Quotes
 Luis W. Alvarez, Physicist |
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[My father] advised me to sit every few months in my reading chair for an entire evening, close my eyes and try to think of new problems to solve. I took his advice very seriously and have been glad ever since that he did. |
 Sandra Cisneros, Author |
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I usually say Latina, Mexican-American or American Mexican, and in certain contexts, Chicana, depending on whether my audience understands the term or not. |
 Roberto Clemente, Baseball player |
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Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don't, then you are wasting your time on Earth. |
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I tell students that the opportunities I had were a result of having a good educational background. Education is what allows you to stand out. |
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 Zoe Saldana, Actress |
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| I don't understand labels. I don't need anybody to tell me I'm Latina or black or anything else. I've played characters that were written for Caucasian females, I just want to be given the same consideration as everybody else, and so far that has been happening. | |
 Raquel Welch, Actress |
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Latinos are here to stay. As citizen |
Landmarks in Immigration History from Digital Resources website
Hispanic Trends Project, from PEW Research
Latino Civil Rights Timeline, from Teaching Tolerance
League of United Latin American Citizens
Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund
National Institute of Latino Policy
In 2008, 34.6 million people 5 years or older spoke Spanish or Spanish Creole. That number includes 7.78 million children between the ages of 5 and 17 who spoke Spanish at home, 5.77 million of which reported their English-speaking ability as “very well.”
[SOURCE: 2011 Statistical Abstract of the United States]
According to 2005-2009 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the number of Spanish- or Spanish Creole-speaking people was holding steady at 35 million, or 12% of U.S. residents aged 5 and older. Of those, 53.1% reported their English-speaking ability as “very well.”
[SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, 2009 American Community Survey: Table B16001]
The Largest Minority in the United States
The Hispanic population of the United States as of April 2010 was 50.5 million people, making Hispanic persons the largest race or ethnic minority and accounting for 16.3% of the total US population.
[SOURCE: American FactFinder: United States DP-1]
California had the highest Hispanic population as of 2010, accounting for27.8% of the total Hispanic population of the United States. This translates to 14 million people, 4.7 million residing in Los Angeles County alone. That is more than the entire Hispanic population of Puerto Rico (3.7 million).
[SOURCES: The Hispanic Population: 2010 and American FactFinder, California DP-1 and Puerto Rico]
Worldwide, the United States has the second-largest Hispanic population; only Mexico is larger, at 112 million people.
[SOURCE: Profile America: Facts for Features – Hispanic Heritage Month 2011: Sept. 15 - Oct. 15]
The Fastest-growing Minority Group
There was a 43% increase in the Hispanic population from 2000 to 2010, making it the fastest-growing minority group. In 2007 alone, there were 1.06 million Hispanic births in the United States.
In California, the Hispanic population increased 3 million people from 2000 to 2010.
[SOURCES: The Hispanic Population: 2010, 2011 Statistical Abstract of the United States andProfile America: Facts for Features – Hispanic Heritage Month 2011: Sept. 15 - Oct. 15]
In July of 2050, it is projected that the Hispanic population will be 132.8 million people, and will make up 30% of the total U.S. population.
[SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau Newsroom: An Older and More Diverse Nation by Midcentury]
Origins: Over Half Are Natives of the United States
63% of Hispanic persons in the United States were native-born and 37% were foreign-born as of 2010. In comparison, 87.6% of the total U.S. population is native-born, and 12.4% is foreign-born.
[SOURCE: The Hispanic Population in the United States: 2010 – Detailed Tables]
In 2009, 47% of all foreign-born people in the United States reported as Hispanic.
Ethnic Origins in Mexico and the Caribbean
About three-quarters of the United States Hispanic population are of Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban origins – in 2010, these numbers were 63%, 9%, and 4% respectively.
[SOURCE: The Hispanic Population: 2010]
Ellen Ochoa, Inventor & Astronaut