But members of social organizations representing the two groups said those disagreements are growing pains that might soon fade. Marisa Demeo, general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, said tension between the groups can't be avoided. There are enough issues out there and enough commonality that we share. The increasing Hispanic population has had an impact on everything from political campaigns to business marketing. Major corporations pay millions to advertise on Spanish-language television, where ratings in some cities surpass those of English stations.
Salsa is now more likely to sit on America's kitchen tables than ketchup.
Next week, the government plans to release more detail on race from the census, including counts for Asian Americans, Native Americans, whites and others. One of the most closely watched numbers will be how many people checked more than one race box. The new census figures provided a glimpse into the mixed-race figure. The numbers showed that far more people than expected checked off black and another race in the census. Recent national studies had indicated that 1 percent or 2 percent would, although some experts said the publicity about the new option could drive numbers up.