Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month With Targets On Our Backs
Terminology like “Hispanic” or “Latino” is problematic for many Spanish-speaking members of the Global South for its erasure of our respective cultures. It is, however, how we are identified in the United States for social and political reasons. Despite that, Hispanic Heritage Month gives us a chance to clarify the record, define who we are based on our heritage, and emphasize the diversity of our communities across racial and ethnic boundaries.
Hispanic Heritage Month begins on September 15 to highlight the anniversary of the liberation of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua from Spanish colonial rule. Mexico commemorates its independence on Sep. 16. Chile on Sep. 18. And we can’t forget how Columbus Day falls within the month in what feels like an effort to rub it in a little.
As Latinos, or Hispanics in this case, we are far from a monolith exposing how creating groups and labeling them in a way that is often considered “alien” to many in the U.S. can be extremely detrimental to our well-being. Truth is, in a white-dominated society like the United States — known for its exceptional efforts to “other” non-white groups — it’s expected. How to deal with it, however, is the subject of much discussion that has been happening for more than a century.
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