying leaches who suck dry the funds from local communities while they sell drugs, commit crimes and take jobs away from Americans.
He believes that there is a great lack of knowledge and a big misunderstanding of why this is happening, and argues that the main reason for the large Latino presence is U.S. economic and political domination over Latin America. Reading this book was sometimes difficult and tedious because of all the facts Gonzales uses to present his argument,
Reimaging Rosa Clemente’s Experiences Oppression is a way of exercising authority in a troublesome and cruel manner. Personally; being a white, Irish, Roman Catholic from Boston, I do not know what it means to oppressed because of my racial identity. Rosa Clemente, a current activist and hip hop innovator, grew up as a Latino girl in the Bronx. Clemente discussed situations where she was discriminated because of her racial identity within the Latino community. White, upper-class people from the Bronx had a sense of power over Latinos and other racial minorities creating a sense of oppression for these people.
Born out of a violent historical moment of the Conquista, they face a range of possibilities as they attempt to accept the consequences of that history. This is not an easy choice, especially for U.S. Hispanics who are faced with the degrees of shame or pride that they personally attribute to the reading of their particular history. It is a choice which is influenced by the attitudes of the dominant cultural society in which they were raised. The challenge of identity is extended along generational lines. The question that faces the youth of any ethnic group is shared by young Hispanics as well.
“RACE AND POVERTY IN LATIN AMERICA” In the short article called “Race AND POVERTY IN LATIN AMERICA,” by Judith Morrison, the one thing that I liked the most was how the author described that the Latin American culture is not considered to be a leading culture in the general population to lead itself to America’s growth and development (Morrison pg-1). Due to this reason, Latinos in America still struggle with discrimination that affects their culture traits of their way of life to make good money for the companies they work for as well to have a good social life in the American culture. As statics begin to grow from Latinos and African Americans coming into America, inequality still occurs in both cultures to allow opportunities for these
He views this problem as a threat to America and states that the continued migration of Mexican immigrants “looms as a unique and disturbing challenge” (Huntington). Utilizing a negative tone of voice insinuates a biased point of view that creates a predisposed negative image about all Mexican immigrants both legal and illegal. Furthermore, Huntington disputes that Mexican immigration, nationally and culturally, harms our country’s