Category Archives: Multicultural

Asian Americans speed past Latinos in US growth

by Amber Davis WHAT’S HAPPENING Asian immigrants account for the largest number of new arrivals to the States, helping Asian Americans surpass Latinos as the country’s fastest growing racial/ethnic group. According to a Pew Research Center report, about 36% of US immigrants arrived from Asian countries in 2010, compared to 31% from Latin America (PewSocialTrends.org, […]

Digital divide? What about the time-wasting divide?

by Amber Davis WHAT’S HAPPENING There’s a new dimension to the push to get more low-income consumers digitally connected, particularly African Americans and Latinos: making sure that access goes beyond entertainment. According to a new Kaiser study, children from low-income families spend more time watching TV, playing videogames and engaging with social networks than their […]

Black and Latino beer drinkers change the market for everyone

by Amber Davis WHAT’S HAPPENING Beer brands are turning their attention to African American and Latino consumers, whose increased consumption and influence on white drinkers is set to have a massive impact on the market. Industry experts expect African American and Latino consumers to drive 70% of market growth between 2000 and 2020 (Advertising Age, […]

A growing number of African Americans have no religious affiliation

by Lisa Parks WHAT’S HAPPENING Although African Americans are more involved in organized religion than the general population, a growing number of what some are calling “nones” are coming out. “Nones” are people who do not identify with any of the religions in the American marketplace. Some do not consider themselves to be atheists or […]

Want to reach Latinos? Go mobile

by Amber Davis WHAT’S HAPPENING According to a Nielsen study, heavy mobile use among Latinos shows no signs of letting up. Latinos are at least 68% more likely than non-Latino whites to watch videos online and are one-fifth more likely than non-Latino whites to watch videos on a mobile phone (TechCrunch.com, 4 April 2012). They […]

Latinos lead demand in the beauty market

by Anayat Durrani WHAT’S HAPPENING Total spending by Latino consumers on personal care products and services rose from $5.3 billion to $7.5 billion between 2000 and 2009, up 41%, according to Packaged Fact’s report, “The Latino Health and Beauty Care Market.” Non-Latino consumer spending grew only 15% (InsideCosmeceuticals.com, 1 December 2011). According to the findings, […]

SCARY INSENSITIVITY

by Amber Davis Halloween comes once a year, but having one’s pants scared off has become a weekly fix. Just check out the millions of pairs of eyeballs tuning in to shows like Walking Dead, American Horror Story and Death Valley. No sweet-faced vampire romances here — these shows focus on scares and gore. But […]

Latino and black Americans hit worst by hard times

by Hans Eisenbeis WHAT’S HAPPENING The Great Recession did not hurt all Americans equally. It tended to punish the middle and lower classes worse than the well-off, and it hurt men more than women. But a July 2011 study shows that the biggest disparity may have been racial. According to the Pew Research Center, Latino […]

Immigrants fatten up to fit in

by Abelardo de la Pena Jr. WHAT’S HAPPENING We’ve told you about how some recent immigrants to the U.S. start eating unhealthy food, gain weight and become susceptible to diabetes and heart disease. Now, a University of Washington Department of Psychology study shows that some immigrants choose high-calorie American dishes to prove their American-ness. Asian […]

ABC sitcoms go bicultural, ads and all

by Abelardo de la Pena Jr. WHAT’S HAPPENING Two must-watch ABC sitcoms in a SoCal bicultural midlifer household took on a bicultural turn themselves, commercials and all (Iconoculture observation, 11 May 2011). In Modern Family, Gloria, played by Sofia Vergara, gets her husband Jay to hear a business pitch from her friend Guillermo. Jay berates […]

BEING HEARD

By Abelardo de la Pena Jr. Most violent incidents — a school shooting or a shopping-center murder spree — provoke anguish, anger and sympathy. But among some Latinos, those events are cause for another layer of anxiety, as they wonder if the perpetrator was someone from their own ethnic group. If not, there’s an exhale […]

On both sides of the border, Latino men are undergoing makeovers

by Abelardo de la Pena Jr. WHAT’S HAPPENING As immigrants continue to stream into the U.S. from Latin America, although at slower rates, their cultural influence continues. They’re shaping the cultural and consumer behavior of U.S. Latino men. Machismo is out; good grooming and work/family balance are in. In various parts of Latin America, the […]

Latino farmers a growing force in Florida

by Abelardo de la Pena Jr. WHAT’S HAPPENING Latinos claim the highest rate of new farmers in the nation, and their ranks are growing in Florida in particular. They’re contributing to local economies and introducing new fruits and vegetables to market. Florida has more than 3,100 farms and agriculture-related business where Latinos are the principal […]

Bus a move: Tween girl teaches dance via traveling bus

by Lisa Parks WHAT’S HAPPENING Twelve-year-old Amiya Alexander has her peers dancing in the street. The Detroit tween launched Amiya’s Mobile Dance Academy for kids whose families can’t afford the cost of professional lessons. Drawing up a blueprint in crayon, Amiya developed a business plan for a traveling studio within a pink school bus (TheGrio.com, […]

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