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Pros And Cons Of Being Latinidad

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As a Latina, I have suffered through the awkward moments of having to correct documents or individuals when I see the surname "Hernandez" next to my first name. Oftentimes, even when reading out my last name from the attendance sheet, where it’s clearly spelled out, I still get the occasional Crystal Hernandez. It’s not Hernandez; it’s Henriquez. It’s always been that way. I understand the similarities, but it isn't a coincidence that you think my last name is Hernandez because being Latino means being categorized in a way that makes you unrecognizable from the next person. The state of being Latino, or Latinidad, is hearing or seeing representation of your culture only when it is deemed profitable enough for the white man in the suit. It is …show more content…

Mambo Montage is a concept that captures New York's Latinx community's profound influence on the city's inner-city culture. Mambo, which initially referred to a broad montage of "histories, cultures, economies, and politics" unique to Latinos, is now more commonly used to describe a style of music and dance that is now widely known. Montage, on the other hand, describes a "contemporary art form where different elements are collaged, overlapped, or juxtaposed in photos or film." These two terminologies combined best describe the flexibility that coexists within Hispanic culture and the legacy it leaves behind, and as Laó-Montes describes, "latinidad can be constructed as a montage and performed like a

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625 Words | 3 Pages

Sonia Sotomayor is an appointed US Supreme Court Justice and, at one time, an appeals court judge. She delivered a speech in 2001 to the University of California Berkeley School of Law, to convey her identity as a Latina living in America. Sotomayor uses a variety of rhetorical choices to share her story and family history, explaining what specifically defines a Latina or a Latino, ultimately, to convey the impacts of American social stereotypes of race and ethnic diversity, and explain how Latina or Latino men and women differ from this conflicting stereotype. Sotomayor shares what makes her culture, hers in the first section of this piece, describing how her family came to America, as well as what their life is like here. Sotomayor lists the typical foods her and her family eat describing how " I bet the Mexican-Americans in this room are

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A Journey of Identity and Resilience: Exploring Latino Cultural Context in "The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez" by Aaron Bobrow-Strain Aaron Bobrow-Strain's "The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez" is a stirring memoir that explores the traumatic events and individual journey of Aida Hernandez, a young Mexican-American woman traversing the difficult social, political, and economic landscapes of the United States. We may understand the author's purposeful decisions to expose the Latino/Latina/Latinx cultural background and its tremendous influence on readers by examining the themes, character development, language, and imagery used in the novel. Bobrow-Strain discusses a number of topics that are important in the Latino cultural setting. The

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521 Words | 3 Pages

This is and can be seen as racist because the audience understands the symbols used behind the character which constructs the Latino male as being criminal.

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336 Words | 2 Pages

Intermarriage between latinx and non-Hispanic whites can go three ways in terms of cultures, it can be disregarded, equally embraced, or one is taking in more than the other. When a couple in this case Latinx culture can be disregarded due to the negative stigmas that comes with being latinx, the partners experiences that lead to a disagreement in the cultural norms of the traditional latinx values, or the idea that the latinx identity doesn’t really apply to them due to their own personal way of how they grew up and around who. It creates challenges because even if these couples believe themselves to identify white society won’t see them that way because no matter how hard one try you can’t escape culture. However, it can also go both ways

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883 Words | 4 Pages

Thoughts come to mind when we hear of a Mexican name. According to Deputy Suarez, “when you heard a Spanish surname that ended with a z, you thought of Mexicans and the various federal codes they violated when they jumped over a steel fence into the United States” (Tobar 238). The first thing that comes to mind when a Spanish name is heard is that they illegally crossed the border, which makes them with a criminal. People with a Spanish or Spanish sounding last name, are immediately thought of as immigrants who are breaking the law, thus being a criminal.

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442 Words | 2 Pages

Language plays a vital role in a person’s sense of identity and connection; despite that, however, many face issues of discrimination of language throughout the United States for speaking another language. Former lawyer-turned-poet Martin Espada addresses these issues in his essay “The New Bathroom Policy at English High School,” through the use of anecdotes and his work, Espada continues to fight and serve as a voice for Latinos across America. Espada states how language isn’t a means of communication, but instead integral to an individual’s identity and culture, he recounts the story of attending a protest for a bill to make English the official language of Massachusetts, during the demonstration, a state legislator threatens to rip his tongue out for speaking Spanish, later, when Espada goes up and conveys to the crowd, he calls out to the audience that even if his tongue gets ripped, it won’t stop him from speaking Spanish with his heart, “He can rip out my tongue if he wants. But it won’t work, porque yo hablo español con el corazón,” (97-99). Espada conveys to the audience that Spanish epitomizes a person’s identity and pride.

