Emily Martin

HJM Project Number: 24589 1963 LATINO VOICES OF WORCESTER An Interactive Qualifying Project Report submitted to the Faculty of WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Science by Emily P. Martin Michael A. Sangillo Date: May 1, 2007 Approved: Professor H.J. Manzari, IQP Advisor 1 Table of Contents Introduction..................................................................................................... 3 Literature Review ........................................................................................... 8 Part One: Population................................................................................................... 8 Part Two: Cultural Assimilation ............................................................................... 10 Part Three: Latino Literature .................................................................................... 15 Methodology:................................................................................................ 19 Introduction............................................................................................................... 19 Literature Review...................................................................................................... 22 Interviewing Process................................................................................................. 22 Analysis ........................................................................................................ 25 Conclusion .................................................................................................... 33 Bibliography ................................................................................................. 36 Appendix A: Population Tables.................................................................... 40 Appendix B: Graphical Illustrations of Hispanic Population Growth ......... 41 Appendix C: Interview Questions ................................................................ 44 Appendix D: Interview Release Form.......................................................... 46 Appendix E: Interview Transcriptions ......................................................... 47 Appendix F: Additional Relevant Interview Transcriptions ...................... 113 2 Introduction For decades, scholars of Latino studies have conclusively referred to one definition, that Latinos have ethnic roots originating in Latin American countries; everything else in Latino studies is much more problematic. The Oxford English Dictionary defines Latino as “a Latin-American inhabitant of the United States”. The same dictionary also defines Hispanic as “pertaining to Spain or its people”, and “a Spanish-speaking person especially one of Latin-American descent living in the United States”. It can be inferred from these definitions that Latinos are recognized as being a part of the larger group Hispanics. “In the past two decades, the term Hispanic has come into general use in the United States to refer to all people in this country whose ancestry is predominantly from one or more Spanish-speaking countries” (Oboler, 1). These two terms are often used interchangeably, without awareness of their differing definitions; however, renowned scholar, Ilan Stavans of Latino Studies at Amherst College, makes the following correlation in his book, The Hispanic Condition, on how Americans use these terms: Although these terms may seem interchangeable, an attentive ear senses a difference. Preferred by conservatives, the former [Hispanic] is used when the talk is demographics, education, urban development, drugs, and health; the latter [Latino], on the other hand, is the choice of liberals and is frequently used to refer to artists, musicians, and movie stars. (Stavans, 23) The United States uses these terms to easily encompass this group of Spanish-speaking individuals. Hispanic is a term selected by the government after Hispanics lobbied successful to have the government acknowledge that they were a group impacted by prejudiced laws and social systems. It allowed for the government to track the needs of Spanish-speaking people around the country as civil rights laws were being created and enforced. (Vázquez) 3 It is in the confusion of these subtle distinctions that many take offense to the use of either term. The growth of the Spanish-speaking population has influenced American culture, and American society is slowly learning to accept their changing culture. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Latinos are currently the largest ethnic minority present in the United States, and are also the most rapidly growing ethnic minority in the U.S. today. The growing proportion of Hispanics in the U.S. population constitutes one of the most dramatic demographic shifts in American history. The number of Hispanics is increasing almost four times as fast as the rest of the population, and they are expected to surpass African-Americans as the largest minority group by 2005. It's projected that nearly 1 of every 4 Americans will be Hispanic by the year 2050, up from 1 in 9 today. Yet other Americans often have no clear idea of just who these 29 million people are. (U.S. News & World Report, May 11, 1998) The increased numbers of Hispanics has triggered many changes in American culture1. BBC News reports, “Spanish has become the most popular foreign language in American high schools and universities. Public officials are also being encouraged to learn the language” (BBC News, November 5, 2003). “Language courses for city employees, especially police, are common in areas with established Spanish-speaking populations. Tucson police, for example, earn extra pay if they become bilingual.” (USA Today, December 26, 2006) It is becoming ever present that a balance must be found, forcing adaptations from both the Latinos and the Americans. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the United States experienced what many historians call the “melting pot”. A large wave of European immigrants moved to the United States during this period, which sparked a gradual transformation of American 1 U.S. Latino population: 9,294,509 (1970); 14,603,683 (1980); 22, 354,059 (1990); 35,305,818 (2000) www.census.gov 4 culture. At that time, American culture became a montage of the many different cultures. A century later, the United States is undergoing a second episode of the “melting pot”. From the data, Americans are now learning that the turn of this century is very much like the turn of the last, a story of the role of immigrants in national life, but this time with immigrants from fundamentally different origins. The impact of this is being felt powerfully in major urban centers, particularly the brawny burgs that first helped define this nation to the rest of the world. (U.S. News & World Report, April 2, 2001) The mass influx of Latinos has initiated the merging of these two cultures as one. A prime example of this effect is the recent debate over the song, Nuestro Himno, the Spanish version of our National Anthem. On April 28, 2006, President Bush, the voice of the American people, conveyed his discontent with the prospect of the National Anthem, an epitome of American culture, becoming a bilingual tribute to the United States. The New York Times reports Bush’s belief that “the anthem would not have the same value in Spanish as it did in English” (New York Times, April 29, 2006). The controversy over the Spanish rendition of the National Anthem is a typical example of Latinization, or the process of changing words to make them Spanish in nature. The debate over the National Anthem illustrates both the defiance of the American culture to change, and the influence that the Latinos are having on American culture. Despite the changes that the American culture is enduring, Latinos experience their own difficulties with assimilating to American life. “Latinos in the U.S. …find themselves subordinated in the social hierarchy and subjected to various forms of economic, linguistic, racial, or cultural exclusion” (West-Durán, 23). Substantial evidence to Hispanic discrimination, as recognized by the Federal Courts, was the gerrymandering of the voting district boundaries in heavily Hispanic populated areas in the 1960’s. 5 Diluting effect of minorities' votes by adoption of particular election plan, or gerrymandering of election district, as violation of equal protection clause of Federal Constitution. 27 ALR Fed 29 (USCS Const. Amend. 14, § 5) Since then, this problem has been corrected; however, Latinos still face challenges, such as the struggle to find desirable and well-paying jobs to sustain themselves. Other challenges include language barriers, and facing the generalized, negative connotations concerning Latino groups. The city of Worcester, Massachusetts has a large Latino population, about 26,155 people according to the 2000 Census (www.census.gov). This accounts for approximately 15 percent of the total population of Worcester, at about 172,648 people, and it is almost 18 times the population of the Latinos in Worcester in 1970, about 1,486 people (US Bureau of the Census, 1972). A graph featured in Appendix B illustrates the exponential growth that Worcester has experienced since the 1970’s.2 The population statistics, from 1970-2000, show an increase in each distinguishing group of Latinos as listed on the census: Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and other.3 Puerto Ricans are the majority group among the Latinos in Worcester, and the Census Bureau

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