Why do we celebrate Hispanic Heritage from mid-September through mid-October? What does it actually mean to be Hispanic or Latino? Why do some Latinos not like the term “Latinx?” And who do these labels apply to?
“Understanding Hispanic Heritage” presented by NBCU Academy seeks to answer those questions and more. NBC News and MSNBC correspondent Guad Venegas explains the history and context of Latino culture in the United States.
Hispanics are the second largest racial or ethnic group in the United States, with more than 62 million people descending or originally from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
Hispanic and Latino are sometimes used interchangeably, but they do not mean the same thing. The term Hispanic typically refers to someone whose family came from a Spanish-speaking country while Latino refers to a person with ancestry in Latin America. Brazilians are Latinos but not Hispanic because they speak Portuguese, not Spanish. Mexicans, Dominicans, Cubans and so many others from Latin American countries are both Latino and Hispanic.
The term Latinx was created as a gender-inclusive alternative to Latino/Latina. There is a lot of debate on whether or not to use it to describe other Latinos. Some use the gender-neutral term Latine instead of Latinx.
A good rule of thumb is to just ask people what they prefer to use to be identified. Many Latinos like to identify themselves by the country that their families come from, like Mexicans or Mexican American. Others might use more specific identifiers to describe themselves, like Afro-Latino, which some prefer to acknowledge their mixed Black and Latino heritage.
Hispanics are not one homogenous group that can be lumped together. Each Latino culture has its own unique set of traditions and its own definition of what it means to be Latino.
NBCU Academy’s series “Understanding Heritage” breaks down the history, context and nuances behind cultural observances and days of remembrance throughout the year.
