September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month, something that President Johnson started in 1968 to recognize contributions that Hispanics have made to United States culture.
No one can deny that these contributions have been and continue to be extensive. But to acknowledge what these contributions are, we need to understand exactly what the term āHispanicā means.
It turns out that the term āHispanicā is pretty interesting and, as with most labels relating to humans, is full of controversy and debate. Historically, āHispaniaā was the Roman word for the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal). Extrapolating from that, one could consider a āHispanicā to be anyone from either the Iberian Peninsula or any country colonized by Spain or Portugal, which is most of Central and South America and some of the Caribbean. In reality, Portugal has been dropped from the definition so that the U.S. considers a āHispanicā as someone who speaks Spanish and is from a culture heavily influenced by Spain.
Thatās all well and good, but identifying oneself as āHispanoā is only acknowledging part of oneās ancestry. Some people would rather be considered āIndio,ā which places the emphasis on oneās Native American roots. Some of the cooks at Felipeās consider themselves āChicanosā more than Hispanos, meaning they are “Americans” but their parents were Mexican. And then others donāt identify with any of these terms. Theyāre just āHonduran.ā Or āAmerican.ā The one term most people seem agree on is “Latino.”
As always, cultural sensitivity is important as no one wants to be grouped in a stereotype they donāt identify with. Still, National Hispanic Month is a great opportunity to learn about and take part in cultures from Spain or Central and South America that exist all around us.
Take the month to check out a Mexican art exhibit or visit Carnival Latino on St. Claude. Eat some tacos. Come to Felipeās and practice your Spanish while you order a burrito! Or come by and learn some non-hispanic words from our culturally diverse Central American staff who didnāt grow up speaking Spanish.
Itās such a wide world with so much to learn!