This speech covers a broad range of issues surrounding the Hispanic American family and the changes it has undergone in the last 10 years. Some of the challenges that past and current society presents to minority groups are cited, and a discussion of family reviews its importance and the meaning of the concept "family" for successful identity. The Latino family is extended and all embracing, including all generations and all categories of relatives, the baptismal and marital godparents, adopted siblings, and others even outside the family itself. An exploration of the confusion and disarray that results when traditional family values in the Hispanic American community come into conflict with the majority white culture covers the decline in cross-generational relations, declining respect for elders, clashes between individualism and sharing, and distrust of educational institutions. A comparison of Latino and Anglo values highlights the incompatibility of the two systems. It is pointed out that the erosion of Latino families in the United States cannot be separated from the general condition of society, and that high levels of poverty, increasing divorce rates, and the fact that the concept of the nuclear family is no logner the norm in the U.S. affect the traditional, tight-knit family even more. A final section discusses the following optimistic indicators and trends: (1) the demographic indicators that soon minority groups will comprise the "minority majority"; (2) new models for reconstructing the family; and (3) efforts directed toward community development. (JB)