Nataly Cruz-Castillo doesn’t understand why the Spanish language tends to be male-dominated, and she wonders about the different variations of the term “Latino.”
“The Spanish language is very gendered,” said Cruz-Castillo, a 2015 University of Maryland alumna. “I myself use the word ‘Latinx’ more so because it is a term that identifies my mixed heritage within my Spanish-speaking roots.”
The term “Latino” can have several variations depending on personal preference, and the meaning behind the term is changing on college campuses, said Yvette Lerma, Latin@ Student Involvement & Advocacy coordinator.
With this idea in mind, Lerma sponsored the event “What’s in the Name?,” drawing 18 students and three professors to Stamp Student Union on Tuesday night. The group came together to discuss preferred usage of every identifying term on the campus.
“The idea of tonight’s event came from inspiration of the different Latino organizations on campus using different terms like Latino/a, Latinx, Latin with an @ sign,” she said. “We also want to make sure that we provide the students’ wants and needs when it comes to issues such as this one.”
During the event, Lerma had people break into groups and talk about why usage of the term Latinx has grown on the campus.
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“Latinx spread through mouth, Tumblr and social media sites,” said Cassy Dame-Griff, a graduate assistant in the U.S. Latina/o studies program. “It’s important to have these conversations with people because we have to explain to people who don’t fully understand how important it is to get our identification right and not just put us in a category that has no relation to us whatsoever.”
The group also discussed using a parent’s country as an identifier instead of using Latino/a, Latin@ or Latinx.
“Even though I have Costa Rican descents, I refuse to claim that I am Costa Rican because that honor belongs to my mother,” Dame-Griff said. “I will not claim my mother’s immigration narrative since I never went through that experience.”
Cruz-Castillo said her mother identifies as neither Hispanic nor Latino, but rather as an American. The different terms surrounding “Latino” could eventually replace the term “Hispanic,” she added.
“In El Salvador, they think of themselves as Americans and not as Salvadorans because they already know that they live in El Salvador,” Cruz-Castillo said. “When my mother came to the United States, she didn’t really understand why people were calling her Latino/a because she was so used to the word ‘American.’”
Toward the end of the event, the group as a whole decided the term Latinx would be a proper representation of the Spanish-speaking culture but should not be the only one in use.
Terms the community uses will constantly change, but that would be a good thing, said Ana Patricia Rodriguez, a Spanish and Portuguese and U.S. Latina/o studies professor.
“These terms are important,” Rodriguez said. “The changing process is intriguing and fruitful. If we stick to one term, it closes the door to collaboration.”
