Peril and Promise. (1980-2000)

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Description

In the 1980s, the nature of the Latino Diaspora changes again. From Cuba a second wave of refugees to United States - the Mariel exodus - floods Miami. The same decade sees the sudden arrival of hundreds of thousands of Central American? (Salvadorans, Guatemalans, and Nicaraguans) fleeing bloodshed and death squads. A backlash ensues: tightened borders, anti-bilingualism, state laws to declare all illegal immigrants felons. But a sea change is underway as Latinos spread geographically and make their mark in music, sports, politics, business, and education. Latinos present a challenge and an opportunity for the United States. America's largest and youngest growing sector of the population presents what project advisor Professor Marta Tienda calls, The Hispanic Moment. Their success could determine the growth of the United States in the twenty-first century; however their failure, contributing to an underclass, could also pull this country down. The key to their success is education.