Latinx Heritage Month is a reminder of invisibility

Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 is Latinx heritage month, a time where the 33 countries of Latin America are celebrated for their rich culture and contributions to society. However, the panethnic term “Latinx” has often fallen short of its purpose. “Latinx” has not captured Latin America’s diversity properly because the scope of Latinx representation has been far too narrow in our media. 

In a study conducted by USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, researchers analyzed 200 Hollywood films between 2017 and 2018 to understand how Latinx people were depicted on screen. They found that Latinx people were commonly depicted without much association to their ethnic background. This means they were portrayed as is, without explanation or visual representation of their cultural background. Additionally, more than half of Latinx characters were depicted as being involved in illegal activities, which further advances the harmful stereotypes attached to the Latinx community. 

Latinx representation doesn’t do enough to advance our culture when the representation doesn’t go beyond the larger label of Latinx. I am a Latino, but beyond that I am also from Honduras, a Central American country. When movies and other forms of media do not accurately portray the specific culture of a Latinx country, they consequently promote the erasure and false appearance of Latinidad as a monolith. 

This is reflected in the conversations I have with both non-Latinx and Latinx people. It is very rare for me to meet someone who knows about Honduras’ location, let alone our cultural practices. Many Latinx people from countries in South America and other parts of Central America also experience this. 

Eliseo Martinez sells fruit on the corner of Hoover and 32nd street, right across from USC Village. He is from the state of Oaxaca in Mexico, which has deep Indigenous roots. However, the traditions of this southwestern Mexican state are often overlooked. 

Martinez said, in order to fix this issue, we can highlight Oaxacan traditions, such as teaching others about the several Indigenous languages spoken in the state and the typical dishes of Oaxacan people. 

Replicating this idea with different Latinx countries isn’t a far-fetched idea. In fact, this month is the perfect opportunity to do it. According to USC, about 15% of the student population is “Hispanic/Latinx” as of Fall 2020. We could come together to highlight our ethnic backgrounds in order to widen the breadth the term encompasses. 

“There shouldn’t be a difference because we are all Latinos,” said Martinez in Spanish. “We’re from different countries, but we should always be united.” 

When speaking to other Latinx people about this topic, there seemed to be a recurring desire for unity but also the desire for differentiation. Lorena Huerta, a Mexican woman who lives in my neighborhood, said Latinx is interchangeable with her country of origin, but she believes we should still be specific when we talk about a Latinx person. For example, instead of saying “the Latinx person,” we should refer to the person by their country of origin. 

Fidel Carrillo, works in his dad’s carniceria inside of Lee’s Liquors Store on 23rd Street. Carrillo is from Mexico City and this month, he noticed a large lack of celebration for a very special date. 

Sept. 16 was Mexico’s Independence Day and although the holiday received ample attention in the media, Carrillo said that Salvador’s Independence Day, which falls on the previous day, was largely ignored. Carrillo said this is the result of media platforms focusing on the countries that are more well known or who make them more money. 

For Carrillo, journalists are a part of the issue because we don’t use our position to promote the cultures of the smaller or “unknown” Latinx countries. This is a call to my fellow journalists to be more conscious about how they represent Latinx people in articles. We need to be aware of the small ways in which we can help further the diversification of the Latinx label to make not only ourselves, but also others more culturally aware and inclusive of Latinx people. 

The University can play a large role in pushing this movement forward. For example, when accounting for the composition of the student population, it would be more beneficial to collect statistics that separate the Latinx population by ethnicity. As a result, Latinx organizations on campus can have a better understanding of how they can improve the way they serve the Latinx student population. 

It is Latinx Heritage Month, but besides the banners along Trousdale Parkway, the University has done very little to promote Latinidad and engage students to participate in festivities. Although we are living through a pandemic, USC could consider opening the campus to Latinx food vendors. Students would then be able to see the range of Latinx culture through our food. It is important to observe culture, but tasting and physically feeling it stretches beyond the limits of language.

It is a lackluster month of celebration for many Latinx people like me who feel as though their countries are underrepresented in the media. It is a month where we are reminded we are invisible. We can change that through more intentional representation — not just this month, but every month.