Hispanic and Latinx People
Hispanic and Latinx are terms that refer to shared cultures, identities, and ethnicities, and include diverse groups of people from across the globe. “Hispanic” is a language-based ethnic identity, which describes people born in or with ancestors from the Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America, the Caribbean, and Spain. The term “Latino/a/x” is a geography-based ethnic identity, which describes people born in or with ancestors from Latin America. Latin America includes countries in South America, Middle America, and the Caribbean that speak Latin/Romance languages, such as Spanish, Portuguese, and French. Latinx (pronounced la-teen-ex) and Latine are terms coined by gender expansive Latin American people intended to provide gender-neutral alternatives to Latina and Latino. Latinx is most widely used, but some Spanish-speaking people prefer Latine, as it is less anglicized. Because the terms “Hispanic” and “Latino/a/x” can overlap in their definitions, individuals may consider themselves Hispanic, Latinx, both, or neither. These terms refer to one’s ethnicity, meaning Hispanic and Latinx people can belong to any race. Some Hispanic and Latinx people prefer being identified by nationality (Mexican, Puerto Rican, Guatemalan, Cuban, Colombian, etc.) rather than ethnicity. Because racial and ethnic identities are deeply personal and are constantly evolving, terminology is a matter of individual preference and should be treated as such.
Hispanic and Latinx people have been instrumental as activists for workers’ rights, gay and transgender liberation, and gun law reform. They have also broken barriers in the United States as scientists, artists, and inventors. Despite these contributions to society, Hispanic and Latinx people have been routinely mistreated, marginalized, and excluded in the United States. From being the targets of hate crimes and racist deportation campaigns to being scapegoated for bringing drugs, disease, and economic downturn to America, Hispanic and Latinx lives are too often devalued and criminalized. Hispanic and Latinx people in the United States also experience disparities in health and access to care. Hispanic people are about 50% more likely to die from diabetes or liver disease than their white counterparts. Additionally, Hispanic and Latinx people are 3 times more likely to be uninsured than white people. Hispanic and Latinx people who are immigrants, refugees, undocumented, limited-English proficient, economically poor, disabled, and/or LGBTQ+ are even more likely to struggle to thrive due to the compounding marginalizations they experience.
Hispanic and Latinx people are the fastest growing communities of color in the United States. Despite this growth, anti-Latinx rhetoric is still commonplace, and can be seen in characterizations of Mexican immigrants as rapists, criminals, and drug dealers or Latinx people being labeled as parasites, gang-members, and animals, regardless of immigration status. It is important to note that not all Hispanic and Latinx people in the United States are immigrants. This perception contributes to systemic oppression, as anti-immigration movements in the U.S. have often become thinly-veiled anti-Latinx movements.
Achieving health equity and racial justice for Hispanic and Latinx people requires deeply uprooting racist systems that perpetuate their exploitation and abuse. Institutionalizing and operationalizing equity and justice throughout all leadership levels of all sectors will require organizations, allies, and systems to deeply center and follow the leadership of people with lived experience. Community-led processes, self-representation, and centering Hispanic and Latinx voices are a few effective tactics communities can leverage to advance equity and well-being for Hispanic and Latinx people.
Resources & Tools
Taking Action to End Gun Violence: Our Top Tools, Resources, Stories, and Data
Story
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Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Recognizing and Dismantling Raciolinguistic Hierarchies in Latinx Health
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by AMA
Life Expectancy by County, Race, and Ethnicity in the USA, 2000–19: A Systematic Analysis of Health Disparities
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by Elsevier, Inc.
In Common Newsletter: Trauma, Stress, and Trauma-Informed Practice
Resource
Brought to you by Community Commons
Published on 09/16/2022
Personal Experiences of U.S. Racial/Ethnic Minorities in Today’s Difficult Times
Resource - Report
Brought to you by RWJF
Investing in the Frontlines: Why Trusting and Supporting Communities of Color Will Help Address Gun Violence
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by Yale University
Interactive Summary Health Statistics for Adults, by Detailed Race and Ethnicity
Resource - Data Bank/repository
Brought to you by CDC National Center for Health Statistics
Relationship Between Social Determinants of Health and Systolic Blood Pressure in United States Immigrants
Resource - Journal Article
Minority Population Profiles
Resource - Website/webpage
Brought to you by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Racial Discrimination as Race-Based Trauma, Coping Strategies and Dissociative Symptoms Among Emerging Adults
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by NLM
Bright Spot: PASO (Providers Advancing School Outcomes)
Resource - Model Policy
Brought to you by 100MHL
Immigration and Indigenization in the Mexican Diaspora in the Southwestern United States
Resource - Journal Article
Hispanic/Latino Health in the United States: A Pathfinder to Resources
Resource
Brought to you by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
In Common Newsletter: An Introduction to Community Health Needs Assessment
Resource
Brought to you by Community Commons
Pandemic Intensified Longstanding Stresses for Hispanics
Resource - Blog
Brought to you by UT Health San Antonio
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Assisted Reproductive Technology Outcomes in the United States
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by Elsevier, Inc.
Coronavirus and Latino Health Equity
Resource - Data Bank/repository
Brought to you by Salud America!
How Is Colonialism a Sociostructural Determinant of Health in Puerto Rico?
Resource - Case Study
Brought to you by AMA
BIPOC? Latinx? Here's How to Describe People Accurately
Resource - Guide/handbook
Brought to you by NPR
Dental Health Is Worse in Communities of Color
Resource - Report
Brought to you by The Pew Charitable Trusts
Systemic Racism, Disparities and Health: The Impact of COVID-19 on Latino Health
Resource - Webinar
Brought to you by NIHCM Foundation
How a Coding Error Provided a Rare Glimpse Into Latino Identity Among Brazilians in the U.S.
Story - Written
Brought to you by The Pew Charitable Trusts
Published on 04/19/2023
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Keep Talking: Black Minds Matter – Psychological Costs of Racial Injustice
Story - Video
Brought to you by YouTube
"This Is America, Speak English": Latinas On The Fear Of Speaking Spanish In Public
Story - Written
Brought to you by Vice Media Group
Published on 05/16/2018
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