Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

The Hispanic community in the United States is the fastest growing and second largest ethnic group. White, Caucasian Americans are still the largest demographic in the United States today. The US Census Bureau and Office of Management and Budget define Hispanic as, “a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race” (Humes, Jones & Ramirez, 2011). This is the definition that will be used for this study. According to the 2010 US Census, the Hispanic population is 50.5 million, which comprises 16% of the total population of the country (Ennis, Vargas & Albert, 2011). The Hispanic community is still faced with a disproportionate amount of poverty and education issues when compared to their white Caucasian counterparts. The rate of poverty nationally for all Hispanics hovers around 22% (Macartney, Bishaw & Fontenot, 2013). The non-profit community is an essential and valuable resource in the US for aiding disadvantaged populations. Hispanics in the US are often overlooked in the areas of research and service delivery due to problems that are unique to the culture of the community. HIV and AIDS infections are on the rise within the Latino community, especially among new immigrants. The current demographics create an emerging field for study, especially in Texas among individuals of Mexican decent. There are currently fifty-four million Hispanics living in the United States, which makes it the largest ethnic and racial minority group in the country (Holloway, 2016). Despite some effort on the part of non-profits, Hispanics in general do not act as other racial groups in their behavior and decision-making processes. Factors such as culture, religion, and the current political climate create different behaviors that are not fully understood by the non-profit community. While in the United States outreach regarding HIV/AIDS focuses on all groups as the virus transcends barriers of race and sexuality, many immigrants from Latin American countries do not understand the disease. Education in their home countries has not progressed in the same manner. Taking these circumstances into account, how do non-profits overcome these barriers to delivering quality services and education about HIV/AIDS to Hispanics in Texas? The integration of culture and cultural capital derived from the uniqueness of the Hispanic community itself can improve service delivery. If non-profits can harness this cultural capital and integrate it into their networks, the relationships with the Hispanic community will improve.