Growing Hispanic and Latino Community Helps Shape America’s Future

As we’ve seen in recent years, Hispanic culture is becoming increasingly important nationally. Their cultural roots have made their way into the fabric of the greater American consciousness and have only added to our country’s eclectic background. As the Hispanic population grows and their influence is felt in more varying ways, we continue to see how their presence, politics, values, and culture shape our country.

Late last month MSN reported this growing demographic is foreseen to make big waves in the coming 2012 elections. Their numbers are growing, as is their influence in states that haven’t been traditionally considered Hispanic or Latino battleground states. The 2010 Census reported that the Latino population has almost doubled in several states, and some analysts foresee the increase to continue across the US. These figures are a lesson to the larger public that Hispanic culture isn’t just something that exists in one or two states or in certain areas of the country. Their influence as a part of our country is being felt by the greater whole and is helping shape the future of our nation. With the Republicans and Democrats in hot debate for control over the political landscape, neither party will neglect this key demographic, which will figure into the deciding factors for the outcome of 2012 elections.

Besides politics, Hispanic and Latino culture are the benchmark of many current American communities. Our country has seen an increase in Hispanic entertainers and programming on network television, which brings seemingly two different worlds together. The popularity of novelas and other Spanish-speaking programming has increased in the US, according to an article by Variety. Novelas are television programming depicting various interpretive melodramas where the characters portrayed are usually Spanish-speaking. The series, “Soy Tu Duena”, according to the Neilson ratings, topped the Monday night lineup among the other networks heavy hitters, such as “Two and a Half Men.”

Last year the Senate voted on the Dream Act, but it failed in the final vote with 55-41. This was a bipartisan bill designed to help children of illegal immigrants become citizens through agreeing to go to school or join the military. This act failed, but it will likely see the floor of the House soon.

Hispanic and Latino immigrants are working every day to be a part of our country’s communities and continue to help shape it’s future. It will be interesting to see how these cultures will either clash or meld together in the coming years. With so much at stake and on the cusp of change, we can only wait and see how an ever changing America will continue to evolve with its people.