National Hispanic Heritage Month: Celebrating Culture and Navigating Terminology
Posted on Sep. 19, 2024 / Diversity & Inclusion / Subscribe 0
By Nafari Morris
Unlike many other monthly observances, National Hispanic Heritage Month begins in the middle of September through the middle of October. September 15 marks the declaration of independence of five Central American countries: Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador. The observation started as a weeklong celebration in 1968 and was expanded 20 years later to its current format.
In telling these stories, we should be aware of the terminology and its meaning to the more than 60 million people in the U.S. who identify as Hispanic or Latino. Although those terms are often used interchangeably, they do not mean the same thing, although the groups defined do overlap. Latino is defined as a person from Latin America, which refers to the countries south of the United States and includes the Caribbean. Hispanic means a person from a primarily Spanish-speaking country. Sound confusing? Latino-Hispanic artist Terry Blas broke it down in possibly the most entertaining way: this comic/column. By these definitions, as Blas explains, a person from Spain is Hispanic, but not Latino. Blas himself is both Latino and Hispanic because of his Mexican heritage.
And then there is the term Latinx, which was originally meant as a gender-neutral or queer alternative but has become controversial over the years. The term first surfaced in the early 2000s and was used more after the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando according to Google Trends, which tracks search term frequency.
Journalist Paola Ramos explored that term’s history through her own story and in the context of modern American politics in her book “Finding Latinx: In Search of the Voices Redefining Latino Identity.” Ramos was coming of age as “Latinx” was growing in popularity. As a queer person, she watched the evolution of the phrase through her reporting on the various communities that encompass the Latino experience.
The contrasting opinions on and usage of these terms show that it makes sense to speak with your subject about what is comfortable for them. As noted, Hispanic and Latin American heritage is a spectrum, and opinions can vary widely. Duke University’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion learned this when they interviewed students from their School of Medicine, those who identify as Hispanic and Latino have varying feelings on these terms. One resident physician from Puerto Rico prefers Latino, and rejects the term Latinx, as she believes it clashes with the Spanish language. Another person surveyed is Colombian-American and has no preference for any term. In that case, it might make more sense to simply note a person’s country of origin.
Our goals as communicators should be to tell stories with respect, authenticity and clarity. Understanding the nuance of these terms will help us toward that goal.
A note: While this post is focused on National Hispanic Heritage Month, we at PRSA Tampa Bay are committed to and actively incorporate diversity, equity & inclusion (DE&I) into our programming and posts throughout the year to ensure all communities and histories are not forgotten, not a trend and not limited to one moment in time. DE&I takes all of us, all the time.
About the author: Nafari Morris is a PRSA member and a communications coordinator for BayCare Health System, based in Clearwater.
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