LATINX HERITAGE MONTH 2023
What is Latinx Heritage Month?
Each year, Americans observe Latinx Heritage Month (federally recognized as Hispanic Heritage Month) from September 15 to October 15, to lift up, celebrate, and promote education about individuals who are from or have ancestry from Latin America and the Caribbean. During Latinx Heritage Month, we at Duke strive to increase awareness about Latinx and Latin American histories, identities, cultures, and accomplishments and address issues that affect Latinx and Latin Americans internationally, within the United States, and on campus.
Historically, LHM at Duke has been led by students and student organization efforts. Campus-wide, Duke University has hosted events throughout the month to celebrate Latinx communities. From September 15th to October 15th, these events include a kick-off celebration, a keynote speaker, a mural painting at the East Campus tunnel, and more. Other events vary per year and may include guest lectures, dance lessons, and discussions about current political issues. Since 2022, the Center for Multicultural Affairs has made an intentional effort to better centralize these efforts in order to further elevate and uplift the visibility and love the Latinx communities deserve.
Más & Mais
You may have noticed that the terms used to describe the communities LHM celebrates differ depending on the source. Whether someone best identifies with Latino, Latinx, Latiné, Latino, Hispanic, and/or something else, it is always important to keep an open mind to continuous education and efforts towards inclusion. Below are some quick definitions, as well as some resources on these terms.
Afro-Latino: The term Afro-Latino (or Afro-Latina, -Latinx, or -Latiné) refers to individuals of Latin America or of Latin American descent who are also of African ancestry.
Latinx/é: Latinx is a neologism in American English which is used to refer to people of Latin American cultural or ethnic identity in the United States. The gender-neutral ⟨-x⟩ suffix replaces the ⟨-o/-a⟩ ending of Latino and Latina that are typical of grammatical gender in Spanish. Its plural is Latinxs. Latiné is an additional alternative seen by some as more synonymous with the Spanish language.
Latino/a: The masculine term Latino, along with its feminine form Latina, is a noun and adjective, often used in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, that most commonly refers to a person with origins from anywhere in Latin America (Mexico, South and Central America) and the Caribbean
Hispanic: Hispanic people originated from or have ancestors who originated from a Spanish-speaking country. Many Hispanics are also Latino, but there are some Spanish-speaking countries not located in Latin America, such as Equatorial Guinea and Spain. The term Hispanic made its first census appearance in 1970. It’s gender-inclusive, but some linguists find it limiting because it implies that the group being described consists only of Spanish speakers. It excludes Indigenous people whose families have lived in countries before they were colonized and neighboring countries like Brazil that primarily speak other languages
Resources on the terms:
- A guide to how words like Hispanic and Latinx came about- Washington Post
- Many Latinos say 'Latinx' offends or bothers them. Here's why.- NBC News
- Ask the OEDI: Hispanic, Latino, Latina, Latinx - Which is Best?- Duke SOM
- I’m Latino. I’m Hispanic. And they’re different, so I drew a comic to explain.- Vox
- “Latinx” is growing in popularity. I made a comic to help you understand why.- Vox
- Latine vs. Latinx: How And Why They’re Used- Dictionary.com
- Are Spaniards Latino or Hispanic…or Both?- LATV
- Mi Gente
- Duke Brazilian Student Association (BRASA)
- Jewtinos
- Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. (LTA)
- La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc. (LUL)
- Latinx Business Organization (LBO)
- Latin Student Organization (LSO)
- PorColombia
- Sabrosura
- Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)
- Students of the Caribbean Association (SOCA)
The organization listed here aren't the only Latinx identified/affiliated organizations! Find these organizations on Duke Groups or Instagram! Want your organization to be added to this list or need to make an edit? Please email a.espaillat@duke.edu.
Thank you to our contributors who shared events, resources, and more.
Special thank you to our compañeros over at the Carolina Latinx Center for their advice and community as we continue to work to provide our Latinx communities and campus with the representation and appreciation they deserve.
Duke University Latinx Heritage Month logo inspired by UPitt Diversity & Inclusion, designed by Alex Espaillat
Stay tuned