Close
When a dear friend shared her thoughts about Hispanic Heritage Month with me, I asked if she would consider sharing them more broadly as a “guest blogger” and I am so honored that she said “yes!”
So, I invite you to read on… and as always, invite you on the journey for social justice.
What Hispanic Heritage Month Means to Me
By Andrea Sanchez-Turner (she/her)
Chicana, Poet, Writer, & Advocate
The views expressed in this article do not reflect the views of anyone other than myself.
My family never acknowledged Hispanic Heritage Month or celebrated it. It is more of an event that happens in my professional life rather than my personal life.
The term “Hispanic” leaves a bad taste in my mouth like I just touched the top of a nine-volt battery with my tongue. It is a term used by the US Government to easily group cultures together, whether we came from Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia, etc. It first appeared in the US Census in 1980, another form of forced assimilation for those with specific sounding names, Sanchéz, Morá, Pachéco, Ortíz, Rivéra, and on and on.
I claim Chicana and/or Latina. This feels more comfortable on my skin.
This is a problem for our society. Latinx people come in all different shapes, colors, and ethnicities. There is not one term that fits all of us and many of us can claim more than one, for example, Black-Chicana. We try on these terms until we find one that fits. Sometimes a term can fit for years. Sometimes we grow beyond a term, or simply decide it doesn’t fit anymore. We move on, never losing our legitimacy to any term we choose.
The attempt to group us all under one umbrella seems to have gone the way of the rotary phone. We know it existed, but we’ve evolved to something better using education, knowledge, understanding, and systematic improvement.
Two recent headlines from The Olympian [Washington State] newspaper read, “Abbott sends 2 buses of immigrants to Harris’ DC residence” and “DeSantis sends migrants to Martha’s Vineyard”. Ironically, both headlines appeared on September 15, 2022, the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month.
There is no way to celebrate Hispanic Heritage month without acknowledging what is going on within the community daily. To do this does a disservice to those who demand and need to be celebrated.
The Latinx community is often regarded as being immigrants (even when we are not), however, our cultural norms demand we respect our immigrant ancestors in Tlálócán, Mictlán, or those transitioned to the sun. Shipping immigrants around the country purely to make a political statement while celebrating Hispanic Heritage feels disingenuous and hypocritical to me. How can we as a country do one, while doing the other?
I will be happy when we get to a place in this country where we don’t need “theme” months to celebrate people of color or our LGBTQIA+ compadrés. When Dolores Huerta is as well-known as Henry Ford, Cesar Chavez’ name appears in history books along with Benjamin Franklin, and Sylvia Rivera’s story is required reading for US history classes.
Until then, I will smile and fill the space given to us for 30 days by speaking my truth and acknowledging the good intentions of those around me still saying silent prayers to my santítos for peace, kindness, and equality.
I don’t mark “white” as my race on census forms either, but that is another story.
