Hispanic, Latino, Latin X you hear
these labels used to identify over
43% of Harris County's population.
But do you know the difference between
these terms and what each one means?
We're exploring this topic
with Magdalena Murray,
director of Latino History and culture at
the National Museum of American History,
Smithsonian Institution.
Doctor Laura Mario,
President and CEO of the Houston
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce,
and the Canals executive director
of Latinos for Education
and Raul Orlando Edwards.
A creative visionary and founder.
Aflam, Mark and strictly St
Salsa I'm Deborah Duncan,
host of Kju's Great Day Houston and
these are cultural conversations.
Alright, so what's in a name?
There's a lot. Sometimes we have a
name change for political reasons,
sometimes economic reasons,
sometimes culturally sensitive reasons.
So when we say Hispanic,
that is a big umbrella that so
many people don't understand.
In fact, they think it's a race
that has kind of one look.
When I was in Venezuela several years ago,
people kept stopping me.
They go the detective Anna Lee Panama
comma neglected Dominica and I go
no likely to medicon and they go.
Oh, and so I realized then wait Hispanic.
Can look like anything.
It's white with red hair and blue eyes.
It's it's brown skin.
Asians, blacks and so I wanna start
Magdalena with you by clarifying.
Hispanic is not a race.
Thank you for starting that way there
at exactly raises the social construct.
Hispanic Latino isn't
ethnicity and they change.
The terms are used interchangeably,
but there are historical roots of in general.
Generally speaking,
Hispanics trace their roots, tools.
Uhm, Spain and it's mostly
Spanish speaking countries.
While let you know it's more inclusive
of Latin American countries and
language is not perhaps the dominant
factors as it is in Hispanic now.
We also have the term Latin X.
Only three percent of their Latino
population identifies out Latin X.
In 2019, the US Hispanic
population reached 60.6 million,
up from 50.7 million in 2010. Texas has.
Three of the top ten cities in EU.
S when it comes to the
largest Hispanic population.
Houston, Dallas and San Antonio,
the three largest Latino ethnic
groups in EU S are Mexican,
Puerto Rican and Cuban in Houston.
The largest groups are Mexican,
Salvadoran, and Honduran. It's
interesting when you look at,
you know, the Caribbean,
central, South America.
So you had your Native
Americans already there.
You had the slave trade come through.
You had the conquistadors come through,
and so you have this kind of
beautiful melting pot I think, and Raul.
You're part of that beautiful melting pot.
When you speak, you confuse people.
I think one of the things that I
discovered when I moved to the United
States and especially in the South.
It was the the the element of
people not encountering people that
look like me that spoke Spanish.
So I you know, there's so many anecdotes
that I have about people looking at me
and wondering why these big Spanish or
where did you learn to speak Spanish
that well and I will say, well, it's.
Really, my first language,
that was usually a shock like Oh well,
I guess this stereotype of expecting
me to look and or sound a night in
a specific way is something that
was really captivating to people.
But also it it gave me the opportunity
to educate on the subject so.
As you said,
you know there's been so many
instances where people have had that,
that reaction,
and so I just see that opportunity
to to share about the culture.
Understanding the culture empowers
you to know where you're going.
Like. In my case, I have.
I'm half Panamanian, have Jamaican,
but in that in that context I do have
African, obviously by the skin color,
my skin color and my physical traits,
but I also have European
and also having visions.
So as I embrace.
Horrible three and I'm proud of all
three because all three make me up.
Then as I move forward,
I know how to navigate and it
empowers me to reach the goals
that I would like to achieve. So
you make a great great point when
you go to school, enroll your
child in class, or used to being,
they would say write down the race
of your child and it was like,
you know, black white.
That was about it at one point.
But then when you look at it today,
it has this whole subset.
And so when you look at Hispanic,
they do represent that umbrella.
Why is it important to
break it down that way?
Yeah, I, I think that's a great
question and I'm really glad that
there are more options for people
that identify with their identity.
Because we Latinos, Hispanics,
Latin X have as many things in
common as we have differences.
Every Latin American country
is very distinct with culture.
There are similarities, but there are.
There are also differences,
so it's really important
that we provide as much.
Flexibility as possible within these
terms that are very imperfect.
Dr Video when I first moved from Taipei,
Taiwan to San Antonio,
I had a whole new group of friends,
but I I found it really interesting
that when I would go to their house
and the kids would speak Spanish
to their parents and then Oh no no,
no don't speak Spanish.
Don't don't speak Spanish today
we celebrate being bilingual.
We've come a long way I think.
And how we used to view what Hispanic is.
And now there's a proudness to the culture.
And there's an acceptance
even among Hispanics.
