At this time in the United States the divide between Hispanic/Latinos and whites is so wide because of the raging social and racial tensions that have been brought on by the media, news outlets, celebrities, and politicians. With the new president Donald Trump in office it is no secret that Hispanics and Latinos have been the target of much racial profiling, hate, and discrimination. Now of all times it is paramount to be united as a nation that has a backbone built on immigrants and come together for making decisions best for all. I grew up amongst both communities, White and Hispanic/Latino, up through adulthood and was able to learn and incorporate aspects of both cultures into my own life. This benefited me by making me a more cultured member of society. I believe now as a result of that I can accurately portray and deliver appropriately the beneficial features of both cultures to the nation, Whites, and Hispanics/Latinos. Through evaluating the differences among language, educational success, fertility, social and political values, income, and overall happiness between the two races, it becomes apparent just what each culture and the other, and us as a nation, can benefit and learn from, making closing the divide possible.

Since elementary, I was growing up being exposed to Mexican culture. This was because I was often at the houses and residences of my Hispanic friends. I almost spent more time amongst this other culture and race than my own. I picked up on the Spanish language, Mexican culture, foreign music, social customs, and more. I grew up being exposed to both cultures and being active among both races. I established and maintained strong relationships with my Hispanic counterparts up through adulthood. I had a best girl friend, Julissa, and boyfriend for 3 years, Eric. 

Senior year of highschool, barely 17. The internet and social media is flooded with news or popular jokes on the upcoming presidential election. But, amidst the laughs I noticed there seemed to be a growing divide between all sorts of people for all sorts of reasons. I saw this apparent at my school and through reading the opinions of others online. Tensions particularly were high between Whites and Hispanics. Just as often as I would see someone being accused of being a racist, I would see another being accused of being an illegal. 

As of right now, especially in the Southwest, there has been an influx of immigrants coming into the country illegally over the border of Mexico. This has fueled much discrimination against Hispanics and Latinos of all heritages despite being of Mexican born descent or not. The racial discrimination that Hispanics and Latinos face comes from predominantly white people and causes a divide between the two as Hispanics/Latinos form their opinions of whites based on these experiences. This divide situation has been enlarged drastically with the most recent presidential election and news outlets covering it being fuel for the fire. The election brought on an outrageous amount of hostility, it seemed, from both sides. The new president, Donald Trump, and his policies are known to be favored amongst conservative whites and that often clashes with Hispanic/Latinos political views. This played a big part causing the racial divide that was being exhibited by both races socially. Because Hispanic/Latinos are a race that includes Mexicans, they are the center of a certain controversy on whether or not illegal immigration into this country is okay, moral, and permissible. This is only one of many controversies that have grown in attention-gathering after Trump announced his run for the presidency. 

In this piece I will make several arguments as to why I believe that we as a nation should  close the divide between Whites and Latinos and how we can do that be evaluating the differences between both races. First, by calling for a little education reform, we can aide in closing the language barrier. Second, by allowing for more minority-based scholarships the gap between education success and enrollment in college can even out. Third, by reforming the sexual education program in schools, the fertility rate among Latinos can lower in percentage. For my fourth argument, to have Latinos reach a higher education success rate will sponsor a higher income. And fifth, having a higher income would bring upon a higher level of happiness. Sixth, having both races work on acceptance despite political and social differences will help lessen the divide. And lastly, the prejudice both races are victim of and commit can be changed with education reform as well. These all will contribute to allowing for the two cultures to share more in common and learn from each other’s cultural features. From this the relationships among the two could be inspiring, economically beneficial, socially enlightening, and advantageous for both cultures in almost all aspects. 

