Why is exploring Latinx identity important?
Denee Hernandez
Denee Hernandez
Identity is important because it helps us to understand who we are.
By educating ourselves on our history and culture, we can have a greater sense of belonging, which is important to a person’s well being and confidence.
While Latinidad is something that is impossible to quantify, I would say that it’s a deep, rich and loving pride with deep roots that has extended from our ancestors and exists within us all.
The Latinx / Chicanx community hasn’t always been entirely inclusive. As with all efforts of movement for change, there are always areas of improvement that can and should be made. As the culture has continued to expand and evolve, many among us now strive to shed light on our marginalized communities such as Indigenous Latinx, Afro-Latinx and queer Latinx familia. This is sometimes represented with the "x" or an "e" to signify gender neutrality. As we learn who we are, we create a space for community and understanding within ourselves as well as within others.
“...The concepts of assimilation and acculturation do not take into account how power differentials in society affect cultural adaptations.” [Hurtado, 24]
Historically, as the Latinx community has integrated into American culture there has been a push for assimilation to an unachievable American standard. As assimilation has taken place, some have felt a need to surrender parts of their identity to appear more desirable or acceptable to those in power. This in turn means that aspects of themselves were then equated to something that relinquished their power and needed to be hidden. As a unfortunate consequence this led to various losses in these parts entirely in order to achieve the “American Dream”.
Thankfully it seems that In today's climate, multiculturalism is accepted and even celebrated. And with the knowledge of the past I believe it is important to recognize what aspects were previously deemed undesirable so that going forward the representation of what it means to be Latinx isn’t simplified or once again curated for a dominate culture. Being Latinx should be as complex as the people who identify as such.
In the video above Mark Hugo Lopez, Director of Race and Ethnicity at the Pew Research Center and Cristina Mora - UC, Berkeley Sociology professor discuss how generations of immigrants identify themselves and their preferences. The consensus is that their is not one identity name that is preferred over the other, but they still hold great importance to the researchers in this video
Identity is very important because it defines
how we see ourselves,
how we wish to be perceived,
who we are
and why we matter.
REFERENCES
Hurtado, Aı́da, and Patricia Gurin. Chicana/o Identity in a Changing Us Society ¿quién Soy? ¿Quiénes Somos? University of Arizona Press, 2004.
https://thecentercv.org/en/blog/latinx-latine-how-to-be-inclusive-in-spanish/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMgcpCADC-4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5aNETEV99k