The Latino middle class is an established and growing community that has taken shape largely unnoticed outside of academia. Its growth has been overshadowed by continuing migration and a perception that Latinos are all immigrants, poor and downwardly mobile. While it is true many Latinos face economic and social challenges there is a strong and healthy middle class grown from trade union jobs, education, entrepreneurship and hard work that traces its roots back for decades, particularly in Southern California. The families own homes, send their children to college and have built vast networks with other Latino middle class families through church, work and neighborhood.;The Latino middle class is similar to the mainstream middle class but also faces unique challenges. Poor family members and friends often rely heavily on their middle class relatives for financial support, which strains their ability to save or plan for the future. In addition, middle class Latinos also face the enduring image of Latinos as poor, uneducated immigrants that contributes to their invisibility. Despite these hurdles the continued growth of the Latino middle class is critical to future economic stability in California and throughout the nation.
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