Welcome to my month long excursion into celebrating Hispanic Heritage month! Usually I don’t bother, but because of todays times, I feel like it’s a contribution I can make to my community by way of a “secret menu” vibe like introduction. Maybe the information presented will be old news, or maybe there will be a lot of “oh wow, I didn’t know that” moments. It will be a fun journey, and full disclosure, I absolutely have an agenda.
A brief listicle
HH month was made an official thing in 1968 during the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson. It was turned into a month long festivus while Ronald Regan was in office.
By way of the National Museum of the American Latino - the term Latino is used to: “describe the diverse residents of the United States with cultural or ancestral ties to Latin America or the Caribbean. For many, the term "Latino" also creates room for acknowledging Black, Indigenous, Asian, and other heritages on equal terms with European ancestry. The term “Hispanic” is used to signal a connection to Spain or the Spanish language.”
Antonia Banderas is Hispanic, he is not Latino. Bebel Gilberto, a Bossa nova queen is Latina. She is not Hispanic.
If Flamenco was a person they would be Hispanic. Bossa Nova would be Latino.
The U.S Census Bureau states that “Hispanics or Latinos can be of any race, any ancestry and any ethnicity.”
Claudia Sheinbaum, the current president of Mexico, has no connection to Mexico before the 1920’s and 1940’s, through the immigration of her parents families from Bulgaria and Lithuania. She considers herself to be 100% Mexican.
Latino/a/e/x refers to people with ties to Latin America only.
I do not speak Spanish, and I didn’t enjoy my trip to Spain, but my mom is from Central America, and my food and holiday culture is predominantly influenced by her side of the family, therefore I consider myself to be Latina. I am also 100% American - and that is the context I will be traveling while completing this series.
As this is an inclusive list for the whole month - I will refer to the event by its government title, and get specific when I need to.
What is a “diaspora”
“Diaspora refers to a large group of people who share a cultural and regional origin but live away from their traditional homeland. Diasporas come about through immigration and forced movements of people.” - National Geographic.
Regarding Latin America and recognizing our similarities and differences, we must acknowledge how we were colonized.
🌟 Our similarities (amongst the Latin American countries), beyond language, stem from oppression. From the original Spanish and Portuguese “conquerors”, the Catholic Church, and in some cases, British-backed piracy. An example is how the Catholic Church instituted and ingratiated itself with certain areas, which may differ greatly due to indigenous resistance and “religious practices” prevalent amongst the population of that time. The present-day reach of the Catholic Church varies and even wanes due to the lack of access to specific regions at certain times in history (because of motivation or technological advances in road work).
Regarding food, the more north the country aka, closer to the North American border, the more likely the people enjoy spicy food, because of their access to the agricultural ingredients that make up the spice factor. Further South, hints of spice (or hot ass fire in your mouth foods) are not considered local or part of the culture. Latino food is also a mix of indigenous, European, and African influences - trade routes, slave and product, and how long an indigenous population survived, determined what foods made it to country-specific status.
Understanding that Latinos/Hispanics are part of a huge diaspora (thought not the biggest in the U.S) is vital to understanding your neighbors. We are not a monolith and we should not be treated or considered as such.
As a “safe” Latina (more on that in upcoming posts), I often have to field questions about why did the Latinos vote for so and so, and how could we (the immigrants, children of, etc) betray democratic ideals by voting in any other direction, because we came to this country to escape fascism blah blah blah. After politely, but firmly stating that this is a colonial way of thinking, and also incredibly patronizing, I point out a few things:
there are 33 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, with varying and sometimes vastly different policies within,
not all immigrants came for political reasons, and if they did, the political reasons are still so fresh that when someone says they know someone or has family from Nicaragua, I have to ask what year they came, because that lets me know what “side” they were on.
sometimes the only thing one Latin country has in common with the other is the language, and due to accents and colloquialisms, maybe not even that.
Where will this month take us?
On an adventure that supports a mission of inclusion, understanding, community and awareness. The more you know, the less you will fear, and that liberation from fear will allow for growth and radical support.
thanks,
kit