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601 Words | 3 Pages

He shows this through his many experiences with bilingual court and education. At the end of his essay, Espada concludes with a basic summary of what he has learned. Espada claims “The repression of Spanish is part of a larger attempt to silence Latinos, and, like the crazy uncle at the family dinner table yelling about independence or socialism, we must refuse to be silenced.” Through the summary the reader understands despite English being the prevalent language the in the U.S. today the Spanish culture is still being preserved through bilingualism. On the other hand Rodriguez argues that in order to gain a public identity, one must be willing to sacrifice some part of their own cultural identity.

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223 Words | 1 Pages

Being Hispanic makes me feel proud. It is something that makes me what I am, remembering my Mexican roots reminds me as my ancestors fought to get what they intended. Being Hispanic is not easy for all the prejudices that has this society. We havebeing judget as thieves, rapists, and much more. As in all societies there are people who make mistakes during his life and choose wrong paths but that is no reason to generalize to all those who belong to that social group.

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1122 Words | 5 Pages

Injustice and inequality often ignite the sparks of social and political movements. The Chicano (Mexican-American) and Puerto Rican movements of the 1900s provide such examples. Latinos are often considered a homogeneous and involved political subsection or as Beltrán describes a ‘sleeping giant.’ The metaphor describes a sleeping giant who contains much political control through its sheer size but does little with its power. Mexican-Americans and Puerto Ricans have historically proven this metaphor wrong and mobilized in great numbers to affect real change within their respective communities.

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“The common denominator all Latinos have is that we want some respect. That 's what we 're all fighting for” - Cristina Saralegui. Judith Ortiz Cofer published the article, “The Myth of the Latin Woman,” where she expresses her anger towards stereotypes, inequality, and degradation of Latin Americans. Cofer explains the origins of these perceived views and proceeds to empower Latin American women to champion over them. Cofer establishes her credibility as a Latin American woman with personal anecdotes that emphasize her frustration of the unfair depiction of Latinos in society.

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609 Words | 3 Pages

“The virtual personas of Latino immigrants (represented as a threat to the nation) make the authority that has accumulated for real immigrants in their role as workers and consumers vanish” (Chavez 47). In the public eye Latinos are depicted as noncompliant and dangerous citizens and noncitizens of the United States. “The virtual lives of ‘Mexicans,’ ‘Chicanos,’ ‘illegal aliens,’ and ‘immigrants’ become abstractions and representations that stand in the place of real lives” (Chavez 47). It is depressing to understand that the majority of the United States strictly sees Latinos as these distorted images. At the end of the day each individual’s life matters, we all need to become more compassionate for one another.

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906 Words | 4 Pages

societies in the world. These sub-cultures include Whites, African Americans, Asians, Irish, Latino, and European among others. Chicano refers to the identity of Mexican-American descendant in the United State. The term is also used to refer to the Mexicans or Latinos in general. Chicanos are descendants of different races such as Central American Indians, Spanish, Africans, Native Americans, and Europeans.

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1044 Words | 5 Pages

She begins this portion of her speech by asking “does any one of these things make me a Latina?” with reference to her previous narratives. She goes on to describe that the answer is no because each community “has their own unique food and different traditions.” By directly asking the audience a rhetorical question, Sonia Sotomayor furthers her point and explains how a single experience or memory cannot classify an entire identity, because every culture is different. Sonia Sotomayor then reflects on the fact that if she had pursued her undergraduate degree and was asked what being a Latina means, she would “define Latinos as those peoples and cultures populated or colonized by Spain.”

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440 Words | 2 Pages

I identify as a Latina. I have always considered myself as a Latina, but throughout time, I believe that I have assimilated more into a white individual because of the privilege that I hold and because I have lived in the US most of my life. I have received mostly negative messages from those who are not from my ethnicity. My peers and I were told we wouldn’t graduate high school and be laborers for the rest of our lives. With the current politics, I believe that this still holds true where some people still hold stereotypes and give oppressing messages to Latinos.

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535 Words | 3 Pages

Names/Nombres written by Julia Alvarez is a short story regarding a little girl, Hooleetah, moving with her family from the Dominican Republic to New York City in the 1960s. It is extremely clear within the beginning of the story that the girl absolutely despises it when people pronounce her, or her family's’ names wrong, this is proven when she corrects the customs officer under her breath when he mispronounces her family’s last name. “At Immigration, the officer asked my father, Mister Elbures, if he had anything to declare... but I said our name to myself, opening my mouth wide for the organ blast of trilling my tongue for the drumroll of the r, All-vab- rrr-es (Alvarez 1). As the story continues each member of her family is assigned with many different American names, as people found it hard to pronounce their actual names.

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