Honoring the Latinx Community Beyond Hispanic Heritage Month
by Jennifer Taylor
Photo Credit: Jennifer Taylor (middle)
This past month was Hispanic Heritage Month (*cue Salsa and Cumbia music), a government-sponsored event from September 15th-October 15th. It commemorates the many contributions of the “Hispanic community” in the science, development, and culture of the United States.
Personally, I didn’t grow up celebrating this month. My parents immigrated here in the 80s when obtaining residency was much more doable and relatively more welcomed. They both left the familiar including their family and friends in Ecuador, without knowing the language or the culture of the U.S. They worked in factories, learned English for free, received free to low-cost education, and worked tirelessly for years to make the “American dream” a reality for my siblings and me. The timing was truly ordained and it was God’s plan to build a new legacy here in the U.S.
When I was four years old, we moved to a house in a homogenous suburban town in New Jersey. Yet despite being in a predominantly white environment, my parents did not assimilate; they refused. Instead, they acculturated, determined to preserve our heritage, our music, our food, our language, and most importantly, our values. They drilled a strong work ethic and the importance of knowing who we are and what we stand for because others will be quick to stereotype us because of where we come from. It was absolutely incredible to see how we managed to be surrounded by other Latino families in this environment. My mother confessed that she purposely sought out other Latinos in proximity to build an extended family including cousins who were already here and new friends who became family.
As an adult, I now reflect on the courage and the determination it took to persist despite being seen as different and maybe even strange. I hated growing up being told “I don’t hear you in English, speak to me only in Spanish” when I knew my parents were fluent in English. There was a time I rebelled against carrying on “old traditions.” Yet now I see this as an act of resistance that being in a new place did not mean they needed to sacrifice an integral part of who they were. This profound appreciation and admiration only grew deeper when my father passed away two years ago. His endless sacrifices and support provided a strong platform for many opportunities and successes my siblings and I have experienced. Embracing my culture and my roots have always been and will continue to be influential in not only how I view myself, but also how I see and move within this world. Honoring my culture is honoring my parents, and most importantly it is honoring God. To deny that part of myself would be to deny the way God made me. I am a Christian, yes, but I am also a proud Latina.
I say, Latina, because, truthfully, I do not identify as Hispanic. It’s most definitely a personal choice in this aspect and this is why. I personally find it confining when describing the entirety of our cultures to our colonial relationship with Spain. The term Hispanic includes backgrounds deriving from Spain excluding Brazil, and Latino includes Brazil yet excludes Spain. Although Spain is included in my ethnic identity, I choose to identify as Latina as I feel the term overgeneralizes our collective experience and diminishes our strong Indigenous and African bloodlines bringing too much emphasis on our Spanish colonizers but...I digress.
Currently, we represent the second-largest racial/ethnic group in the United States. Our influences are felt in, I would argue, every facet of American life. Over the last few years, we have seen some amazing Latinx representation, including:
The mind-blowing genius of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” on Disney Plus, garnering new audiences across the nation to enjoy this unique masterpiece.
The first Afro-Latino Spiderman swung into our lives (I can’t wait to show my son when he is old enough) in the wildly successful Spiderman: Into the Spider-verse, which is set to have a sequel. My son will get to grow up with a superhero that looks like him, something that many of us never had.
Selena the series (yes I am a HUGE Selena fan) is slated to air on Netflix in December of this year.
Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina Supreme Court Justice, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest woman to ever serve in the U.S. Congress, and Julia Salazar, Chair of New York’s Committee on Women’s Health, continue to serve as powerhouse activists for the underserved and underrepresented.
Jennifer Lopez and Shakira shocked the world with their SuperBowl performance interweaving the beautiful tapestry of the Latin culture while using this platform to speak out against the continued abuse of migrants and highlighting the tumultuous relationship between Puerto Rico (still colonized) and the U.S.
Photo Credit: Maddie Meyer - Getty Images
There are many more examples of excellence in the arenas of medicine, business, technology, science, entertainment, journalism, and activism. I love how America Ferrara put it, “My identity is not an obstacle, it is my superpower.”
