Acculturation and Assimilation: Latinos in the New South

Debra Schleef (University of Mary Washington)

and H. B. Cavalcanti (James Madison University)

Who is Latino?Definition of Hispanic or Latino Origin

2010 Census:Hispanic origin can be viewed as the heritage, nationality group, lineage, or country of birth of the person or the person’s parents or ancestors before their arrival in the United States.

People who identify their origin as Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish may be any race.

Latinos in Dixie:

One or more of one’s grandparents born in Latin America

Table 2. Greater Latinos by City and County (Counts and Percentage)

Counties 1990 % 2000 %

Charles City 38 0.6 45 0.6

Chesterfield 2,099 1.0 7,617 2.9

Dinwiddie 197 0.9 237 0.9

Goochland 43 0.3 144 0.9

Hanover 330 0.5 847 1.0

Henrico 2,220 1.0 5,946 2.3

New Kent 91 0.9 176 1.3

Powhatan 37 0.2 184 0.8

Prince George 982 3.5 1,625 4.9

Cities

Colonial Heights 199 1.0 274 1.6

Hopewell 435 2.0 651 2.9

Petersburg 373 0.9 463 1.4

Richmond 1,744 0.8 5,074 2.6

Total 8,788 1.1 23,283 2.3

Source: Bureau of the Census, 1990 and 2000.

Face to Face Interviews (~100 Questions)

English, Spanish, and Portuguese

Quantitative Sample of Hispanic Surnames (N = 173)

Qualitative Snowball Sample (N = 130)

Overall N = 303

Methods and Sample

Conflation of race and ethnicity

[U.S. Census Bureau: Latinos “confused”]

Race as biological, cultural, social context

◦ “la raza”

◦ [Rodriguez, Changing Race, 2000]

Latino Identity and Race

2010 Census

Hispanic: 42%

Latino: 13

Gave country of origin: 31

American: 14

What ethnicity do you think of yourself as?

Hispanic/Latino/a: 25% White: 39% Black: 3% Color descriptor 8% Mestizo 7% Ancestry term 9%

Race

Fitting In

“I’m very happy with life in Richmond, satisfied with all aspects of my life. I have never experienced any discrimination, although I look Hispanic. People accept me, even though it may not be as an equal.”

Why Richmond? The Peaceful City

“The Civil War consumes Richmond, and Richmond is a big backwards. Richmond is stuck in history. Richmonders are very proud, and don’t see the need to move on. It has a misunderstood sense of importance.”

“The city itself is divided. Some revel in the Rebel flag. [I say], accept being American together with all other Americans, since the only ones that truly belong here are the American Indians. If bigger cities can accept that, why not Richmond?”

“One horse town. The thinking is small and the prejudices are big.”

Historical Wounds in the Capital of the Confederacy

Emphasis on Symbolic Ethnicity (Mary Waters, 1990) 

Two Chambers of Commerce

American Hispanics of Richmond Association (AHORA)

La Asociacion de Hispano-Americanos de Richmond (AHAR)

Pan-ethnic identity or “generic” label ?

Fitting In: Latino Community Presence

“When you speak of Latin Americans, think of British / Australian / American. We speak the same language, but we’re all different! We will even talk about each other—we have internal pride, and our own ethnicities. Generalizing is tough.”

[Colombian immigrant]

Not all embrace pan-ethnicity

Anti-immigrant bias Anti-Mexican bias Social Class

“Many Hispanics come here and expect the U.S. to adapt to their wants and need. For example, [in terms of] learning English, some families teach only Spanish in their home. If they liked it that much, stay there.” (31year old Salvadoran immigrant)

Intra-ethnic Relations prevent some community

Some concluding thoughts:

◦ Magnified role of class in ethnic integration

◦ Paths for traditional, minority-identified, and selective acculturation

◦ Class divisions prohibit a sense of pan-ethnic solidarity

◦ Symbolic ethnicity and emphasis on middle class cultural events actually is not costless

What does it mean to be Latino in Dixie?