The tasks related to the 2010 Census in the United States began on April 1 with the questionnaires that were sent by mail. Efforts will continue until late July with door-to-door visits to those who do not return the questionnaire. The official census website contain information (also in Spanish) such as dates, activities, history and questions found in the census. It also states that: “Most of the country will receive only English materials. Households in areas with high concentrations of Spanish speaking residents may receive a bilingual questionnaire (English / Spanish).”

Dora the Explorer, Nickelodeon’s famous bilingual character, is the new spokesperson for the 2010 Census for Hispanic families. She will empathize the importance of counting children and not miss a “historic opportunity.”

This new assessment will show how much data has changed in the last ten years (from the previous 2000 Census). It will also collect information to analyze how many Latinos are living in the United States and their demographic … before the next census.

Numbers: There were 35.3 million Hispanics in the 2000 Census. The Latino population grew by 38% since 1990 while the total U.S. population only grew 9% over the same period.

• Youth: 12.3 million are under 18 years,  or 17% of the total.
• Older People: Hispanics make up 4.8% of the U.S. population older than 50 years.

Self-perception of young people: According to the National Survey of Latinos of the Pew Hispanic Center, more than half (52%) of the Latinos between 16 and 25 years identify themselves by their families’ country of origin… An additional 20% use the terms “Hispanic” or “Latino”. Only one in four – 24% – of the total describe themselves as “American.”

Where do Latinos live: The states with the largest number of Hispanics are California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, Arizona, and New Jersey. Moreover, more than half of Latinos within the U.S. live in the states of California and Texas. Also, Latinos are clustered in the towns and urban areas.

Politics: Latinos represent 5.5% of U.S. citizens registered to vote.

Marriage and divorce: 50% of Hispanics over age 15 are married. The divorce rate is lower among Hispanics than among whites.

Poverty: The average poverty level among Hispanics (30%) is similar to African Americans, but significantly higher than among non-Hispanic whites (8.5%).

• Unemployment: The unemployment rate in the United States on March 2010 stood at 9.7%, but 12.6% among Hispanics in the country, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
• Business owners: At a national level, Hispanics own about 1.2 million business. New Mexico has the highest proportion (22%), followed by Texas (16%), Florida (15%), California (13% ) and Arizona (9%).

Member of the catholic church: Pope Benedict XVI appointed Archbishop Jose Gomez, Mexican,  as the successor of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles when the current archbishop retires in February 2011. He will be the first Latino leader of the Catholic Church in Los Angeles.

Modalities of Spanish: There are four Hispanic dialect regions or areas: the Southwest, predominantly Mexican population; Florida, Cuban-majority, the Northeast, with a predominance of Puerto Ricans, Dominicans and Cubans, although the latter is the most heterogeneous area, which represents all Hispanic origins. And finally, Chicago, which has groups of Mexicans and Puerto Ricans. In short, there are four territories and three major dialects: Mexico (over 60%), U.S. (more than 12%) and Cuba (over 5%).

DECEMBER 2010: By law, the Census Bureau gives the President the population data for the apportionment of congressional districts.

MARCH 2011: By law, the Census Bureau finishes delivering data to the states for the legislative redistribution.

Hispanics are now the largest U.S. minority, comprising 15.1 percent of the total population. The Census Bureau estimates that approximatley 30.2 percent of the population (132.8 million people) will be Hispanic by the year 2050. That means that one third of the population will be Hispanic. How Does the Census Data Benefit Latinos? Census data are used in many ways that can benefit Latinos and improve they life and the life of their families. It directly affects how more than $400 billion per year in federal funding is distributed. The U.S Census Bureau has a toolkit for reaching latinos that is designed to help organizations that serve Latinos communicate the benefits of census participation. The toolkit overview mentions a number of benefits for the Latino community, which are listed below:

The Census Bureau’s goal is to count everyone, regardless of immigration status. “It’s very important that we have an accurate count of everyone so that we know how public services can be fairly distributed and what the needs of the country will be with regards to different populations.” says Janet Murguia, president and CEO, National Council of La Raza (NCLR). Also, for the first time, the Census Bureau is providing a bilingual form for Spanish speakers. The Census is completley confidential and is not shared with other government agencies. There is a growing effort to make sure Latin communities know that their census form responses are safe and confidential. You can display this poster in your community to create awareness of the coming census.

More information on: Facts on the Hispanic or Latino Population Hispanic Population of the United States Toolkit for Reaching Latinos

We may like or hate it, but this phenomenon is among us. And I’m not refering to Spanglish, but specifically to Reggaeton. The truth is that this musical style is strongly associated with not just one country’s or region’s culture, but throughout Latin America. Whether it “represents” us or not, or whether all Latin Americans feel its lyrics represent us or not, is up for debate. And, in fact, it’s already being debated.

The site Reggaeton in Cuba (which includes a dictionary of terms to help understand the lyrics) argues: “Reggaeton became, initially, well known in Panama and in particular in Puerto Rico. But its popularity moved rapidly to other countries such as the Dominican Republic, Peru, Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Nicaragua and parts of Cuba. In recent times, it has surfaced in the United States, particularly in urban areas, like New York and Miami, that have large concentrations of Latinos. Currently, Reggaeton is known in almost all Hispanic countries, including, of course, Spain. There it entered the music market with great force, even fusing with flamenco. The tremendous popularity it has reached in Latin urban centers has prompted some to consider the possibility that this new genre will quickly replace Salsa or Merengue, among others. ”

The author of the blog  Indie.cl argues that “Reggaeton is inevitable, uncontrollable, unstoppable and contagious. Its sound is expansive. It’s invading radios around the world and breaking down cultural barriers with its bold rhymes in Spanglish. Then she adds: “It increasingly surprises us by looking for novelty and variety, and delivers lyrics that are completely provocative, talkative and humorous, of undoubted Latin character.

In these examples we can see some of that:

There are also many people who don’t like the content of the lyrics in Reggaeton. Several websites, from different parts of Latin America, have comments like these:

“The reaggeton denigrates WOMEN, treats them as sexual objects and subordinates men to the fullest. And of course there’s a mega dose of sickly and ridiculous Latin machismo (…) ”

“(…) something so insulting or abusive, even verbally, directed to a man or woman, doesn’t have my respect: I’m a musician, (…) and I’ve never gotten into this kind of music, by its lack of respect for poetry and music. ”

Even on Facebook you can join “L.A.C.E.R. (Latinos Together Against Reggaeton) and say (against, of course).

It’s easy to find a site to download audio and video files and lyrics, even in English translated into Spanish (although with many spelling mistakes), or other languages. While doing research for this article, I found clear examples of this striking mixture of English and Spanish, or the direct use of  Spanglish in lyrics (copied unedited):

As they say in the Cuban site, “You can say that Reggaeton is ‘fashionable’.” Someone in a forum said: “I believe that Reggaeton is a good musical style and that it makes many people, who have limited resources and live in poor areas throughout Latin America, happy. I like becuase it represents us as Latinos in the European countries and North America.” It’s one opinion.

Source: Spanglish en el Reggaeton