The irony is that our contributions and influences have been instrumental since the birth of this nation. Not only in culture and science but also in the political arena, military including fighting wars, and literally building this nation’s infrastructure over centuries. Despite our longevity as a people within this country, we are still not seen as “real Americans,” therefore perceived and treated as less valuable. We are persistently questioned and stigmatized because of how we look, the countries we represent, the language we speak, and the names we carry. We are told to go back to our countries when many families reside on lands that were stolen centuries ago. I will never forget the first time I was referred to in a racially derogatory way. It was an awakening where I realized I was seen as “other” despite being born here. Numerous cultural elements have been blended within the dominant culture, yet we are simultaneously instructed to “act more American” - whatever that means.
Unfortunately, xenophobia has been more prominent in recent years. Labeling immigrants and migrants as “criminals” and “animals” has certainly influenced enforcement on a more sinister level. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has somehow evolved into a paramilitary force becoming a living nightmare for many families. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned that family members and myself would be targeted due to the growing hostility and assumptions around who looks undocumented. Migrants are being locked in cages for seeking asylum, children separated from their parents, coerced and forced sterilization of women, lack of medical care resulting in death from the flu and COVID-19, and even attempts to build a physical wall. All of these measures are targeting and impacting those from Latin countries. However, there is no doubt that the coronavirus pandemic, which has ravaged the United States and the world at large, is even more devastating to the Latinx community. It is clear when looking at the data comparing infection and death rates among people of different races and ethnicities, that Black, Latinx, and Indigenous people are the hardest-hit communities. Dr. Peter Hotez, Dean of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, recently spoke at a virtual Congressional Hispanic Caucus in September where he highlighted that:
Photo credit: www.lawfirm4immigrants.com
“This virus is taking away a whole generation of mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters, you know, who are young kids, teenage kids. And it occurred to me that what we’re seeing really is the historic decimation among the Hispanic community by the virus.” (NBC News)
My mother is an essential worker. As a childcare worker in a private daycare, she puts herself on the line every day despite having a history of asthma and cancer caring for the children of those who do not work remotely. She’s not alone, Latinos are disproportionately working essential jobs that put them at higher risk for contracting the virus (i.e. grocery store workers, farmworkers, factory workers, restaurant workers, domestic workers, childcare workers).
As of September 19th, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, stated that hospitalizations among Latinos are 359 per 100,000 compared to 78 per 100,000 in white people. Deaths related to COVID-19 are 61 per 100,000 in the Latino population compared to 40 in whites, and Latinos represent 45 percent of deaths of people younger than 21. These are troubling numbers, to say the least. It is no secret that health disparities exist when comparing Black and brown communities with that of the white community.
Latinos are also more likely to have high-risk factors or co-morbidities such as obesity, asthma, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer that can certainly make contracting the virus more lethal.
Latinos are also more likely to be uninsured, unable to take off of work without penalty should they feel sick, and unable to pay for medical treatment should they need it.
The outbreak has also devastated the Latinx community financially partly exasperating existing racial inequity when it comes to income and wealth.
We most likely have jobs that cannot be done remotely resulting in higher unemployment rates. Throw in the added complexity of immigration status, I would say it is a perfect storm of risk factors leading to higher rates of infection and death.
Despite the very sobering realities of the impact of COVID-19 and xenophobia on the Latinx community, I thank God for how He created me. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. It is for such a time as this to proudly continue the legacy my parents have started, teaching my children to boldly embrace their whole cultural selves. My prayer and my hope is that when we reflect on the vast contributions, accomplishments, and influences of the Latinx, that we as a nation will strive towards authentically honoring and uplifting my beautifully vibrant, resilient, and powerful community. I also pray that my story and the stories of my people are honored not just one month a year but that they are celebrated every day as a continual call to action for equity and equality. To genuinely honor someone or in this case, an entire community, in this way, it must come from a place of love - a love that flows directly from God and a love that produces action.
