Hispanics, particularly those from Latin American countries (as opposed to those born and raised in the US) generally don't see "hispanic" as a race at all. Racism is prevalent in these countries. There are black hispanics, white hispanics, indigenous hispanics--even some hispanics with Asian ancestry--and any combination of those, each with its own place in a racist hierarchy. It's only when they arrive here that they find that estadounidenses lump everyone from German-descended Argentinians to African-descended Dominicans together as "hispanic" just because they all speak Spanish, and then regard that as a separate race. The idea that latin ethnicity is mutually exclusive with being black, white, or native is a solely American notion.
Attitudes about this vary depending on what part of the country you look at. In the Southwest, where most latinos are mestizos of Mexican ancestry, there's a strong identification with the hispanic label and separation from "white" (gringo) people. But if you look at the Cuban population in South Florida, where there's a strong hispanic minority and Cubans are the whiter, wealthier, more educated and politically connected among hispanics there, Cubans tend to regard themselves as just being white. There, being "hispanic" is thought of like being Methodist or being allergic to pollen--it's something that's part of one's identity, but not such that it's used to sort people into advantaged and disadvantaged classes. I've known Cubans and Cuban-Americans who were oblivious to the fact that anti-hispanic bigotry is prevalent in much of the US, simply because they've been insulated from it.
I recall when I met my wife, who was born in Cuba and grew up in Miami. I had never been to Miami, and she was telling me about it. "It's such a diverse place! We have Cubans and Dominicans and Puerto Ricans and Colombians, and Mexicans, and Venezuelans..." Having been raised in Appalachia, I was hearing, "...hispanics and hispanics and hispanics and hispanics," and thinking, "What's so diverse about that?"
So anytime race is brought up and you see them listed as "white, black, and hispanic," you've got to say, "Whoa, are those white hispanics, hispanics of some other race, or what? How are they tallying this up?"
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momijizukamori
no subject
Date: 2014-11-06 18:14 (UTC)Hispanics, particularly those from Latin American countries (as opposed to those born and raised in the US) generally don't see "hispanic" as a race at all. Racism is prevalent in these countries. There are black hispanics, white hispanics, indigenous hispanics--even some hispanics with Asian ancestry--and any combination of those, each with its own place in a racist hierarchy. It's only when they arrive here that they find that estadounidenses lump everyone from German-descended Argentinians to African-descended Dominicans together as "hispanic" just because they all speak Spanish, and then regard that as a separate race. The idea that latin ethnicity is mutually exclusive with being black, white, or native is a solely American notion.
Attitudes about this vary depending on what part of the country you look at. In the Southwest, where most latinos are mestizos of Mexican ancestry, there's a strong identification with the hispanic label and separation from "white" (gringo) people. But if you look at the Cuban population in South Florida, where there's a strong hispanic minority and Cubans are the whiter, wealthier, more educated and politically connected among hispanics there, Cubans tend to regard themselves as just being white. There, being "hispanic" is thought of like being Methodist or being allergic to pollen--it's something that's part of one's identity, but not such that it's used to sort people into advantaged and disadvantaged classes. I've known Cubans and Cuban-Americans who were oblivious to the fact that anti-hispanic bigotry is prevalent in much of the US, simply because they've been insulated from it.
I recall when I met my wife, who was born in Cuba and grew up in Miami. I had never been to Miami, and she was telling me about it. "It's such a diverse place! We have Cubans and Dominicans and Puerto Ricans and Colombians, and Mexicans, and Venezuelans..." Having been raised in Appalachia, I was hearing, "...hispanics and hispanics and hispanics and hispanics," and thinking, "What's so diverse about that?"
So anytime race is brought up and you see them listed as "white, black, and hispanic," you've got to say, "Whoa, are those white hispanics, hispanics of some other race, or what? How are they tallying this up?"