MARISSA: SHELLY, THOSE I SPOKE
WITH ALONG THE BORDER SAY TH
MANY ARE MISINFORMED WHEN
ASSUMING THAT LATINOS DON’T
SIMULATE.
>> THEY’RE ASKING US TO
ASSIMILATE, BUT I DON’T KNOW IN
WHAT WAY WE HAVEN’T.
MARISOL: IN THE BORDER AREA OF
LAS CRUCES, GUADALUPE RUBIO AND
VICTORIA LOVATO ARE AS AMERICAN
AS ANYONE ELSE BORN IN THE U.S.
>> I’M A FIRST GENERATION,
COLLEGE IS AN ASSIMILATION.
YOU CAN WALK AROUND HERE AT NEW
MEXICO STATE AND MOST OF THE
STUDENTS WILL SPEAK ENGLISH AND
SPANIS
REPORTER: RUBIO AND LOVATO ARE
PROUD.
NOT JUST OF BEING AMERICAN, BUT
MEXICAN-AMERICAN.
>> I LIKE TO THINK ABOUT MY
HISTORY, MY ANCESTORS, M
INDIVIDUAL CULTURE, EVEN THE
CULTURE OF MY FAMILY, CAUSE IT’S
DIFFERENT THAN ANYONE ELSE
AND I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT THAT
YOU CARRY THOSE THINGS WITH YOU
.
BECAUSE THAT REALLY IS WHO YOU
ARE, THAT IS YOUR IDENTITY.
REPORTER: ASSIMILATION IS THE
PROCESS OF ADAPTING OR ADJUSTING
TO THE CULTURE OF A GROUP OR
NATION, AND THE QUESTION OF
WHETHER OR NOT LATINOS DO IT IS
COMING UP MORE OFTEN.
IN JANUARY, VETERAN JOURNALIST
TOM BROKAW SAID HISPANICS SHOULD
WORK HARDER AT ASSIMILATING, AND
SOME RESIDENTS IN NEW MEXICO’
BOOTHEEL AGREE.
>> THEY’RE COMING HERE WAVIN
THEIR FLAGS, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY
THERE ARE GOING TO SEND THE
MONEY BACK THAT THEY MAKE YEAR,
SEND IT BA THERE.
DO TRY TO MAKE THEIR COUNTRY
BETTER BY TAKING FROM OURS.
>> IF SOMEONE IS COMING IN TO BE
PART OF US, THEY NEED TO ACCEPT
WHO WE ARE AND BECOME PART OF
THE SYSTEM, AND NOT BECOME
SEPARATE AND DIFFERENT
MARISSA: BUT AN NMSU PROFESSOR
BELIEVES THAT THOSE WHO DON’T
THINK LATINOS ASSIMILATE ARE
MISINFORMED.
>> PEOPLE WHO MIGRATE TO THIS
COUNTRY, NO MATTER WHERE THEY
COME FROM, TYPICALLY IN ONE OR
TWO GENERATIONS THEY ARE GOING
TO ACULTURATE, THEY ARE GOING TO
EMBRACE THIS CULTURE AND
SOCIETY, AND WHEN I SAY CULTUR
, THERE ARE MANY CULTURES AND
MANY COMMUNITIES THROUGH THIS
COUNTRY AND I THINK HISPANICS DO
A PRETTY GOOD JOB OF THAT.
REPORTER: MORE THAN 18% OF
AMERICANS IDENTIFY AS HISPANIC
OR LATINO, AND 99% OF THE
LATINOS WHO ARE THE
GRANDCHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS,
SPEAK ENGLISH.
>> IT DOESN’T MEAN TO HAVE
DIFFERENT VALUES, O THAT THEY
DON’T RESPECT THIS COUNTRY OR A
VALUE LIVING IN IT, IT JUST
MEANS THEY LOOK AND TALK A
LITTLE DIFFERENT, AND THAT IS
OK.
REPORTER: MEXICAN-AMERICANS LIKE
UBIO AND LOVATO WANT PEOPLE
KNOW THAT THEY, T AWWW, WANT
WHAT’S BEST FOR THEIR -- THAT
THEY, TOO, WHAT WHAT’S BEST
FOR THEIR FAMILIES.
>> WE ARE PROUD OF WHO WE ARE,
AND I DON’T WANT TO LEAVE MY
ROOTS BEHIND IN ORDER TO BECOME
SOMETHING THAT THEY WANT ME TO
BECOME, BECAUSE I THINK THE
COUNTRY STANDS FOR MORE THAN
THAT.
>> NOT ONLY ARE LATINOS DIVERSE,
NOT ONLY ARE THEY HERE, BUT
THEY’RE CONTRIBUTING TO AMERICA.
WE’RE NOT A SECOND RATE
CITIZENSHI
 
 
 
 
WE ARE WORKING FOR THE SAME
THINGS.
MARISSA: AND THEY TOO WANT
WHAT’S BEST FOR THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERIC
ASSIMILATION OR RELIGIOUS MUSIC
DIFFERENT THINGS TO DIFFERENT
PEOPLE DEPENDING ON WHO YOU ARE
TALKING TO.
ON THE SPEAKING ENGLISH OR EVEN
GOING TO COLLEGE, OR EATING A
CHEESEBURGER VERSUS A BURIAL CAN
REALLY BE A SIMULATION DEPENDING
ON THE PERSON YOU ARE TALKING T
.
>> THE ALRIGHT, DIFFERENT
PERSPECTIVES, DIFFERENT LIFE
EXPERIENCES, BUT INTERESTING
DEFINITELY TO HEAR THAT ANGLE.
BYRON: AND A BIG THING IS THAT
ASSIMILATI DOES NOT JUST
IMPACT LATINOS AND IMMIGRANTS,
IT IS PEOPLE OF AL DIFFERENT
CULTURES AND BACKGROUD.
SHELLLY: THANK YOU AS ALWAYS,
MARCELLA.
WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKIN
