Why is Studying Latin America and the Caribbean so Important?
What is LAC?
If you are not from a Latin American/ Caribbean background it may be hard to understand what these places even are and why they are so Important. But Ill explain.
LAC is understood to consist of the entire continent of South America, along with Mexico, Central America, and the islands of the Caribbean (ENCYCLOPÆDIA BRITANNICA .
Why is that important?
This matters because, as of 2016 hispanic people became the largest ethnic/racial group in the nation (Census). This means that a huge group of people in our country are of LAC decent however it our education system and lack of general knowledge about this area and its culture do not match that fact. Also, it is important to many people of color that come from LAC to learn about the history of their people and often times our society and ignorance has taken that away from them (inclassdocumentary). Often times people that argued against LAC studies stated that it would make students lose “american values” seperate themselves more from the whole group (the us). Further, I believe that it is important for students of all races to learn the history of LAC in order to, stray away from ignorance and sterotypes. A large majority of the United States agriculture, territory and even economy is influenced and directly connected to Latin america which makes it extremly important that we understand its history.
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