American Hispanics Live 4.2% Longer Than American "Whites"

Jessica Monje-Perez, center, of Centro Cultural de Washington County works with volunteers and other employees to prepare food boxes for migrant workers in Cornelius, Ore.Leah Nash for The New York Times

Now's The Time To Learn From Hispanics

By Nicholas Kristof Opinion Columnist

This is a time of great national crisis in America, and perhaps there’s something we can learn about resilience and looking out for each other from Hispanic Americans.

Scholars call it the “Hispanic Paradox”: Despite disadvantage and discrimination, Latinx Americans actually live significantly longer (81.8 years) than either whites (78.5 years) or blacks (74.9 years). Latinos in the United States also appear to have lower suicide rates than whites, lower overdose rates and (at least for immigrants) lower arrest rates.

There are lots of theories about why. It may have something to do with an immigrant work ethic and with religious faith and church networks, but part of it seems to have to do with a good old-fashioned sense of social responsibility. People look after each other.

My column today explores these issues and suggests that there’s something the rest of us can learn in this difficult time from the Hispanic community. Check it out.

Covid-19 Is Out of Control

The coronavirus is surging out of control, with the United States this week setting a record for new cases. Globally as well, Covid-19 is accelerating; it took 100 days to get the first million cases, and just six days to go from 8 million to 9 million.

The CovidExitStrategy website lists only six states that are moving in the right direction.

I’m still saddened by how refusing to wear masks has become a badge of identity among some on the right, a way of asserting toughness and conservative values. I’m not sure that people appreciate that the point of the mask is to protect others. So a mask is an emblem of personal responsibility; a failure to wear a mask is like driving drunk.