Racism, not a lack of assimilation, is the real problem facing Latinos in America Analysis: Telling Latinos to assimilate focuses on the wrong issue, which is centuries of discrimination and exclusion, experts say. Julián Castro, a Mexican-American, is running for president. Latin music is more popular than country music, and one of the most recognizable political faces in the United States is Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., whose family comes from Puerto Rico. And yet, Latinos — even those whose roots in this land stretch back to before the nation’s origins — still face overt and subtle racism and discrimination. Hate crimes against them are rising , and they are underrepresented in film, in high-tech jobs and in the federal government workforce. And when they advocate for equal treatment and representation — or even when they just speak Spanish in public — they hear over and over that they need to assimilate. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/racism-not-lack-as