Too many issues and events to squeeze into one month of reflection and celebration
Education, along with the economy and health care are topping the list of concerns by Latinos this election season, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center. Photo by Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805
Many folks wonder why Hispanic Heritage Month is divided between September and October.
Yes, at least we get a month, but starting halfway through September seems odd to some.
So for that reason we resolve that Hispanic History Month should take up the full months of September and October, with a little bit of November thrown in to include Day of the Dead activities.
So moved and approved.
Well, that was easy.
So now that we have a couple of months, what do we do with them? Traditionally, organizations present cultural events during this time of year.
And while that is important, Hispanic Heritage Month should also be a time to recognize and reflect on important issues facing the Latino community, not only between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15, but throughout the year.
Issues such as the economy, health care and education deserve special attention.
While the nation has generally recovered from the Great Recession, 85 percent of Hispanic voters said the economy was the top issue on their minds this election season, according to a recent poll by the Pew Research Center.
About half (52 percent) of Latinos say jobs are difficult to find in their community, and when they do find those jobs they are often at the lower end of the pay scale.
According to the latest economic data available, Hispanics had a median household income of $42,500 in 2014, compared with $53,700 for all households. Hispanics also had a 23.6 percent poverty rate in 2014, compared with 14.8 percent among all households, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
But there is always a thread of optimism in Latino culture, and that bears out in the Pew study.
In 2015, eight in ten Latinos (81 percent) said they expect their family’s financial situation to improve a lot or some in the next year, up from 67 percent who said the same in December 2011. That 81 percent mark leads the 66 percent level among the entire U.S. population, Pew reported.
Concern over health care and education were also at the top of the list for Latinos this election season, both tied at 83 percent, according to the most recent Pew survey.
Access to affordable health care continues to be a major concern for Latinos.
Hispanics are less likely to seek and receive healthcare services, which may contribute to their poorer health status and higher rates of morbidity and mortality, according to the Hispanic Access Foundation.
The foundation’s previous studies found that many people did not have a primary-care physician, many were uninsured and many more reported difficulties communicating with their primary-care physician due to language barriers.
The Affordable Care Act has helped address some of those access issues, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
The department found that eight in 10 uninsured Latinos qualified for Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP), or lower costs on monthly premiums through the Health Insurance Marketplace; 8.8 million Latinos with private health insurance now have access to preventive services like mammograms, cervical cancer screenings and flu shots with no co-pay or deductible; 913,000 Latino adults between the ages of 19 and 26 who would have been uninsured now have coverage under their parents’ plan.
“Even with the major strides we’ve seen, too many in the Latino community remain uninsured. We must all work together to continue to spread the word about new coverage options. This includes working with the states that have yet to expand Medicaid to get as many people covered as possible,” the department reported.
A total of 83 percent of Hispanics surveyed by Pew also said education will be very important to their vote in the 2016 election, with many citing concerns about the high school dropout rate, access to four-year universities and lower college graduation rates than the general population.
In its 2015 fact book, “The Condition of Latinos in Education,” prepared by Excelencia in Education, data show:
- In K-12, Hispanics have lower levels of educational attainment, are less likely to be enrolled in early childhood education, and have lower mean reading and math scores than other groups.
- Many Latino students are concentrated in schools with high degrees of poverty.
- Latinos’ high school dropout rates still remain higher than other groups, and they are less likely to graduate high school on time than other groups, except for African-Americans.
- Latinos have lower mean scores in all areas of the SAT and on the ACT than do white or Asian college-bound seniors.
- At the college level, the majority of Latino students are concentrated in a small number of institutions identified as Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs).
- While Latinos have increased college degree attainment in the past 10 years, they are still behind most other groups, and represent a lower percentage of students in graduate programs.
All this comes at a time when Latinos represented 24 percent of public school enrollment in 2011, with that number climbing toward 30 percent by 2023, according to data obtained by Excelencia in Education.
Finally, what can Latinos do about it?
One of the most important steps they could take this Hispanic Heritage Month is to register to vote, according to organizations such as the League of United Latin American Citizens and Voto Latino.
“Hispanic Heritage Month is a time when our nation reflects on the contributions Hispanics have made to our history and culture. For the third year, LULAC joins the ‘Hispanic Heritage Month of Action’ campaign in an effort to encourage the Latino community to take action and register to vote,” LULAC reported.
“By 2016, 27.3 million Latinos will be eligible to vote, and as the second largest, fastest growing, and youngest group of Americans, Latinos hold the key to our country’s future…but only if we vote,” LULAC reported.
The organization is calling on the public to turn Hispanic Heritage Month into a time of action, “a one-of-a-kind on-the-ground and digital voter registration campaign that seeks to shift this cultural celebration to a month of building our community’s political power.”
Some of the organizations partnering with LULAC on Hispanic Heritage Month of Action include: Voto Latino, Mi Familia Vota, the Arizona Advocacy Network, Arizona State University, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO) and the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Voto Latino, a nonpartisan organization, launched its Hispanic Heritage Month of Action campaign on Sept. 15 with a new bilingual video in which nine Latino community leaders discuss what they feel is at stake this election and share why they’re showing up to the polls come November, according to a Sept. 17 story in huffingtonpost.com.
“There are 27 million eligible Latino voters in 2016,” notes Janet Murguía, president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR).
“We are powerful. We are strong. And we will be the ones deciding the future of this country,” said Rocio Saenz, executive vice president of Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
But the only way that can happen, notes Voto Latino’s President and CEO, María Teresa Kumar, is if Latinos actively participate in local and federal elections
To learn more about the campaign, visit hhmaction.com.
Hispanic Heritage Month
Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, on the approval of Public Law 100-402.
The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September18, respectively. Also, Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, which is October 12, falls within this 30 day period.