SJS 8 - The Long Struggle for Mexican American Rights

Source: Alexandra Délano. "The Long Struggle for Mexican American Rights." Current History Vol. 114, Issue No. 769. February 2015. Pg. 77-79. 

Author Credentials: Alexandra Delano is very qualified to provide an unbiased account of information regarding the struggle for Mexican rights in the United States because she is an assistant professor of global studies at the collegiate level. She also acquired her doctorate's degree from Oxford University in the field of international relations, which involves human interactions such as immigration and foreign rights. Being involved in teaching related subjects as well, I found this woman to appear to be very qualified and informative, reinforcing the validity of the article. 

Summary: The author argues that despite the relatively large minority that Mexicans compose in the population of the United States, the Mexican-American people are not fairly represented, are granted less rights, and face racial discrimination. She reinforces her argument by stating that although the Mexicans in the U.S. are the second largest Hispanic population in the world and are predicted to rise to approximately one third of the U.S. population by 2060, it is wrong that Spanish has not become a second official language, which she believes is unfair. As perceived in the public eye, Mexicans are hard working manual laborers, and are considered to only be of use when concerning "busy work" which may be regarded as below the white men. Many Americans also grow wary of the increasing Mexican population in America, and are fearful of a revolution, in which the Hispanics fight to regain their previously owned territory. Despite the Mexicans' supposed unfair treatment in the United States, the author, who appears to be of Hispanic descent, strongly believes that Mexicans provide much cultural, political, and economic contributions to the United States. 

Analysis: Yes, it is evident that the author makes a strong argument in supporting the equality of rights for Mexicans in the United States, but her personal background and tone of voice contributes negatively to the article, providing readers with what I would consider a difficult to support argument. Being of Hispanic descent herself, and myself being of non-Hispanic descent, it is inevitable for disagreements to arise, as both parties will bring forth bias alongside their arguments, oftentimes relating back to their origins and beliefs based on their race.