Experience of a Lifetime

Hispanic. I hear this term a lot in the media to describe people that look and sound like me: brown skin, Spanish speaking, ancestry from Latin American countries, or, simply someone who has a Spanish-sounding last name.

However, I also hear the term Latina/o to describe the same people. So what is the “correct” way to refer to a person like me? I have asked myself the same question because a lot of people are now confused of the difference is between Latino and Hispanic. To even begin to understand this topic we need to ask the real question: Where do these terms originate and why?

Well according to an article entitled The Origin of the Term ‘Hispanic’ it all got started in the 1970’s when Grace Flores-Hughes worked as an assistant in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Flores-Hughes created the term “Hispanic” to categorize people for governmental data. The category was created for people that spoke Spanish as their first language. Ten years later in 1980, the term Hispanic was used in the U.S. census to define a group that was hard to determine by other factors such as race.  From my understanding, the term was only created to artificially categorize people.

As I did my research on the terms, I found in an article called Latinos or Hispanics? A Debate About Identity by Darryl Fears. This is what the article had to say on the matter:

“Hispanics derive from the mostly white Iberian peninsula that includes Spain and Portugal, while Latinos are descended from the brown indigenous Indians of the Americas south of the United States and in the Caribbean, conquered by Spain centuries ago.”

The source of each term has a very different root and is often interpreted in different ways. So, again I ask, who is Hispanic and/or Latino? Well it depends how each person identifies. For example, I see myself as a Latina. I always thought of the term Hispanic as something “bad”; probably because I associate the term “spic”, a derogatory racial slur for the Latino community.

What I have learned is that your identity as a Hispanic and/or Latino also depends on what region you live in the US. For example, in my personal experience, people that live on the east coast are more acceptable toward the term Hispanic, while people on the west coast see themselves as Latinos. I’m not sure why this occurs, but I imagine it has to do with cultural legacies and norms in that particular region. The use of either terminology is a hard topic to discuss due to the influence of the media and the stereotypes people create in their mind about the terms as well.

The question still comes up, who is Hispanic or Latino? I don’t really think there is a right or wrong answer to this question. No one individual or authority can really factually say who is or isn’t Hispanic and/or Latino; people see themselves differently and identify as such. The important thing to remember is to pay attention to how people identify. The best way to learn more about this subject is to bridge a conversation with individuals. You may ask, “I heard you describe yourself as “Latino”; what does that mean to you?” You may be surprised and learn much by their answer.

Thank you for reading,

Angelica Perez, Community Relations Facilitator

Throughout my undergraduate experience, I have learned a lot about myself and my culture. Before coming to Oregon State University, I had no idea there was a “me” to explore. My identity was something I never bothered to “discover.”

Now I understand identity it is much more important than I realized. My identity is not only who I am but also what I stand for because of my values. Thinking back, I can rationalize that I never placed real importance on my identity because I did not know what it meant. Now, I can only imagine how many other first-year students did not and do not know the meaning of identity as well.

In my K-12 education, I do not remember ever learning about myself or where I came from in any class. As a young Latina, I was curious to learn more about my history. I was finally given the opportunity to learn more about my culture at OSU; it was an opportunity I was hungry to explore. I took classes that were never offered in high school such as ethics of diversity through the philosophy department, sociology, and anthropology, where I was introduced to the topic of identity. I was glad to engage the topic but did not anticipate that it would also cause much confusion and anxiety.

As a Student of Color, I hated talking about my identity because I felt I didn’t know how to identify my multiethnic identities. Not knowing my identity made me feel like I had no past; I was ignoring my ancestors.  I felt like a tree that had no roots. I also started to realize that my identity consists of what makes me unique as an individual and different from others. I started to realize how important it was when I would talk about myself. Even answering a question such as, “where are you from?” was difficult for me to answer.

The process of identifying myself made me feel closer to my family because I was honoring them by learning where we came from and where our values are rooted. It also made me realize how much I have grown and learned at OSU. As a Community Relations Facilitator, I have picked up on several helpful tools that have helped me understand my identity and how I can help others in their own process of self-discovery.

It was a challenge for me to realize I was missing pieces of myself, but I am glad I am working towards finding all of the pieces of my identity.  I know classes I took helped me to reflect on my identity and on how I would identify myself to others. I feel these courses could help many other students who wish to explore their own identities.

If you are interested in exploring this topic, I recommend that you look courses that are offered in departments such as ethnic studies, philosophy, anthropology, women studies, and sociology. I encourage you to discover the courses, workshops  and events offered by these departments. I know courses from these departments have made a difference in my life; I hope they can inspire you to explore your identities as well.

Thanks for reading,

Angelica Perez, Community Relations Facilitator

As a Student of Color I have given much thought to the topic of racial identity. However, as a self-identified Chicano/Latino I admit I have not challenged myself to reflect on bi-racial or multi-racial identities. In high school I thought of race as what you would check on the identity box when taking the SAT’s, or any other state testing. Only recently have these identification forms allowed you to check more than one “racial box” or to state that you are multiracial. Like these forms I, too, had a binary way of thinking about race; in my mind you were either “this” or “that.”

During spring term of 2011 I decided to take a philosophy class titled “Ethics of Diversity”, which really sparked my interest in learning more about many topics around social justice.  This class talked about many issues like race, oppression, sexism, LGBT identities, etc. Towards the end of the term we began to discuss bi-racial and multi-racial identities. During this class the professor hosted a panel of students who identified as being bi-racial or multi-racial to speak on their experiences. When I got home that afternoon I saw an email from a student who was part of the panel. With his consent, I will share the email he sent to the class:

I would like to preface my statement by clarifying that it is not my intention to dismiss anyone or to attack them for their thoughts. These views come from my experiences and should not be used as a generalization for everyone.

