Reflection Essay Sample: The Struggle of Latinos in America

America is a nation made of immigrants from the earliest days, with initial residents having crossed the bridge linking North America and Asia many years ago. It is the establishment of settlements initiated by the Europeans led by the Spanish and French that later turned out to be the United States. Both Latinos and Mexican Americans have faced numerous struggles over the past decades.

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Throughout America's history minority groups for instance, in this case, Latinos and Mexican Americans have greatly been disliked unlike the whites eventually ending up discriminated. It is evident that we still live in a world full of prejudice especially in this case for the Mexican American groups that get significantly discriminated against, unlike the white counterparts. Healthcare is of great importance for any given American Citizen and should be accessible to all despite their race, backgrounds, and places of origin. One of the significant obstacles that are still present today for these racial minorities is the lack of access to proper healthcare whereby they often get limited and unfair access to appropriate healthcare.

The issue of migration has sparked different debates that have immensely affected the Mexican American communities. For instance, in the past years, Mexican Americans were treated as illegal immigrants and would eventually get deported to Mexico. Deportation is also evident in the present-day United States with the number of immigrants that get wrongly convicted of "illegal" immigration increasing gradually over the years. This deportation of minority groups such as Mexicans from America is unconstitutionally and wrongfully conducted. It portrays the group as being made of gang members, drug cartels besides committing heinous crimes a depiction that brings forth these unfair deportations.

These minority groups also face a crucial problem when it comes to their assimilation into the United States primarily due to the cultural differences. These groups much identify with their mother countries alongside maintaining their cultures a fact that has dramatically affected these groups when it comes to assimilation especially in adapting to the United States culture and way of life. Conformity gets even more crucial and challenging when it comes to Mexican Americans or the United States born Latinos. The white community, on the other hand, is significantly advantaged in comparison to these racial minority groups when it comes to culture especially with the fact that they are brought up under this American cultural context.

Another obstacle faced by racial minorities is the misconception that racism does not exist. It is however evident in the present day society that racism is still prevalent around us even though countless people are blind to this fact. The main reason behind this misconception on racism existence is that most individuals in the society opt to remain subconsciously ignorant. Latinos or Mexican Americans, in this case, get discriminated on racial grounds, primarily by their white counterparts. The minorities groups also receive impolite treatment in public places such as in restaurants and workplaces as well as in transactions. For instance, when it comes to housing, the minority groups do not often afford the white neighborhoods rents especially upon their inquiry and identification with a particular minority group thus the prices are hiked to keep them off the white vicinities.

Education is also another significant disadvantage for the Latinos and Mexican Americans in the United States. The white students, in this case, begin formalized schooling with appropriate economic and social resources unlike the Latino or Mexican American group students who are ill-equipped regarding these resources. This discrepancy results to the disadvantaged state of the minority groups that stems from the parents' immigrant and socioeconomic status as well as the lack of proper knowledge on the United States education system. Another challenge faced by the minority groups is the weak relationships between teachers and these students unlike it is the case for the white students who are always in favor of their American teachers.

The educational disadvantages implicated on the minority groups accumulate gradually and eventually results to their low levels of high school and college degree attainment. It consecutively limits their chances to secure stable employment an aspect that as well paves the way for discrimination grounds against the minorities. On the other hand, when it comes to the whites, the situation is different in that they attain the high education levels at ease with the learning conditions always favoring them. Hence they are capable of securing good and stable employment.

Another struggle faced by the minority groups is the elevated unemployment and poverty rates. These minority groups, for instance, the Latinos, unlike the whites, are more likely to work in low wage labor markets as well as in part-time jobs that denies them of various benefits as well as making it tough for them to pull out their families from the poverty states in which they live. They often get deprived of workplace benefits such as health insurance and proper retirement plans that in this case makes it difficult for them to cope up with the distinct problems that arise. It is, therefore, challenging for these minority groups in the labor market considering that the minorities, unlike the whites, are entitled to hard labor that does not proportionally compensate them for their enormous tasks and contributions.

Minority groups in the United States since the earliest days face endless challenges especially with discrimination emerging as the top factor affecting these groups. It is a challenge that has brought about countless individuals fighting for their rights as American Citizens a move that has received massive support from other minority groups. This fight has seen the numerous changes and eradication of certain aspects in the ill-treatment of the minority groups despite the considerable opposition from the confident Americans of white ethnicity.

References

Delgado, R. (1998). The black/white binary: How does it work. The Latino condition, 369-375.

Johnson, K. R. (1998). Citizens as foreigners. The Latino Condition: A Critical Reader, 198-201.

Walker, S., Spohn, C., & DeLone, M. (2012). The color of justice: Race, ethnicity, and crime in America. Cengage Learning.