On Sept. 14 a Latina friend of mine who's also a college professor said to me, "Brace yourself for Hispanic Heritage Month, I'm already getting phone calls about recommendations for mariachi bands." I laughed a bit, but her comment stayed with me. See, she's half Colombian and I'm Puerto Rican, and the idea of becoming the "go to" people about such things struck me as, well, just another example of how stereotypes about Latinos often work. The fact that people are asking her about mariachi bands reveals how U.S. society usually lumps us together under the umbrella label "Latino/a" or "Hispanic" despite our cultural differences and diversity. At the same time, her warning ("brace yourself") fittingly captured how many Latinxs/Hispanics feel about Hispanic Heritage Month (which I prefer to call Latino Heritage Month because I find it more inclusive, less Spanish-oriented).
While the idea behind it was to officially acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of people of Latin American descent in this country, the narrative has been hijacked by the media for political and commercial purposes. From September 15-October 15, we Latino/as become the target of a barrage of publicity campaigns trying to sell us something (ideas, products, candidates) under the pretext of an inherent "Latino pride." And yes, many of us are incredibly proud of our heritage. We don't need Coca Cola trying to sell us pride in a can with their temporary tattoos. Is this what all Latino/as have been reduced to? Is our "obsession" with tattoos all we share? There are countless examples of Latino stereotypes circulating and they seem to exponentially increase during this month. This is why many people are now calling it Hispandering Heritage Month.
I think we Latinxs/Hispanics (or whatever people prefer to call themselves) need to reclaim this month, make it really ours. How do we do that? Here are some ideas:
- Be aware of marketing strategies trying to define for each of us what it means to be "Latinx/Hispanic." We all have our own way of understanding what it means.
We have an entire month -- and an excellent excuse -- to learn more about Latinxs/Hispanics and to share what we learn. The focus is on us, but it's up to us to take control of the narrative and strive to make Latino Heritage Month something we look forward to every year.