Accepted notions of demographics in the United States often contend that Latinos have traditionally been confined to the Southwest and urban centers of the East Coast, but Latinos have been living in the Midwest since the late nineteenth century. Their presence has rarely been documented and studied, in spite of their widespread participation in the industrial development of the Midwest, its communications infrastructure and labor movements. The populations of Puerto Rican, Mexican, Cuban and other Hispanic origins living in the region have often been seen as removed not only from mainstream America but also from the movements for human and civil rights that dominated Latino public discourse in the Southwest and Northeast during the 1960s and 1970s.In the first text examining Latinos in this region, historians and social science scholars have come together to document and evaluate the efforts and progress toward social justice. Distinguished scholars examine such diverse topics as advocacy efforts, civil rights and community organizations, Latina Civil Rights efforts, ethnic diversity and political identity, effects of legislation for Homeland Security, and political empowerment.
