Left to Right: Men's soccer assistant coach Ricardo Gutierrez; Dr. Gina Ann Garcia, Professor, Berkeley School of Education; Ladislao Rodriguez; soccer player Giancarlo Mota; water polo player Adrian Weinberg; Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton; Lupe Gallegos-Diaz, Director of the Chicanx/Latinx Student Development Office; and Dr. Ty-Ron Douglas, Associate AD, DEIBJ; after the Latinx Heritage Month DEIBJ Playbook event at which Dr. Garcia spoke.
Latinx Heritage Month Reflections
10/9/2023 2:27 PM | DEIBJ
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By: Ladislao Rodriguez
Latinx Heritage Month is much more than the celebration of Latinx music, food and dance; it is an opportunity to educate folks about the history of why Latinx Heritage Month falls between the dates of September 15th and October 15th. Eight Latin American countries celebrate their Independence Days during this particular time period: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, Mexico, Chile and Belize. For me, this is a crucial aspect of Latinx Heritage Month; it's a celebration of the revolutionary progress Latin Americans have made not only in their countries, but also here in the United States. Â
Now that I am a member of the Cal Athletics DEIBJ Office and I get to coordinate our Latinx Heritage Month efforts, I am eager to make our efforts the best that they can possibly be! To start, as a Latino alumnus and product of the Latinx undergraduate student organizing community, I feel a responsibility to connect the Latinx Cal student community with our Cal Athletics community! During my time as a student at Cal, these communities were not in conversation with one another, and I'm excited to continue fostering an authentic relationship. I am committed to making every heritage month's education, celebration and acceleration just as dynamic as we have done for Latinx Heritage Month. At the September 30, 2023, Latino Heritage Football pre-game performance, I watched our Latinx student performing groups–Mariachi Luz De Oro and Reflejos del Sol–with so much gratitude and pride! This performance is the first time I have experienced a Latinx group perform at a game! I'm excited to further build a relationship with our Latinx community which will extend beyond just this month!Â
Across various educational opportunities in our department this month, we have discussed what term(s) should be used: Hispanic, Chicana, Latino, or Latinx? No matter which term is used, people often disagree. It's an emotionally charged topic and there are important usage variations depending on the region, generation, political inclination, etc. Before using a specific term, it is important that you educate yourself on the term, and know why you are using it. In addition to these terms, many people prefer to identify themselves by their country of origin or heritage. When in doubt about how to refer to someone, the best approach is to ask them how they identify themselves.Â
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Ladislao Rodriguez with Dr. Gina Ann Garcia, Giancarlo Mota and Adrian Weinberg.
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The following are definitions of the various terms, which are intended to help provide some clarity; however, it is best to keep in mind and recognize the complexity of their usage.
HISPANIC: Someone who is a native of, or descends from, a Spanish-speaking country.Â
CHICANO/CHICANA: Someone who is native of, or descends from, Mexico and who lives in the United States. The term was used as a form of self-empowerment by Mexican Americans during the 1960s Chicano Movement.Â
LATINO/LATINA: Someone who is native of, or descends from, a Latin American country. Â
LATINX/CHICANX: A gender-neutral term to refer to a Latino/Latina/Chicano/Chicana person.
LATINE: A gender-neutral term to refer to a Latino/Latina/Chicano/Chicana person. It is commonly used in Latin America among Spanish speakers, as it's more easily pronounced than Latinx and can be used in plural forms.
For our DEIBJ Office communications, we use Latinx (which is consistent with campus' Equity and Inclusion Division) because it is the most inclusive term in terms of gender and ethnic identity. For the Latino Heritage Football Game, we decided to use the term Latino because it is more commonly used in the broader West Coast of the United States. In California, generally, the terms Latino and Latina are most common, while on the East Coast and in Texas and New Mexico, Hispanic is more commonly used. People in the academic and DEIBJ circles who are concerned with issues of audience and identity are most likely to use these terms; however, the people/audiences themselves are much less concerned about these labels and most likely identify with their country of origin or descent.
