Latinos in Dixie: Class and Assimilation in Richmond, Virginia

A look at the Latino experience in the American South using data from Richmond, Virginia.

Confounding stereotypes, this book details the experiences of a growing but little-known group: Latinos who have settled in the American South. Authors Debra J. Schleef and H. B. Cavalcanti provide rich survey data from Richmond, Virginia, a midsize city where a Latino community has only recently emerged. Notably, many of the new arrivals in Richmond are middle-class professionals. From language use, ethnic customs, and family life to workplace dynamics and, ultimately, political and religious participation, this book explores what Latinos experience in moving to Richmond and what they bring to a city previously marked by only a black/white ethnic divide. The intersections of geographic mobility, isolation, and segmented assimilation processes are discussed and shown to intensify class differences, as well-educated Latino professionals dominate the cultural and political landscape while less-well-off immigrants remain marginal.