“Hispanic”: “Of or relating to a Spanish-speaking people or culture.”
A 1976 act of Congress is the only law in US history that mandated the collection of data for a specific ethnic group: “Americans of Spanish origin or descent”. The legislation described Hispanics as “Americans who identify themselves as being of Spanish-speaking background and trace their origin or descent from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central and South America and other Spanish-speaking countries.”
Being a Hispanic in the US is not only about linguistic background but also about self-identification. According to the Census, only 4% of immigrants from Brazil and 1% of immigrants from Portugal and Philippines self-identify as Hispanics when they fill out the Census forms.
“Latino”: “A person of Latin-American descent living in the US”. Therefore most of the Latinos are Hispanics while Portuguese and French speakers of the Americas are Latinos but not Hispanics. Unless they identify themselves as Hispanics in their Census forms. This is The US of A: you have a choice.
It will be fascinating to see the coming generations of US Hispanics taking over the reins of the nation.
They should do better at understanding the Americas and themselves.
I have heard people passionately refusing to be called “Hispanic” and claiming to be only “Latinos” because they do not want to identify themselves with Spain —the old colonial power. I have yet to hear a Spaniard reject the concept of Hispania, which was imposed by the Roman invader. Maybe those “Latino only” people should also project their animosity against the old Roman Empire. But I have news for the anti-Hispanic, Latino-only camp: The “Latin concept” was coined in the 1830s by the French Empire to join a “Latin America” with a “Latin Europe” and against a “Teutonic Europe.” “Slavic Europe,” and “Anglo-Saxon America”.
The term “Latin America” was supported by Napoleon III during the French invasion of Mexico to fabricate a cultural kinship between France and Mexico and generate the perception of a common enemy in Anglophone America. Are those escaping their Hispanic roots embracing a French allegiance?
What a historical paradox!
Let’s come back to reality: Today, Hispanic and Latino are interchangeable in the US and depend on individual —sometimes ideological— preferences rather than linguistic or cultural reasons.
A recent Pew Research Center survey found that 50% of US Hispanics are indifferent to being identified by the label “Hispanic “ or “Latino”. However when asked to choose, “Hispanic” won over “Latino” by a margin of 2-1.
While a majority (54%) says they usually use their family’s Hispanic origin term (such as Mexican, Cuban, Salvadoran) to identify themselves, the survey finds that half of all Latinos say they consider themselves a typical American. It will be fascinating to see the coming generations of US Hispanics taking over the reins of the nation.
They should do better at understanding the Americas and themselves.
Avendaño is editor-in-chief of El Tiempo Latino
