Same old discrimination story in new places

Just when you thought we’d taken forward steps…

The problem with Latino immigrant expansion, with Latino communities springing up where there’d never been Latinos before, is that their presence engenders stereotypes as if like dormant seeds.

All of the battles waged and won against negative stereotypes across the Southwest are being re-fought as Latinos move east.

It seems that Latino high school students in Nashville are made to take remedial English classes, even though they were born in the US and are perfectly fluent.  They are thought to be gang members because of the way they look…you know the drill.

All this was reported in Nashville’s local Tennessean.com.  The article cites a national study “on Hispanic youths’ experiences and attitudes toward discrimination.” According to the report, the study found “… Latino youth in Tennessee appeared to experience by far the greatest degree of negative stereotyping and prejudiced behaviors, and to feel the most blatantly marginalized in school, on the job, and in the streets.”

You can imagine the rest. Latino students aren’t told about SAT’s or ACT’s, they’re punished for speaking Spanish, and told the that they “Should go back to Mexico.” Old hat, sadly.

The solution, as you’d imagine, are programs in schools to educate teachers and non-Latino students.  And while that”s all well and good we all know that’s not the end of the story. Because where the kids are felling discrimination and stereotypes in the school there is more going on in the workplace and in the community in general.

I wonder if we need a study about that? I think we know better.