Today I received this interesting email:
From: [A reader in Los Angeles]
Sent: Friday, June 25, 2004 9:19 AM
To: Juan Guillermo Tornoe
Subject: curious…
Hello,
I live in a very large Latin populated area. And through my interaction with my Latino(a) friends and neighbors, the consensus is they don’t like the word "Hispanic." This being a made up Reagan era designation to lump all the cultures of Mexico, Central and South America into one pot. (It’s like calling all white people "Anglo" from what I understand.)
My question to you is why you use this particular moniker and what’s your take on it?
Thanks!
Here is my answer (edited and complemented for posting purposes):
Hi,
Thank you very much for taking the time to write; I truly appreciate it.
I am a Guatemalan, born and raised there, "transplanted" into the States a couple years ago; and personally I have no problem with people calling me a Central American, Latin American, Hispanic or Latino.
I am fully aware of the "battle" between the name we should give to those living in the U.S. that somewhere in their past have roots south of the Rio Grande or the Spanish-speaking Caribbean. Hey, it has almost Pro-Choice vs. Pro-Life intensity. For me it is just a name and I use Latino and Hispanic interchangeably throughout the site. Now there are also "Chicanos"; those who specifically can trace their roots back to Mexico… that is a whole different story; but since the majority of Hispanics/Latinos in the United States come from Mexican descent, it is most certainly a third variable to consider, at least for that definite segment of the population.
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