What’s in a Name?

As Hispanic Heritage Month comes to a close, many wonder what the correct nomenclature to use. Is it Hispanic, or Latino, or Latino/a, or Latin@, or Latinoa, or Latinx?

If the first step toward liberation is self-naming, then the fact that we are unable to name ourselves reveals how far we are from this goal. Part of the problem is that many within our community fiercely argue for one term over and against another.

But the fact remains, all these terms are problematic, causing strife within our community, which, at times, is intensified by Euroamerican, conservative groups seeking to create greater division among us for their political gains.

As long as we are fighting battles over which problematic word to employ, righteously insulted whenever the wrong terminology is used to signify us, the real oppressive challenges our community faces can be ignored.

When we consider that our community suffers from a disproportionate high school drop-out rate, low wages when compared to comparable white laborers, high instances of police brutality, larger rates of Coronavirus deaths and anti-immigrant violence, focusing on which terminology is the only correct one can be distracting.

Many insist we should be called “Hispanic” – a government-generated word created for the 1970s U.S. census, designed to signify those from Latin American countries of Spanish descent living within the United States. The term privileges the culture of Spain, the Spanish language, and those from Spain’s former colonies in the Western Hemisphere.

Critics of the term have noted that Hispanic overemphasizes the European elements of our culture and heritage, ignoring the legacies and contributions of non-Europeans, specifically those who are Africans, Asians and Indigenous. Also excluded are those with Portuguese backgrounds, specifically Brazilians.

Generally speaking, those who hold more conservative views seem to prefer the word Hispanic.

Others insist on “Latino,” derived from the word Latin, which emphasizes the dominant ancient language of Rome from where Spanish originated. Those who embraced Latino are usually more politically liberal.

Still, like Hispanic, the term privileges the European elements of our culture even while proponents of the term insist it embraces greater inclusion of Indigenous, African, Asian and Portuguese contributing legacies.

However, within a Spanish gender-based language, a simple binary is established where Latino is masculine while Latina is feminine. Whenever the need existed to name an entire group consisting of males and females, the masculine Latino is always used, thus incorporating all who are female under a masculine word.

As a response to this dualistic gender-based label, more gender sensitive alternatives were devised when speaking of a group consisting of males and females: Latino/a, Latin@, or Latinoa. Unfortunately, these gender sensitive terms remain very binary, still excluding parts of our community.

With time, the binary gendered term gave way to a more inclusive word: Latinx. Intellectuals, mostly, have embraced this term for it encompasses the gender complexities of the community, creating a space within the label for transgender and non-binary individuals.

The problem with the term, however, is that it is an anglicization of Spanish, being that Spanish words do not normatively end with an “x.” Recently, younger members of our community have begun using the term Latiné, which is gender neutral and inclusive, but also, the term reflects how Spanish is spoken.

Many among us who are more concerned with the social issues facing our community, rather than leading crusades against any particular word used to identify us have gotten into the habit of using all these terms interchangeably.

But here is the irony: we mainly use these terms when in conversations with Euroamericans, seldom when we are speaking among ourselves. In everyday conversation among others within my community, if the need for self-reference arises, I usually refer to myself as a cubano.

Most of us tie the term we used to describe our identity with the geographical location from where we or our family hail. We call ourselves Puerto Ricans, Mexican Americans, Tejanos, Latin Americans, Chicanos, Salvadorians.

So, what are we to be called?

Personally, I really don’t care – as long as it’s not “spic” or any other derogatory term like “illegal” alien (as if any human can be illegal. They can, however, be undocumented).

My only rule is that whatever word you employ to identify us would be used with respect. And if I request to be identified by a certain term, please don’t demand I give a long explanation, but instead honor my request.

As for me, who has used at one time or another Hispanic, Latino, Latino/a and Latinx (just checkout 20 years of writing), I have decided from this day forward to exclusively use Latiné.

To my compatriotas, please don’t get your feathers ruffled by my decision; simply respect my choice as I vow to respect whichever term you decide to employ for yourself.

Let us move beyond labels and instead focus on how our people continue to face oppression due to white affirmative action.

Let’s not fight over which term is correct, but instead work together in la lucha, implementing liberative praxis for our people – whether they be Hispanics, Latinos, Latino/as, Latinxs or Latinés.