By Cristian Gonzalez, Manager

Disclosure: I am but one queer, Latinx human, and my opinions do not reflect the opinions of others within those two communities.

Happy Latinx Heritage Month! You’re probably thinking to yourself “Wait, isn’t it Hispanic Heritage Month?” I even had a colleague recently ask me whether they should be using ‘Latinx’ or ‘Hispanic,’ and then it hit me: people simply do not know or understand the difference. While I’m certainly not an authority on this issue, my goal is for whoever is reading to learn and keep inclusivity in mind, while understanding nuances and differing personal preferences.

The term ‘Hispanic’ refers to Spanish-speaking countries or a connection to Spain, while failing to acknowledge the contributions to Latinx culture from other non-Spanish speaking countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Indigenous communities. The term Latinx also celebrates those who are gender nonbinary/gender nonconforming. During Latinx Heritage Month, we celebrate and reflect on all the influences, traditions and cultures that makes Latinidad. Latinidad is nuanced and complex; it needs to be intersectional – multiracial, multiethnic, and multinational.

While scrolling through Instagram one evening, I came across a quote from one of my favorite authors, Sandra Cisneros (shoutout to @R29Somos for posting). The quote reads:

“To say Latino is to say you come to my culture in a manner of respect. To say Hispanic means you’re so colonized you don’t know for yourself or someone who named you never bothered to ask what you call yourself.”

As someone who’s never felt a connection to Spain, I grew up using ‘Latino’ which eventually evolved to ‘Latinx’ as our definitions of inclusivity continued to expand. As we move forward to shift the narrative, it would be amiss to not draw parallels between this journey towards celebrating Latinidad with inclusivity and the Black Lives Matter movement within the Latinx community. There is so much work to do in order to fully recognize Afro-Latinidad. Throughout the George Floyd protests in June, I saw a lot of “Latinx for BLM” signs, and while good-intentioned, it erases Afro-Latinidad and ignores the fact that Black people can be Latinx.

Gone are the days where we need to “mejorar la raza,” and it’s time we embrace the collection of cultures, experiences, and backgrounds that make our community so fruitful and unique. Póngase las pilas mi gente: it’s time to put in work to create real and sustaining change. Adelante pues ??