Currently, there are more than 50 million Hispanics in the United States and the U.S. Census projects that number to double by 2050. By that point, almost one third of the entire population will consider themselves Hispanic. Additionally, the buying power of Hispanics now exceeds $1 trillion and Hispanic-owned businesses contribute more than $70 billion to the American economy each year.
Embracing Latinos is about more than just running television ads in Spanish. We’re a close-knit community with varying backgrounds and cultural differences rooted in the history and traditions of the places where we or our families originate. For many of us, the requirements or processes of this country take some getting used to and require education to understand.
For instance, many countries in Latin America do not have or do not require an annual filing of taxes. While the majority of Hispanics pay into the system, some have yet to fully grasp the U.S. tax system. HAF has worked in the communities and churches across the country through hundreds of workshops to change that. Our direct grassroots interaction with Hispanics is leading to behavioral change. You can’t get that just through mass media.
Our motto – Building Bridges. Changing Lives. – should serve as a guide for all those wanting to incorporate themselves within the Hispanic community. Bridges into the Latino community need to be built through direct interaction, education and information in their language.
A few weekends ago, I was in Chicago for the New Futuro College Prep Fair and more than 5,000 Hispanics attended the day’s event to learn about higher education and how to get into college (watch the Univision report).
Hispanics are hungry to learn more about setting their lives on the path for success.
The need to integrate Hispanics into outreach, business or service could not be any clearer. The effectiveness, however, depends on the approach and the trust built. Every day, HAF is working to do just that and help give a voice to this growing and powerful population.
By Maite Arce, Hispanic Access Foundation