For my first argument, by calling for a little education reform, we can aid in defeating the language barrier between Whites and Latinos. This is the most obvious difference between both Latinos and Whites and is also the one that often causes the biggest barrier.  Unfortunately, the education system has failed students in the United States in terms of creating a proficiency for speaking basic Spanish. According to Richard Brecht, who oversees the University of Maryland’s Center for Advanced Study of Language, less than 1 percent of American adults today are proficient in a foreign language that they studied in a U.S. classroom. This is notable because according to the National Survey of Foreign Language Teaching in U.S. Schools, in 2008, 93% of all high schools in the country offered foreign languages. Knowing this, it is appropriate to call for a better and more rigorous curriculum in schools for language classes, especially Spanish. I know that by gradually learning Spanish and speaking it I was able to immediately make good impressions on those I would meet who were of Latino heritage and spoke the language. They appreciated that I put in effort into the learning of their language to communicate and form a type of bond with their culture. I am positive that if other Whites and Americans were to do this as well, a better relationship would come forth from the appreciation on the Latinos’ part.

Even more of a reason to instill a more of a requirement for the learning of Spanish is schools is because it is well known that Hispanics/Latinos make up a large percentage of the United States next to Whites. In fact, according to the 2010 Census, more than half of the growth in the total population of the United States between 2000 and 2010 was due to the increase in the Hispanic population. This proves how the influx of immigrants from Spanish speaking countries is only growing. I only began to see this difference when I got older. But, looking back on my younger years, such as middle school or elementary I see clearly not that there were many among my living community and within my schools. I knew many Hispanic and Latino kids and had close relationships with many of them.  As the immigrant tend continues to rise, eventually there will be more Spanish speakers in the United States than English speakers. Therefore, assuming this, it is in the Whites best interest and the interest of this nation to become proficient in Spanish. 

Calling for reform of the education system is an easier approach to closing the language barrier than to attempt at immigration policy reform. But why should Whites and other natural born citizens carry the burden? Why not require of immigrants to test proficient in English before being granted their citizenship? First off, Hispanics/Latinos are already being tested on their English simply by living here in the United States. In an attempt to assimilate into a whole other country, they are essentially being forced to speak and use English in their daily lives. I saw this sort of assimilation first hand from my best friend Julissa. I have known Julissa my entire life. We grew up together and so I saw her transition from being unfamiliar with things to having them become normal. I did not think much on this as a kid but when I look back I even remember being her seatmate in class and thinking how she had such profound accented English. I wondered why this was. By the time we were freshman in high school that hint of Mexican accent was completely gone and had been replaced.This would be necessary for them if they want to communicate to others outside of their community, find employment, enroll in higher education, or simply fully embrace the American way of life. Secondly, calling for reform of the education system, for example like changing the curriculum in secondary schools, is an easier approach to closing the language barrier than to attempt at immigration policy reform. But, to be clear neither race should be required to learn the other’s language. Forcing one and not the other or both to carry the weight of learning a new language would not be agreeable or principled, which would not sponsor feelings of equality that are needed to help aide the divide between Hispanics/Latinos and Whites. 

To address my second argument, there is less college enrollment for Latinos and a higher dropout rate compared to Whites. To combat this, there can be founded and sponsored more minority based scholarships that will sponsor more college enrollments and gradually come to even the education levels between Whites and Latinos. Only up until the last decade has the Hispanic high school dropout rate declined with college enrollment increasing. Even though Hispanics now are getting more post-secondary education than ever before, Hispanics are still lacking behind Whites, Asians, and Blacks when it comes to obtaining a 4-year college degree. In a 2014 National Journal poll, 66% of Hispanics who got a job or entered the military directly after high school cited the need to help support their family as a reason for not enrolling in college, compared with 39% of whites. Even for Eric and Julissa, two of my closest companions that have been in this country for over half of their life, an education beyond high school was difficult to access. For Julissa, the problem was being able to afford school itself. Also, it was a challenge to find a school that would be willing to accept her and her papers that clearly stated she was an illegal immigrant. As for Eric, he only could complete a semester of college until his mother and sister needed him to help support the household, as his father had been deported back to Mexico and he was the man of the house. He entered into the United State Army National Guard in order to work a job full time and on some of his time off receive pay from the military. I beared witness to their sacrifice and this in turn made me come to appreciate that which comes so easily for me. They and the statistics are examples of Hispanics exhibiting an importance of family over higher education and, therefore, success and money. 

