Not All The Same: Reflections on Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month
September 15th marks the beginning of what has come to be known as a complex and sometimes controversial time of celebration. The Month is said to celebrate the historical contribution of a particular category of people who-- if one looks at the bigger picture-- have been around long before the settlers who colonized this continent. Hispanics and Latinos have been swept up together under one umbrella term that is struggling to stretch itself over the masses. The situation is notorious in the United States. All one has to do is look up a TV clip of CNN or NBC or Fox and the issues with Latinos-- particularly those from Mexico and Central America. There, one can find all the content needed to get a grasp of how controversial that topic can be. It is just as dismal for those living in Canada. If you look at Canadian records, Hispanics and Latinos cannot distinguish their ethnic identity from their racial category. While there are options to select "Latin American" in some questions...those who try to select the Latin American marker with any other identifier will be counted to the latter as opposed to the former.
The concept of "Hispanic" and "Latino" if we are being honest with ourselves, actually stems from a narrow ideological viewpoint. The term "Hispanic" is a unique-- if ambiguous-- term derived from the United States Census. According to Paul Ortiz, author of An African American and Latinx History of the United States, the word "Hispanic" traces its origins coming from an English translation of the word, "Hispano." This means someone whose origins derive from Spain. As Ortiz pointed out, this actually can be argued as being detrimental to any thorough understanding of the people this is argued to represent. Ortiz said, "That immediately erases all of the centuries of pre-Columbian history, culture and civilizations that existed before the European conquest and colonization of the Americas ... and that's understandably upsetting to people who are not [W]hite." Even up until the 1970s, Hispanics and Latinos when having to select their identity for the US Census often had to choose the option: "Mexican."
The legacy of this month is rooted in the fervent pushback against the same policies and procedures that have attempted to erase the ethnic traditions and life-ways of countless identities. This is also the same systemic structure that-- when it was unable to erase these people-- quickly began looking for ways to exploit them for profit. In recent years for instance, both the Republican and the Democratic Parties have been battling for dominance for the broad category's vote. Yet neither party has even attempted to fully grasp the entirety of scope of what it means to belong to this particular collective. Instead, there are efforts to further malign, divide, and to continuously take advantage of this populace.
Current dialogue surrounding the question of what to call this populace fails to address the heart of the matter: which is that this naming is trying to neatly box what are otherwise numerous identities into one label. Who does this benefit? Surely not the people that this is impacting. Many of them-- regardless of their origins-- rarely ever identify with each other. While they may be friendly and have relations with those outside of their categories...many resist the systemic effort to be broadly lumped together. The Puerto Rican Pride Parade in New York City for instance, celebrates the cultural influences of Puerto Ricans in New York. These in turn have also inspired other celebrations such as Dominican Pride Day Parade. If we are being honest, efforts to pack various identities under one label are perpetuating the same problems they claim to alleviate. Creating a broader label tends to serve those who exist outside of that context better than the communities being impacted. A marketer who has been told to create advertising for its "Hispanic" or "Latino" customer-base may not know the difference between Mexican, Central Americans, South Americans, etc. But that marketer believes that because those people all speak a similar language, they will all resonate with their brand's outreach. In their attempts to supposedly honor or uplift an entire populace, they actually perpetuate the racism and social stigma.
This is not to say that having a month devoted to Hispanics/Latinos is entirely wrong or useless. Instead, we should use this time as an opportunity to grasp the legacy of colonialism and its impacts on the world at large as well as the Americas. When one tries to neatly parcel many complex groups into one, we are doing a disservice to everyone involved. In fact, sometimes we are perpetuating the same practices that have maligned and abused these people. Instead of acknowledging the diversity of these identities in this huge category, we are branding them as something that many do not align with or want to partake. This does not honor or respect the struggles and the unique histories and legacies of these groups. Nor does it acknowledge the richness and the intricacies. This can be a time to grasp the dynamics of each community and their stories. This can be a moment to recognize that Latino or Hispanic are broad and sometimes shallow labels. This can also be a time to realize that traditional understandings do not always work. (As is the case for many recently settled Indigenous communities from Central and South America who only speak languages that are associated with that identity and yet have been broadly categorized as Hispanic or Latino.) It also completely removes the legacy of conflict between the various communities.
Returning to the point where the term Hispanic denotes the idea that these cultures originated in Spain. It completely ignores the history of both complicit and resistant practices against the whitewashing of entire cultures. Mejorar La Raza and Mestizaje (Blanqueamiento in Portuguese) is a social practice in many Latin American countries, referring to the intentional practice of trying to marry and pair with those who are lighter complexion and into families whose behaviors more closely resembled those of the colonial power that conquered their people. It is still a prevalent philosophy and social practice that influences the daily lives of people in Latin America and everywhere Latinos or Hispanics can be found.
We need a more nuanced approach to celebrating identity. One that does not root itself-- even with the best of intentions-- in a legacy of colonialism and empire. This is not only an issue that impacts Hispanics and Latinos in the U.S or Canada. This is a global issue. In Latin America, entire ethnic communities are the target of government and corporate ire, as these entities collaborate to further enterprise and to build power and influence by disenfranchising native people to those lands. Understanding the legacy of empire and conquest is crucial for a more effective approach to honoring the legacy of Hispanics and Latinos today.
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