I left the panel yesterday feeling very angry and resentful. Walking through campus, I could not pinpoint the center of my uneasy feelings, unable to locate the reason for which I was so unsettled by what happened. The issues discussed very well described what it meant to be bi- or multi-racial; but only a portion of what goes on. I felt as if the class was left with the idea that being multi-racial/ bi-racial meant being able to pick and choose which side we wanted to present: to be one, the other, or both when convenient.

It means a lot more.

• For some it means to be both always, forced with the inability to escape duality.
• It means not being able to pass completely for one or the other.
• It means to be Mexican and White at all times, for better or for worse, and to understand this and accept the consequences.
• It means to be mad at the world when you are rejected for one side, and then mad at yourself when you fail to speak up for the other.
• It means to be told that you are both the oppressor and the oppressed.
• It means to always be a minority, regardless of who you are with.
• It means to be admired for your ability to seamlessly cross between two worlds, and then hated for the same reason.
• It means to bottle up all your hurt for lack of anyone who understands you.
• It means that when you are unable to represent both cultures fully, you are seen as culturally ignorant instead of culturally unaware.
• It means to constantly try to acculturate to both sides and always be seen as assimilating.
• It is like your different sides staring at each other through a two-way mirror, screaming and banging and shaking to break free and join each other in a society that keeps them separated.
• But it also means to not only have to the power to “check” multiple boxes, but have the opportunity to embrace and express the cultures that you check.
• It means you can speak Spanish at one home and English at the other.
• It means you can share in the sorrows and happiness of two worlds.
• It means you are blessed with a curse and cursed with a blessing.
• It means you can find meaning in double the things.
• It means you see life from many different eyes.
• It means you can build bridges.

Thank You for your Time,

Agustin Vega-Peters

The class discussion and Agustin’s email were very insightful; it completely changed my way of viewing race. I began to reflect on the complexity of the concept of race. I was awakened to no longer see race as being “this” or “that” in an exclusionary manner. I now understood why my bi- and multiracial friends had a hard time when I asked, “what race do you relate to more?” or “which one of the two races do you identify as?” These questions assumed that they can separate their lives into imaginary compartments. I realized that my lack of awareness may have made my friends uncomfortable and my questions could have even been hurtful. Becoming more aware of this issue allowed me to think of how I can become an ally and be more inclusive to people who identify as bi-and multiracial. I actively remind myself to embrace and appreciate the whole individual for who they are and what they represent, rather than breaking down an individual into distinct characteristics that have no connection. I encourage you to reflect on your understanding of bi- and multiracial identities. How can you help create a more inclusive living environment in your residence hall for people who identify as bi- and multiracial?

If you wish to learn more about identity and other related topics, contact your Community Relations Facilitator (CRF) or participate in facilitations offered by CRFs in your residence hall.

Thank you for reading,

Miguel Arellano, Community Relations Facilitator

Through the last two years of working on understanding social justice and diversity I have had many battles within myself. I have worked hard to gain a better understanding of my white identity and how I may be perceived in our society. Yet, there is still something that I can’t understand or agree with that many white identified individuals have said. Many people who are White have said that they don’t believe they have a culture or there is no white culture. I’m shocked every time I hear someone say this to me as they believe they have no culture what so ever. Read the rest of this entry »

Being a person of color in a predominantly white institution can definitely have its challenges. I have been at Oregon State for over a year now and being here has been very interesting. It has been here at OSU that I have been more intentional in learning about my own culture and what it means to identify as a Latina/ Mexican-American than anywhere else. I believe the reason for that is because it has been not only here in Corvallis, but also here in Oregon that my ethnicity matters.  I constantly find myself in conversations about who I am and where I am from and it’s not because of my job. These conversations have been occurring since my arrival to Oregon. Read the rest of this entry »

Whenever someone makes a mistake or does something wrong that might affect others, the world expects us to take responsibility for it and own up to it. In a sense, this is very similar to the way privilege works. In our world, there are millions of beneficiaries of societal constructs which define who will be the advantaged and disadvantaged group in society. This is something that is out of the control of most, but is reinforced by institutions and society as a whole.  Although it is not intentional, it is imperative that we analyze where we fit in, and recognize the areas that we are the beneficiaries. By recognizing advantage, you are owning it, and can then learn how to use it to make this community more inclusive. Read the rest of this entry »

An ally is a person who identifies within a dominant identity, yet chooses to aid or fight alongside those who identify with subordinate identities. An example of what an identity can be is how I identify as being a white, straight, male. Those are all examples of dominant identities and the supplement subordinate identities would be a person of color, gay, and female. I now consider myself an ally to all subordinate identities, even though in the past I didn’t give my support. Read the rest of this entry »

Over the past couple of weeks I have been discussing where I identify with social class and how my new identity has changed my outlook on life.  Now the question remains, what am I going to do from here?  Being in an area of privilege, I have the opportunity to serve a community that is oppressed throughout society.  Over the past three weeks I have been reading ad researching various ways to serve communities that are oppressed due to class.  Although breaking the institutionalized classism in America is difficult, starting to slow the growth of classist remarks on a personal level is extremely feasible.

Read the rest of this entry »

Two years ago if you asked me to define what masculinity meant I could have done it relatively easily. I would of described the usual stereotypes of being tough, don’t cry, and to be brave. Today the task of defining what masculinity means to me is much more difficult of a task. Read the rest of this entry »

After reflecting on how I identify in the sense of social class, I have started to pay more attention to my access to wealth.  My immediate family is a low income family in a manufactured home neighborhood, aka a trailer park. My extended family, on the other hand, has an abundance of resources. I have been struggling with identifying as lower class, based on my immediate family, or upper middle class with this new consideration of my access to wealth through my extended family. Read the rest of this entry »