information for practice

The story of Hispanics in the U.S. is not a simple one. It is a rich, complex, and dynamic history. Hispanics are not one nationality or one culture or one race. They are a very diverse group. Some Hispanics are recent immigrants, but many others have lived here for generations. As one Texas educator has said, “I am a fifth generation Texan, but I’m still called a Mexican by everybody who knows me. I like to say I didn’t cross the boundary. Several boundaries crossed me.” (Shorris 1992) Even the word “Hispanic” is confusing since, originally, it was an English word meaning “pertaining to ancient Spain.” The U.S. Census uses “Hispanic,” but many Hispanics prefer Latino or Latino/Latina or Chicano. And certainly, few Hispanics think of themselves first and foremost as Hispanic, but rather as a Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, Salvadorian, etc., or as a Mexican American, Cuban American, etc., or simply as an American. But certain common threads stand out in the mosaic of people that we call Hispanic.