Discuss cross cultural factors in reference to African Americans and Hispanics

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The term African-American has supplanted black as the preferred terminology for those Americans who fall within the Negroid categorization of racial groups. African-Americans are no longer the majority minority within the United States being surpassed by Hispanics. The majority of African-Americans reside within urbanized areas of the nation. They also represent about 22.1 percent of all persons living below the poverty level and experience both economic and social hardships. The existence of such hardships places a direct burden on the relations between African-Americans and the police who serve them. Despite considerable progress in regard to race relations within the U.S., African-Americans continue to be overrepresented within the correctional institutions of this country. This overrepresentation will continue until such time as economic and social conditions for African-Americans improve. African-Americans have experienced more difficulty in becoming assimilated into U.S. society than have many other ethnic minorities for two primary reasons: (1) clearly notable racial characteristics, and (2) the legacy of slavery.
Hispanic Americans comprise the majority ethnic group in America and represent about 12.5 percent of the total population. Hispanics are those persons who identify themselves as being Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or other Spanish-culture origin. The most notable distinction for many Hispanics who have recently immigrated to the United States is that of the Spanish language. Hispanic males tend to exhibit a strong sense of machismo, in which they place great emphasis on their personal honor within traditionally male-dominated families. Hispanics have very strong commitments to family and often live within large familial groups. Religion plays an important an important role in their lives and most Hispanics are Catholic. Hispanics have traditionally been less materialistic than other U.S. ethnic groups, which combined with discrimination contributes to them being overrepresented in the lower classes. Their frustration with limited social and economic opportunities has frequently led to negative relations with the police. The largest categories of Hispanic Americans are: Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Cuban Americans.