Latinx Studies Discussion

- quote from "What does ‘Latinx’ mean? A look at the term that's challenging gender norms" , by Yassenia Padilla The Spanish Language has always been gendered. Words ending in “a” or “as” refer to the female gender, while words ending in “o” or “ os ” refer to the male gender. The term “Latinx” is a term that  ungenders  Spanish. The term Latinx, became more popular around 2014, and it began to be used beyond the LGBTQIA communities. The term Latinx means the same as “Latinos” or “Latinas”. However, it is more gender inclusive, especially to those who are either Transgender or Gender non-conforming. In the article,  “Why We Say Latinx: Trans & Gender Non-Conforming People Explain” , Jack  Qu’emi  Gutierrez said he identifies as an Afro-Latinx because he acknowledges both his  Latinidad /racial mixture, and his “commitment to a lack of participation in the gender binary”. Nik Angel Moreno  who identifies as a non-binary transgender person...

In class we discussed how language is power. I believe that is what Tato  Laviera  was trying to demonstrate through his poem  “Spanglish” . In the poem Tato describes the American and Latinx culture while using English and Spanish words or expressions. This poem highlights the positive attributes and characteristics of speaking both Spanish and English or “Spanglish”.  The author demonstrated in the form of a poem that there is nothing wrong with speaking Spanglish. That is a powerful demonstration for those Spanglish/Spanish speakers who are ridiculed for not speaking proper English the way Miguel Fernandez was when he first started school (as mentioned in the previous post). It’s important that Latinx individuals that don’t speak English properly feel the support from others.    It can be tough to be ridiculed or oppressed for not fluently speaking a foreign language as shown in the story  “How to Tame A Wild Tongue” , by Gloria Anzaldua. ...

Latinx students have faced many struggles in the United States. Many Latinx students do not speak any English when they first arrive here. This makes it difficult for them to learn when they are already at a disadvantage in communication. Some students are bullied and discriminated against for not Knowing English, which is what happened to Miguel Fernandez. Miguel Fernandez was made fun of for not speaking English when he first arrived at school in the Bronx, New York. What would help in situations like these, is having ethnic/Latinx studies available at schools, especially in communities with a large population of Latinx students. Having Latinx studies available to students would educate other students on the struggles of Latinx individuals. I believe that all students being educated and aware of Latinx individuals would reduce the bullying and discrimination of Latinx students.  These examples were also some of the reasons why students of Tucson High School in Arizona...

         When we talk about the Latinx community, we often forget to mention the indigenous people from Latin countries. We have discussed the struggles that Latinx individuals face when migrating to the United States. However, the indigenous people face twice as much of these struggles. When the indigenous people migrated to the United States, not only were they not able to communicate with Americans, but there were also unable to speak Spanish. Although many indigenous people lived in Latinx communities upon arriving in the United States, they had a hard time adapting. When individuals from different Latin countries created a Latinx community, they created a safe space for Spanish speakers. They shared one thing in common which was their native language. The indigenous people not only face discrimination from Americans, but also didn’t have a place they fit in. They had to do major readjustments to adapt to the new society. Often, individuals from ...

When Latinx individuals gather together in a community foreign from theirs, they find common grounds that brings them together. Which was seen in the story of Cafe Bustelo. The Latinx community came together in New York and the Cafe Bustelo pop up store and bonded. These individuals were from various Spanish speaking countries. They shared a story of coming to the U.S and having to adapt to a different environment. Life is not as easy for The Latinx people here in the U.S. For starters, the individuals that are undocumented, can’t achieve much when building a life here. One thing that the Latinx individuals share is the common goal to reconstruct “Latinidad”. In the United States, the term “Latino”, has been used to classify those with origins from a country in Latin America. This label “Latino” used in the U.S. census, includes those from twenty different Latin American and Caribbean nationalities. These different nationalities that are part of the Latinx label, contain big differen...

Welcome to my discussion board for Intro. to Latinx Studies. - Kathlen Costa Silva