Now I will address my third argument. By a little education reform, sexual education can be better accessed, provided, and funded in order to battle the high fertility rates among Latinos. One factor that definitely needs to be taken into account in terms of Hispanic/Latino dropout rates due to familial obligation is the fertility rates. Minority babies are now the majority among the nations infants, according the new Census Bureau Population Estimate. Hispanics fertility rate was estimated in 2012 to be 2.19. Meanwhile, Whites coming in at 1.76. Compared to other groups, Whites are having fewer children relative to other groups. With this information, the bureau estimated that non-Hispanic whites will cease to be the majority group by 2044. Because Hispanics are facing the challenge of supporting their growing families instead of attending higher education institutions, many and their families are facing economic difficulty. As for one of my close friends Mauricio and his girlfriend, Monica, this is the case. The couple both have now been forced to both work full time and struggle because they are supporting their newborn baby, Micah. Baby Micah was unexpected and put their plans for education and a different way of living on hold. They are one example of many that experience this.

 To solve this, having a higher education will lead to a better source of income. This is my fourth argument. According to the Pew Research Center, by comparison, only 15% of Hispanics have a bachelor’s degree or higher while for Whites it is 44%. With no degree, these persons are only able to obtain jobs that require minimum schooling and minimum experience. Jobs like these usually pay low. With a low pay grade comes a low standard of living. Generations of immigrants face the struggle to overcome a low standard of living because of the almost cyclical event of having to leave school to take care of their families. For Whites and Hispanics/Latinos to close the pay gap and also the standard of living gap, there needs to be stress on how important obtaining a degree from higher education institutions is for the success of the individual, family, and future generations of immigrant-descended families. 

As the United States would have it, the higher the income, the higher level of happiness one has. For my fifth point, I want to argue that by having a higher income, the persons are more likely to be happy. The Pew Research Center connects the two. The Center states that in 2011 the median income of a Hispanic household is $39,000. This income rate places Hispanics, in theory, to be around 33% very happy but not above 40%. For the actual percentage of happiness Huffington Post adds that in 2011 only three in ten Hispanic-Americans in 2011 are very happy, only 28%. Especially if it is a matter of happiness, Hispanic/Latinos can absorb this information to be beneficial for their future generations. 

Not only are there cultural differences that need compromising but there are social and political differences that play a big role in the divisions amongst the both races. For example, Whites seem to be much more tolerant when it comes to views on same-sex marriage and abortion. More than about half of Hispanics (53%) say abortion should be illegal across the board while only 40% say it should be legal. For whites over 57% say abortion should be legal.  For same-sex marriage views, only 46% of Hispanics/Latinos in 2013 expressed favor.  As for whites, over 57% supported same-sex marriage. More Whites than Hispanics/Latinos support abortion and same-sex marriage. This supports the idea that Whites are more politically and socially tolerant compared to Hispanics and Latinos. 

For my sixth point, while Whites need to focus more on allowing for an easier assimilation of Hispanic/Latinos in the United States, one way by making an effort to learn their language, Hispanics and Latinos need to prioritize education over fertility in order to achieve a higher standard of living for future generations, and work on being more open-minded and tolerant. When it comes to political and social views, oftentimes there cannot be any change made. This is because these types of views are exposed and believed in since an infant age, i.e., being raised a Catholic or being raised a Christian. Asking someone to change their religious beliefs would be going against their first amendment, that is the freedom of religion. The opening of minds is something that seems to just take time. This is apparent in the rising change of favor amongst the general public of the United States. As the generations and years go on, more and more liberal views are supported. To be clear, there is no need for someone to change their views. In the United States a person has the freedom to think how they like. People and their views can coexist in peace. It is up until the views infringe on the right of others of the views make that person who owns them act negatively towards others that a divide is created. The first step towards making all this work and changing one’s behaviors for the greater good of the nation is changing one’s attitude.

 Attitudes have the power to control people. Before any change for good can come forth, attitudes of both sides of both cultures and races need to change. Attitudes need to be positive and tolerant. A person’s attitude towards something starts with their opinion. If someone is racist against a certain people, they are much less likely to have a tolerant attitude towards working together with people of that community. 

