六九色堂

六九色堂 celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month with a look at the significance of the month. Each year from September 15 to October 15, the USA celebrates Latino Americans with a month full of Latin American history, heritage, culture, lifestyles and profiles of these proud people, all of whom鈥攁ccording to 鈥攚ere among 62.1 million in 2020, an increase of 50.5 million since 2010.

The 六九色堂 Endeavour looks at key facts about National Hispanic Heritage Month and the many terms used and the differences between Hispanic and Latino, and more. During the remainder of this important month, we will be featuring interviews with two 六九色堂 professors about what it means being a Latina in medical education today, and our social media channels will showcase 六九色堂 students talking about their heritage

Most doctors鈥� offices have paperwork or digital portals that new patients must fill out that includes demographic information regarding race/ethnicity. 'Latino/Hispanic' is one of the categories, but it is important to know the difference to avoid offending patients. Photo collage by Deposit Photos.

Why & when was National Hispanic Heritage Month created?

National Hispanic Heritage Week was first observed in 1968 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, according to the US government website President Ronald Reagan expanded the observation to a full 30-day period from September 15 to October 15 and it was enacted into law on August 17, 1988 鈥渙n the approval of Public Law 100-402.鈥�

鈥淭he day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua,鈥� the government website says. 鈥淚n addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September18, respectively. Also, Columbus Day or D铆a de la Raza, which is October 12, falls within this 30-day period.鈥�

Many call themselves Hispanic, Latinx, Afro-Latino, Afro-Caribbean, Caribbean, Afro-Cuban, Mexican American, Boricua, Nuyorican, Chicano/a, or Indigenous. National Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates all these cultures. Photo: Deposit Photos.

Latino/Latina, Latinx or Hispanic?

Just like terms for African Americans and LGBTQ+ people, the terminology for members of the Latin American community is always evolving. USA Today notes the term 鈥淗颈蝉辫补苍颈肠鈥� was by the Nixon administration. The term 鈥淗颈蝉辫补苍颈肠鈥� has been controversial because some believed it was a name assigned by white Americans in the government. In the 1960s, Latin Americans were often called specifically those of Mexican ancestry.

Today, more common terms include 鈥淟atino鈥� for men and 鈥淟atina.鈥� A new term, 鈥淟补迟颈苍虫,鈥� has recently emerged.

George Cadava, Director of the Latina and Latino Studies program at Northwestern University, explained in USA Today what 鈥淟补迟颈苍虫鈥� means.

鈥淟补迟颈苍虫 is an even further evolution that was meant to be inclusive of people who are queer or lesbian or gay or transgender,鈥� Cadava said. 鈥淚n some cases, it was a rejection of binary gender politics.鈥�

Importance of terminology for doctors

Most U.S. doctors鈥� offices have paperwork or digital portals that new patients must fill out that includes demographic information regarding race/ethnicity, and it can be a sensitive topic. 鈥淟atino/Hispanic鈥� is one of the categories, but it is important to know the difference to avoid offending patients.

In the article 鈥� on VeryWellMind,com, Arlin Cuncin discusses the differences between the two terms.

鈥淵ou might think of Hispanic and Latino as terms used to describe racial categories, similar to the terms White, Black, or Asian,鈥� Cuncin said. 鈥淗owever, the groups that comprise Hispanics and Latinos are actually diverse in terms of .鈥�

The terms "Hispanic" and "Latino" refer to ethnicity, culture, and identity. They are groups based on shared culture rather than skin color, race, or other physical features. However, the groups are also broader than ethnicity, which can make the terms confusing.

In the article 鈥� on Ketchum.com, Giannina Seaman writes about the need to clarify how people are referred to because it can be confusing.

鈥淲hat I call myself is meaningful to me, but there are different ways people in my community, my friends and my family choose to identify,鈥� Seaman said. 鈥淪ome call themselves Hispanic, Latinx, Afro-Latino, Afro-Caribbean, Caribbean, Afro-Cuban, Mexican American, Boricua, Nuyorican, Chicano/a, or Indigenous. We are a diverse people, with a rich history and culture, and how we identify is more than a definition鈥攊t鈥檚 a combination of heritage, origin, country and culture.鈥�

She outlines the following:

• 鈥淗颈蝉辫补苍颈肠 refers to someone who speaks the Spanish language. Hispanics are people from or with ancestors from Spain, Mexico, Central America and South America鈥� Brazilians are not considered Hispanic, however, because they speak Portuguese.鈥�
• 鈥淟补迟颈苍辞(补) refers to the geographic origin of someone. Latinos are from or have ancestors from Latin America which includes Mexico, Central America and South America. In this case, Brazilians are considered Latino, but people from Spain are not.鈥�
• 鈥淟补迟颈苍虫 is a gender-neutral neologism, sometimes used instead of Latino or Latina to refer to people of Latin American cultural or racial identity in the United States.鈥�
• 鈥沦辫补苍颈蝉丑 refers to a language or someone from Spain.鈥�

Seaman writes that things get confusing when one understands that the 鈥渞oot word for 鈥楬ispanic鈥� is 鈥楬ispania,鈥� Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula.

鈥淏ecause the Iberian Peninsula also contained Portugal, one could argue that people of Portuguese-speaking descent鈥攍ike Brazilians鈥攁re also Hispanic. But commonly considered, Brazilians are Latino but not Hispanic, while people from Spain are Hispanic but not Latino.鈥�

Note that Latino refers to countries (or cultures) that were once under Roman rule. This includes Italy, France, Spain, etc. Brazilians are considered to be Latino, but are not considered to be Hispanic. In the U.S., Latino is the most commonly used term, identifying both men and women. When specifically referring to women, use Latina.

Hispanic describes cultures or countries that were once under Spanish rule (Mexico, Central America, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and most South American nations in which Spanish is the primary language).

(Top image): National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 to October 15 each year. Image by Adobe.