Hispanic. Latino. Latinx.

There is always an ongoing debate about which name to use to describe our community.? Some people have real passions about using one over the other.? Others use them interchangeably.?

In truth, they are just labels that reflect a moment in time. The enormous diversity of our community almost ensures that there isn’t a single name that will satisfy everyone.? But that is almost beside the point.??

Focusing on what to call ourselves is simply a distraction.? Focusing on what others call us is equally unproductive.? Let’s save our energy and passion for what we need to do, which is, making sure that we are recognized for our positive contributions to this country.? Because that moves the needle on representation, inclusion and equity.

That said, how and why these names came to be used is an interesting social history. Recently, I read an article that tracks the development of these names, and knowing where we’ve been is useful in informing where we still need to go.?

Hispanic first started being used in the US in the 19th century.? It was meant to describe people who descended from Spaniards who settled in America’s Southwest before American annexation.??

In 1930, “Mexican” was a one-time add to the Census, with perhaps the most political agenda of identifying Mexicans for possible deportation during the depression.? It did not appear on the next Census.

In the 1960s, at the urging of activists who found the Census categories of white, black and other useless and somewhat demeaning, Hispanic began to be used to make the Census more meaningful than before. ? At the same time, some Mexicans began to call themselves Chicanos and some Puerto Ricans preferred to be known as Boricuas.?

Latino first? made its appearance in the 1800s to classify a group of former Spanish colonies around the time that they declared independence.? It was a nod to the commonalities across Latin American countries.

In the 1970s, it became more popular because it was felt to be more inclusive — in part because some Latin American countries don’t speak Spanish but also was meant to distance Latinos from a term that felt colonial.? By the time 2000 rolled around, Latino made its first appearance in the Census.?

And since then, Latinx or Latine has been adopted by some as a more gender-neutral term and thus more inclusive.? For all the fiery discussions on these terms, only 25% of Hispanics know of its existence and only 3% use this label. In other words, it isn’t nearly as controversial as some would have us believe.

What this history shows is that language — especially colloquial language — comes out of a place and time.? That is why it is always evolving.? It reflects changes in society’s priorities, its prejudices but also its possibilities.??

To me this evolution of terms also reflects an ongoing innate urge we have to create community. To belong, to find common ground, to move forward together.?

Language is imperfect, but it shouldn’t stop us from our larger purpose.? Hispanic. Latino. Latinx. We can acknowledge that they are imperfect descriptors. The moment we get overinvolved in language disputes, too attached to a label, too dismissive of one or the other, we divide ourselves unnecessarily.? We expend unnecessary energy that would best be applied to concrete issues.

So, use the one you feel comfortable with.? Use all of them if you like.? Keep your eyes on the prize — working together as one community, leveraging our unity to break down systemic barriers.? We all want the same thing — progress.? We all feel pride in our community, no matter how we define that individually.? Let’s leverage our power so that we can all be seen, heard and valued.?

To our non-Latino allies, know that we are not huge subscribers to cancel culture.? Most of us will not be offended if you call us Hispanic one week, Latino the next and Latinx another time. Take the step and engage with us freely.?

Take for granted that language and nomenclature will always evolve.? Let’s make sure that our focus is where it should be — on our prosperity, power and progress.