When forms for financial aid or the recent U.S. Census come around, checking off the "Hispanic" box gives the majority of Latinos pause, according to a report released last week.
It's a feeling Veronica Culbertson can relate to.
As head of the Southwest Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, she sees some aspects of a common culture — hugging and kissing during greetings, strong personalities and close relationships "make us who we are," said Culbertson, an El Salvador native.
But the majority of Hispanics see more differences than similarities among themselves, according to a Pew Hispanic Center study.
"When Hispanics meet, we ask each other where we're from, like Colombia, Venezuela," Culbertson said. Once that's established, she said, "it's like, 'Ah, now we have an identity.'"
Regardless of being first or third generation, English or Spanish speaking, or educational attainment, only 29 percent of the individuals polled believe Latinos in the U.S. share a common culture. Instead, the majority chooses to identify themselves by country of origin.
Where you come from "culturally is what defines you as an individual," said Albert del Valle, a Lee County resident who moved as a child from Puerto Rico to New York. "No matter how long you are in this country, you still keep those cultural ties." READ MORE
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