The 2008 Tools Campaign: Speak in Spanish

The 1980s and 1990s saw a historically unprecedented wave of migration. In those two decades the number of immigrants surpassed in absolute numbers the famed immigration of the early 20th century. And if the early 20th century immigration was characterized by Europeans at Ellis Island, then this late 20th century immigration is characterized by Hispanics.

The effects of this Hispanic wave reverberate through modern America, showing no signs of slowing. And politically this group is up for grabs. Progressive organizations must begin to campaign aggressively to show Hispanics that we are on their side. And we can do this, most obviously, by speaking their language.

Hispanic voters are now the largest minority group in the United States, having overtaken African Americans in 2003. The following year the Current Population Survey showed their population moving above 40 million for the first time, up more than 15 million in under a decade.

However, that’s just the baseline, the current snapshot. Anyone who thinks strategically about the future must realize that Hispanics are also poised for fast growth in the future – far more than the aging overall population. Hispanics are relatively young compared to the population as a whole: 60 % of the population is under the age of 28. For that reason, combined with higher fertility rates, they are growing much faster than the population as a whole.

Projections from the 2000 Census show how quickly this will occur. By 2050 the Hispanic population is likely to top 100m, meaning that the Hispanic share of the American population will double to 25%. Put another way, from 2000 to 2050 the size of the Hispanic population will rise 188%. At present, one of every five children born in the United States today is Hispanic. Even without more immigration, the Hispanic population is expected to nearly double to 20% of the U.S. population in the next 25 years.

Also, the Hispanic population is growing across America, not just in areas with traditionally large Hispanic populations. Indeed, the southwestern states already have populations with roughly a third Hispanics, but Hispanics make up a significant percentage of many other states as well. Communicating with Hispanic voters is now a strategy that should be pursued by all progressive organizations all over the country.