uba, Puerto Rico, or Latin America, Hispanic immigration has been constant and will probably continue to be so. These new immigrants provide for a constant renewal of cultural ties and language skills, a factor which other traditional ethnic groups did not experience. As soon as slaves were put on the ship, that was pretty much it for their culture. It therefore allows Hispanics to maintain and reinforce their rich, diverse heritage and language even while becoming members of American society.
             While Hispanics share many characteristics in common, such as language, religion, and family values, the fact that they emigrated at different times in history from several different countries, and often for different reasons, whether economic or political, has resulted in different approaches to adapting to American society and culture. In some cases, such as New Mexico and California, Hispanics settled the land long before the arrival of Anglo-American culture. In other cases, Hispanics are arriving today from Central and South America often with nothing more than a suitcase and the hope for a better future.
             As an example, the priorities and attitudes of a recent immigrant from the Dominican Republic to the Dominican barrio of Brooklyn, N.Y., will be distinctly different from that of a successful female Hispanic business owner in Los Angeles who might trace her origin back five or six generations to a time when California was a part of Mexico or even Spain. This fact has often led to disagreement among Hispanics and within their organizations as to what are the priorities that must be addressed if Hispanics are to advance.
             Hispanic youths are growing in number faster than whites or African Americans, adding to the overall population surge. One in six children in the United States is Hispanic, and by 2020 the number is expected to be almost one in four. Since the 1980s, Hispanics have moved to areas they see as offering good work oppo...