Hispanic Journalists Association Blasts Brokaw: ‘Assimilation Is Denying One Culture for the Other’

“Hispanics are no less American for embracing their country of origin or that of their ancestors,” Balta said. “Being bicultural and bilingual is a strength in an increasingly multi-ethnic, multilingual society.”

On Sunday’s Meet The Press, Brokaw claimed that a lot of Republicans do not want “brown” grandchildren and said he believes “Hispanics should work harder at assimilation.”

“And a lot of this, we don’t want to talk about. But the fact is, on the Republican side, a lot of people see the rise of an extraordinary, important, new constituent in American politics, Hispanics, who will come here and all be Democrats. Also, I hear, when I push people a little harder, ‘Well, I don’t know whether I want brown grandbabies,’” Brokaw said. “I mean, that’s also a part of it. It’s the intermarriage that is going on and the cultures that are conflicting with each other. I also happen to believe that the Hispanics should work harder at assimilation. That’s one of the things I’ve been saying for a long time. You know, they ought not to be just codified in their communities but make sure that all their kids are learning to speak English, and that they feel comfortable in the communities. And that’s going to take outreach on both sides, frankly.”