BioIn The MediaForumContactHome A statement by the author   The
bebé boom Even if our borders were sealed tomorrow and not a
single illegal immigrant entered the nation, nearly one in five
people in the U.S. will still be classified as Hispanic by 2025.
In less than a generation, we can expect a “bebé boom” of young
Hispanics entering the job market. Will our economy find work
for them? Or will we have an unstable mass of restless, idle,
and alienated youth?  What is a Hispanic? This often-misused
term first coined in the late seventies lumps all people of
Latin American and Spanish origin into a single group. The term
has morphed into a quasi-racial label that creates the illusion
of a monolithic bloc among Spanish-surnamed people. In reality,
people labeled Hispanic vary widely in politics, economic
status, and race. But the specter of a racial conflict has
already stirred a mainstream backlash. As the number of
"Hispanics" grows, mainstream fears will intensify. The presence
of fringe separatist groups are