My House is Your Home
By Gabriela Calvi – Epidemiologist| Specialist in Disease Prevention, Podcaster “Good Morning Health”
“Mi Casa es tu Casa”, is a phrase that, although it seems like anyone, carries a meaning that can become a feeling of friendship, family, companionship and even a cry for help that plays a very important role in the formation of anyone who can be considered a Good Hispanic.
So it does not matter where you come from or where your roots are, because in one way or another, the Spanish language, despite carrying different cultures, very rich each of them, makes us connect and feeds us that affection, which we can have for each other.
The other day chatting with a friend I asked her; what is the difference between Latino and Hispanic. Because surely, like you, I also came to believe that I as a Latina, the term Hispanic did not correspond to me.
But what exactly do these terms mean in America? There are several arguments for the use of these two terms. Whose terms are used interchangeably in the United States, however, do not have the same meaning. Angélica Casas, a BBC News journalist, Latina and Hispanic, explains the difference between these two terms.
The Latin word (a) refers to geography. People from Latin America. Countries in Central America, South America, and some in the Caribbean. With a total of 20 countries, counting territories such as Puerto Rico. Therefore, the term Latin America was first used in 1856 by the Chilean politician Francisco Bilbao. It is used to describe countries in america whose predominant language has roots in Latin. Whose languages are made up of Spanish, Portuguese and French. That is why countries such as Belize, Guyana and Suriname are excluded, since these countries the official language is not Spanish.
As for the meaning of the term Hispanic, it refers to the Spanish language. Whose people are descendants of a Spanish-speaking country, that includes countries like Spain and some countries in the Caribbean territory. Excluding countries like Brazil and others in Latin America where Spanish is not the official language.
It is for this reason, in 1968, hispanic heritage month was constituted as Hispanic Heritage Week by President Lyndon Johnson, later, in 1988, President Ronald Reagan extended the celebration to 30 days, becoming the current Hispanic Heritage Month.
Imagine, what would the world be like today without our Latino culture? it doesn’t matter if you’re Latino and don’t speak Spanish, or if you speak Spanish, but you’re not Latino. Or if that were not enough, you are Latino, but you feel that you have lost your accent and fluency in the language. Here the important thing is that as human beings we have the ability to do both if we learn to use Spanish as an affective language, in turn, connect with the roots of our ancestors as an opportunity to proudly celebrate what each person can contribute for the benefit of the country that acclaims him.
Without a doubt, I can tell you that I am Latina and Hispanic. Because, my family is from Venezuela, a Latino and Hispanic country.
