Happy Latinx Heritage Month!
A bunch of you are probably wondering what in the world Latinx even means, or why I wrote Latinx the way that I did. Do not fret for I am here to explain it all.
It is quite common for one to hear someone use "Spanish", "Hispanic" and "Latino" interchangeably. This is incorrect. The term "Spanish" can refer to a few things, a person who is from the country of Spain, the language spoken by Spanish - speakers or anything that comes from Spain. It is much like how we don't go around calling people who speak English or come from a country that speaks English, an English person.
Hispanic is a more tricky term. Believe it or not, the many countries that have Spanish as their national tongue haven't always held Spanish as their native tongue. Prior to the imperialistic colonialization by Spain, the various countries in South and Central America as well as Africa all had their own languages and cultures. Once the Spanish colonizers came in, the native peoples that inhabited these lands were either killed or forced to assimilate to the Spanish culture, which included the language, or to suffer the same execution of their kin. These countries that they moved into would not be considered Spanish because they are not the country itself. Instead, the United States coined the term, Hispanic, to describe anyone that comes from these countries. For example, if you are from Mexico, The Dominican Republic, or Puerto Rico you could be considered Hispanic. However, many people opt out of doing so because with the term Hispanic comes the identification and association with that imperialistic colonization of the native peoples that inhabited the country before they were attacked.
This is where Latinx comes in.
The more recognized term is Latino or Latina, but before I explain what Latinx means, I'll explain the difference between this term and the others described before. Latino is a more geographical oriented term. Countries in Central and South America, including Mexico, are considered Latin American countries, and the people that come from those countries are considered Latino/a/xs. However, Latino/a/x does not signify Spanish speaking. For example, Brazil is considered a Latin American country, however Spanish isn't its national language, so people that come from Brazil are not considered Hispanic. Latin America is called so because the countries that colonized it, Portugal and Spain, speak Latin rooted languages. Latinx is an extension of this, the only difference being that Latinx is a more gender inclusive term. Latino, which applies to males, and Latina, which applies to females, can leave those who do not identify as either left out. Hence, the term Latinx was coined.
Well, there you have it, in celebration of Latinx Heritage Month, please take the time to learn what these terms mean and use them correctly. While at the surface they could look like they mean the same thing, in actuality they refer to vastly different ideas.
Mucho credito a mi novia Esmeralda Luna, quien me da más sabidurÃa cada dia.
