Latinos in the United States LAC 231

In this Discussion Board we will focus on the national groups that are traditionally found in the U.S. from Latin America and the Caribbean. Since there are many threads under this Unit, please bear with me on the instructions for this particular post.

First: Read.

You will read the readings listed under

TWO of the four threads available in the Course Materials section – Unit III.

You will then discuss: 1) a general question that will apply to all groups, and, 2) two group-specific questions, for three questions in total.

After reading, choose to answer one of the general questions below:

1. ???What tells Latino enclaves apart? In your own words, name one feature or characteristic that distinguishes each group apart from the others. For example, “music” is something that is universal, yet could be exemplified differently in each nationality.
2. ???Would you consider the term “Latino” to be accepted and used widely among the people it ought to represent? Explain your answer.
3. ???Is there a racial divide between and/or within the national enclaves that constitute Latinos as a whole? Is there a Latino common culture? Why or why not? What about Afro-Latinos? What is their significance within the Latinx community? Support your answer with arguments.

   III-In addition to the questions above, chose to discuss at least ONE question for TWO of the four threads below (two questions in total):

Thread 1 (Mexicans)

1. ???What is the legacy left by Mexicans and their social movements to the rest of the Latino groups?
2. ???Discern between the
   Mexicans before/during the American Independence War and now; what distinguishes them?
3. ???What is the NAFTA and how does it impact Mexico and Mexicans.

Thread 2 (Central Americans and

South Americans)

1. ???Why are Central Americans such as Salvadorians confused with Mexicans; alas, why do they feel
   “invisible” or people in general do not know that much about them as they would about Mexicans?
2. ???Describe and explain the reasons behind Salvador’s
   Civil War during the 80’s and its impact on Salvadorian society.
3. ???Who are the Garifuna people and what do they struggle with the most?
   Where are they located?
4. ???Describe the uneasiness between Colombians and Panamanians when they settle in the US.

Thread 3 (Puerto Ricans)

1. ???What legacy did the Young Lords leave to the rest of the Latino people in the
   U.S.? You can watch this short video discussion from Democracy Now (“Note that Jose Gonzalez, author of The Harvesf ot Empire, was a leading member of the Young Lords party)
2. ???Analyze Pedro Pietri’s poem, Puerto Rican
3. Obituary. Would the Puerto Ricans he describes resemble the Puerto Ricans that are coming to the U.S. today? Why or why not?
4. ???What makes a “Puerto Rican”? A “Nuyorican”?
   Why the distinction between those born and raised in the U.S. versus those born and raised in the island of Puerto Rico?
5. ???What makes Puerto Ricans different than the rest of the Latino groups? Elaborate your answer.

Thread 4 (Cubans and Dominicans)

1. ???Why did Cubans receive
   “special treatment” from the
   U.S. in the first place? How do the Marielitos differ from the first waves?
2. ???What essentially changed when we talk about
   “normalization of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States” – how will that affect Cuban-Latino people?
3. ???What do you consider to be the reason behind
   Dominicans being the largest and fastest growing Latino group in recent decades? What socioeconomic factors are behind this trend? Go beyond “because they wanted a better quality of life.”
4. ???In your own words, describe the type of relationship that, in general, Dominicans have with Haitians both abroad and in the island of Hispaniola.
   Why would you consider this relationship be the way it is? Is there room to change this in the future?

NOTE: here’s my cuny information because there’s a lot of materials and is hard for me to post it. It’s under Unit III Latinos group.