A good way to gauge the attitudes of one person of one race towards another person of another race is to know their attitudes towards racial principles. According to  “The Real Record on Racial Attitudes,” by authors Lawrence D. Bobo of Harvard; Camille Z. Charles of the University of Pennsylvania; Maria Krysan of the University of Illinois, Chicago; and Alicia D. Simmons of Stanford, there is data to support the idea that the segregationist sentiment has not entirely gone away. In 2008 a proportion of whites nationwide, 28%, still supported an individual homeowner’s right to discriminate selling a home on the bases of race. This can be an indication that there are still high negative attitudes from whites toward inclusion of other races. These prejudiced feelings are sponsored by things like xenophobia or the fear of change. I witnessed this sort of discrimination happen against my friends. I have never been the subject of any sort of discrimination but I have stood in amazement when my friends have encountered the worst of insults and judgement from others. These sort of experiences made me feel not only disgusted but only more of association with my friends who are Hispanic. I felt for them and those feelings inspired me to be more accepting of others no matter the difference. I am confident that if the negative attitudes people have about each other can end somehow, with time or otherwise, that the gap will be a lot easier to close because of lack of conflict. 

For my final argument, if we can get to Americans in the school system early on and raise children to think more open-mindedly on their neighbors, this will sponsor adults of a better ethic necessary to lessen the divide. The younger generations along with the old need to be taught that cooperation with another person of a different color or background is not just nothing to be afraid of but also necessary for the country as a whole to excel in all fields, than the future citizens of the United States’ attitudes can change. This idea was practically impossible almost seventy to two-hundred years ago when racial segregation was the practice among American schools. Now that the United States is working towards achieving a better standard of life and equality for all racial backgrounds this idea is much more achievable than it was in the past. The nation’s future is it’s children. 

The opponents against my arguments argue that uniting two very different races is impossible. I agree that uniting people on differences can pose to be very difficult and be seemingly impossible, especially now with what has been going on politically in the United States. But this unison is possible and is very much needed for the country to prosper again. I believe that with time and if all what I proposed were to be placed into action, the divide along with prejudice would soon wither away and allow for the United States to focus on things that need our attention more. Also my opponents argue that achieving any sort of assimilation on either side for any cause would be too difficult. This is just entirely untrue. I believe people are inherently good and are capable on doing what is best for society. Also, leaders and activists only need to realize that closing the divide will sponsor much growth for the nation in terms of academic success and for the economy that will be motivation enough to work to instill ways to close the divide. And as for my opponents final argument against me, that both races already coexist peacefully enough now to where closing the divide and instilling reform is not necessary, is also simply untrue. For the longest time, I used to not have a stance. Hispanics and Whites, they are different. What could change that? Who could change that? Is there even anything that needed changing? Although I was always curious about this other culture I had spent so much time around, I felt indifferent that there needed to be any change. They were their own community and we were ours. I could leave well enough alone just like my opponents, or so I thought. Having built so many relationships with Hispanic friends of mine, seeing the discrimination firsthand, learning of the difficulties they face as being 2nd, 3rd, or 4th wave immigrants, and most of all seeing the divide between these two cultures of the United States grow large was the straw that inspired me to seek difference. If there can exist any form of discrimination like I have seen online or witnessed in person, the divide is too big. 

I propose having every level of government, city, state, and federal to sponsor and advocate for the lessening of the divide between the two races and races overall and forcing schools in their curriculums for elementary through high to heavily include and highlight the good aspects and features of each races’ cultures. I believe this will instill within the future adults of the nation a pride for their heritage and their neighbors heritages. Hispanics/Latinos and Whites have many cultural differences that divide them but ones that both can incorporate into their own culture in order to become more cultured themselves as individuals, become more sensitive to the problems and difficulties another race faces, and overall improve their own social practices, norms, and achieve the unity needed. Although I do recognize it is a point made that making change or making sacrifices is burdensome, like having more enforce on the learning of Spanish in schools, these are examples of things necessary for the betterment of society. And another thing I recognize is that even though education reform cannot fix the entire problem, it is a place to start.  Both races have it in their best interest to learn from one another’s cultures and incorporate it into their own for the betterment of society and for the future of the nation.  
