Latin American Advocacy

The webpage I have decided to analyse is http://lulac.org/, which stands for the League of United Latin American Citizens, an assocaition which is America's most notable site promoting Latin American equality. The site identifies a variety of areas of possible improvement to the lives of Latin Americans living in the United States. These are recognised as 'Civil Participation', 'Civil Rights', 'Economic Empowerment', 'Education', 'Health', 'Housing', 'Immigration', 'Public Service' and 'Technology'. By following these links LULACs regard for the Latin American community is clear.

The 'Civil Participation' section of the web site is a prime example of this. It focuses on the political side of Latin American equality, explaining 'The Power of the Latino Community' in politics. The way in which the writer of this section understands the differences between the Mexican, Cuban and Puerto Rican shows a comprehension of the sense of individuality within the Latin American community. He does this by explaining how 'Although Latinos share a common history of Spanish colonialism and similar nation building, they differ in political processes and agendas'. This idea contrasts the stereotypical view of the Latino community that they can be catagorised as one people and that there ideas and needs can be treated the same.

Despite showing a clear interest in establishing different identities within the Latino community, the LULAC association does show evidence of having to comprimise with American society and having to stray from developing the Latin American identity. This is evident through the statement that 'LULAC will be developing a national immigration and citizenship program to assists individuals applying for U.S citizenship'. Although this shows a clear desire to assist the Latino community, it also suggests, contrary to previous evidence, that the LULAC were unable to fully maintain or develop a Latin American identity. This example shows that no matter how much the likes of the LULAC try to do this, Latin American's always have to adapt to their American surroundings and become somewhat American in order to thrive.

The site talks frequently about the toil and hardship that has faced the Latino community over the years in the USA. The 'LULAC history' section focuses on the problems that faced Mexicans in America in the 1900s in particular. It explains that although discrimination against the Black community was being more reconised, 'Mexican Americans were not allowed to learn English' and Mexican 'children had to attend segregated schools known as “Mexican Schools."' In response to this, a group of people 'united all Mexican American organizations under one title', which also involved the group's expansion, concerning every Latin American denomination, and the LULAC was born. This decision in the face of prejudice and segregation clearly shows an overwhelming sense of unity. It was particularly significant as it was the binding of the whole of Latin America in response to problems facing primarily the Mexican community; suggesting that this was the beginning of a strong Latin American identity.