A population still facing discrimination

Living in the U.S. as a Latina is frustrating, and living here for the past four years has made me realize that my community continues to face discrimination.

I have encountered many St. Joe’s students who deny that citizens of Canada and Latinx countries are also considered Americans. They have denied the fact that I am an American even though I am from the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, which is a territory of the U.S. This isn’t the only instance where a form of my identity has been denied. 

There have been countless times where people at St. Joe’s have minimized my opinion in conversations by labeling me as “feisty” or “too loud.” People have also said, “You’re acting like a stereotypical Spanish mom” and “I’m surprised you speak English so well.” These are ignorant comments rooted in stereotypes and misrepresentation of the Latinx community. 

These uncomfortable situations have made me feel insecure, angry and as if my value as a Latina is based on the color of my skin or the way I act. No person’s ethnicity should be judged by their pronunciations or whether they fit a certain stereotype.

My identity as a Latina has been constantly questioned for being “too white” when referring to the color of my skin or by saying things like, “What type of Latina are you? You can’t even tan,” as if we should be put into some type of category. 

It’s interesting that St. Joe’s only has a category for Hispanics, but not Latinx on their Inclusion and Diversity webpage. It makes it seem as if they’re using the terms interchangeably when they have different meanings. Hispanic refers to people who are native Spanish speakers, while Latinx refers to anyone of Latin American origin or ancestry. 

The singular category makes St. Joe’s seem as if they’re trying to be perceived as more diverse than they actually are. Most students that are categorized as Hispanic are white, which leads to misrepresentation in the statistics. It is essential to have white Latinx and Hispanic representation. But what about our Black and brown Latinx people? 

My recommendation for St. Joe’s is to acknowledge the distinction between the Latinx and Hispanic categories and enroll and fairly represent more students that are Afro-Latinx. The Latinx and Hispanic communities are multi-faceted and we all deserve to be represented. 

Despite the microaggressions I have faced, I find pride and confidence in my ethnicity and identity. These experiences have not only made me realize that my people are resilient and powerful, but it has also made me acknowledge my white privilege within the Latinx community and ways I can use that to continue fighting against racism and inequality. 

As a white Latinx person, I hold myself accountable by doing anti-racist work. My anti-racist work consists of advocating for more Latinx representation, signing petitions which promote equality and equity and voting and donating to organizations that share the same values as me. My experience has urged me to pursue a career in public health services and policy to continue researching the health disparities that marginalized groups face. 

Although the university somewhat addressed the racial bias incidents that happened in the past few years, there is still a lot of work to be done. Keeping the conversation going is a good start. However, including more faculty and student representation is extremely important, as it strengthens the community and helps Latinx and Hispanic students feel more comfortable. It would also expose students of different backgrounds to positive and diverse representations in the classroom.