Running head: SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS 1

Summary and Analysis

Name

Institutional Affiliation

Minority groups in the United States have faced unique challenges compared to other

groups in the world. The purpose of this paper is to summarize and analyze issues faced by

African Americans and Hispanics under the face of the majority of Whites in America. While the

blacks are facing a challenge of their physical appearance, the Hispanics are experiencing the

death of their language; a phenomenon commonly referred to as linguicide. In essence, both

African Americans and Hispanics have historically lived under the concept that the whites are

superior and deserve a better place in society. It is not unusual for these groups to feel like they

live under the mercies of white Americans whose dominance stance is manifest in how they treat

the outsiders.
SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS 2

Virginia Lovliere Hampton, a resident of Portsmouth, a former slave state, describes the

ordeals the blacks face in their daily lives among the whites. In an article titled, Can I touch your

hair? On being black in New Mexico, she highlights the historical prejudices the colored, nappy-

haired Negroes have experienced in the United States even after the slave trade is long gone.

However, the author continually shows concern over how the African Americans have accepted

and embraced treatment as second-class citizens by white racists who often do things that would

have been considered a taboo. For instance, Hampton (2007) denotes various concepts that have

been embraced in New Mexico, a unique place with distinct problems from other areas in the

United States.

In what Hampton refers to as a space to make space, she describes how New Mexico is

an ideal destination with unique critical masses of indigenous and Hispanic people, as well as

foreigners who have been welcomed by the residents. She describes the lives of Uchenna

Romaine, Cecilia Webb, Nancy Holley Hughes, and Nandi Hill and how their arrival in

Southwest America has shaped their career with the intention of how the region welcomes

strangers and grooms them. But all these people have something in common, they are all black,

and coming together creates a critical mass, making them capable of living with shared

experiences.

Jose Sisneros, a professor in social work, laments on how his language, Spanish has

suffered in the hands of English-speaking Americans. As a resident in Colorado, the author

expresses his woes and those of his fellow Hispanics who grew in America and never got to

know their native language. To Sisneros (2002), his society associated Hispanics with poverty

and thus, their parents taught them the “supreme” language to enable them to become successful.

He laments that “not knowing” became more significant for it was a point of reference of who
SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS 3

was a Latino and who was not. Sisneros posits that if the authorities do not establish programs to

help revive as well as support minority languages, they will end up dying, and linguicide is

certain. Therefore, if the authority wants to save Latino language, they can seek the Hispanics

with a passive understanding of the language and create a program to help them learn the

language.

These readings have significantly impacted my understanding of race as influenced by

biological, psychological, and cultural issues shaping the lived experiences. The African

Americans have lived through a racist experience that they have normalized their encounters

which would be considered taboo. For instance, the use of N-word is common, and it has become

a common word. Moreover, the perception that one race is superior to the other can impact how

a particular group perceives itself. For example, Spanish-speaking individuals have been made to

think that English is a preferred language and can make them more successful than when they

use their native language.

SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS 4

References

Hampton, V. L. (2007). Can I touch your hair? On bein’ black in New Mexico. Alibi, 16(7), 16-

18.

Sisneros, J. (2002). The loss of a language I never had: A story about

linguicide. Reflections, 8(2), 69-76.