I grew up speaking Spanish.
Both of my parents spoke Spanish to
me and I made a commitment than that.
If I ever had children,
I wanted to make sure they could
speak it and write it Fast forward.
My daughters in at 18 and 21 at
Georgetown and Columbia University
and both of them thank you ma'am.
Thank you for making sure that when
we didn't want to do the flash
cards and didn't want to speak
the language you insisted on it.
It is a gift that we did not only
to our children into the world.
We understand the value of second.
Third, fourth language and shame on us.
We do not embrace our culture while at
the same time embrace American culture.
It's OK to do both and smart people
understand the value of that.
And as their great writer who
can resources said, language is
not just the words it's culture.
So I think this brings full circle to
be in the power of being bicultural
and embracing being from several
places having different cultures,
bringing this diversity
into mainstream America.
As much as we can, but yes,
it's it's really generations
have changed and there's two
pride now in in speaking Spanish
and speaking more languages.
Even then, then just one more.
Anyway, remember that scene in the
movie Selena and I I'm not quoting
it directly, I don't think but,
but basically her father was saying that,
you know you're not Hispanic enough,
and at times you're not white enough.
You have to be the perfect mix
and we got approved to the
Mexicans. How Mexican we are
and we gotta prove to Americans
on American we are.
We gotta be more Mexican than the
Mexicans and more American Americans,
both at the same time. It's exhausting.
Nobody knows how tough it
is to be a Mexican American.
Yeah, absolutely.
I think there's so many of us across
the country that identify with that
scene and with those words because
we are constantly code switching.
We're constantly switching language
switching or train of thought
in our in our communication
between English and in Spanish.
For me growing up,
I found it frustrating at times.
I think now as Doctor Maria was was sharing,
I see it as a gift and it's allowed
me to attune my social emotional
skills but myself and others.
In to try to be more empathetic
and I I credit that to how I grew
up with two different cultures,
two different languages and
put switching between all of
that Magdalena. When it comes to how
people identify with the word Hispanic,
you'll find that different
generations look at it differently,
and I would imagine if someone who
came here from El Salvador came here
from Honduras may write something
different down on a piece of paper,
then someone who's been here for years.
For example, I have a friend named Ron.
Who said work? Fifth generation Texan?
We didn't cross the border.
The border crossed us and
so for him it's just I'm.
I'm just American, right?
So we're seeing a difference when it comes
to generations of how they identify.
Yes, their recent research from the
Pew Hispanic Center for example,
points that could recent immigrants.
It doesn't matter whether it's Latina,
Latino, or Hispanic that they
really identify more closely with
their country of origin, so.
In my case I'm from Argentina.
I always say I grew up into a
Latina identity when I first moved
here more than 20 years ago.
My identity was Argentinian and
then you grow as you share more
of the culture of the country
that you grow into your job,
and you're making the community.
Among Americans with Hispanic ancestry,
those who identify as Hispanic
drop off across generations.
97% of individuals who were born.
In another country, identify as
Hispanic or second generation Hispanics.
Those who identify as Hispanic
only drops off five points to 92%,
but for third generation Hispanics,
77% identify as Hispanic and for
4th generation or higher the
percentage drops off dramatically.
In fact, it's split down the
middle with 50% identifying as
Hispanic and 50% who do not.
Andy, I can't tell you how many times
a week I'll say to somebody they go.
Yes, yes, she's Mexican. I go.
She's Mexican from Dominican Republica.
Or they go well, yeah, right?
As everyone from Mexico,
everyone from Mexico, he speaks Spanish,
everyone from Mexico and you know,
to your point of where
your parents came from.
That's another thing.
The difference between
nationality and and what, what?
What culture or ethnicity or race you are?
Yeah, I I find it fascinating.
You know, for me personally,
I grew up in Los Angeles.
My parents immigrated from
little by little people,
thought I was Mexican men that lived in Lai,
then moved to Miami.
People thought I was Cuban and then
actually lived in New York City.
People thought I was Puerto Rican.
Obviously now I live in Texas
and some people think I'm a fifth
generation Mexican American.
And so with that underscores for me,
it is the role that social construct
plays in how people perceive others.
And how we perceive ourselves and
then the second thing that I think it
emphasizes how important it is for
us to be flexible and open to people
identifying in lots of different ways,
given how imperfect a lot of
these labels and terms are.
But I think if there's one highlight
from this conversation today,
is that our culture is very rich.
It's very diverse,
and with that comes a lot of different
ways that we can identify and navigate
this this beautiful identity.
Now the difference is playing nationality,
ethnicity, culture or race the
whole bit, but all of it's good.
Thank you all very much. Thank you.