Are You Aware? Latinx Diversity and Contributions

This is part II in our “The Latin Experience in the States” Awareness Wednesday series. Read the other posts in the series here.

NOTE: Throughout this article, the terms Latino, Latina, Latinx, and Hispanic are being used interchangeably to refer to the same group of people.

I never thought that immigrating to the U.S. was going to be part of my life’s journey. I grew up hearing about the “American Dream” and the idea of what that meant through TV shows and movies. I remember hearing the “dislike” in people’s comments when they heard the word “America” was used interchangeably with the United States of America. It was accompanied by the constant murmuring of, “Don’t they know America is a continent with many countries on it?” People in my community made sure to educate every “gringo” tourist and missionary from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who would visit from time to time.

Nevertheless, having any type of attachment or linkage with the U.S. carried immediate social prestige and could even be an economic indicator — even if it was only part of an ancestor’s history. My mom was one of the few bilingual women in our church in Costa Rica, and she would translate for important leaders when they visited the country. She taught me English, beginning when I was a little girl — a privilege that has given me many opportunities throughout my life. My mother learned English in kindergarten while her father was studying at Brigham Young University in Provo, and later, at Harvard Business School, where he got one of his multiple master’s degrees. Having someone in my life with such distinctive accomplishments made a very marked impression on me and became a North Star for my intellectual goals.

Race vs. ethnicity

A couple of decades later I got my first job with Intel Corporation as an intern while finishing my last year studying manufacturing and industrial engineering. Intel had been established in Costa Rica since 1997, which opened the door for many multinational corporations to set up their operations in our country. Knowing English as a second language became an essential skill, as it meant you could get a much better job and double your salary — simply because you could check that box. In 2014, while on my first maternity leave, the news of the Intel Costa Rica factory shutdown was announced. That experience changed our lives forever, not only because it meant I had lost my job, but because they offered me the opportunity to be relocated to Chandler, Arizona. Without thinking about it for too long, we accepted the opportunity and I got on a plane with my husband and 1-year-old daughter.

One of the first things I remember from that trip was filling out the immigration paperwork and my thoughts as I was reading through the forms.

Name: ____________ Yes, I know my name. Done.

Last Name: ____________ Only one space for last name? But I have two last names. Where do I put the other one? (Oh! And let me tell you about the multiple times I’ve been questioned by immigration officials asking for my translated marriage certificate because I don’t have my husband’s last name, Gonzalez. Well, what can I tell you? I don’t mind changing my last name, it is just not a custom in our country to change our families’ last names when we get married.)

Race: ____________ Race? Hmm… Well, “human” is not even an option. I’ll skip this one and come back later when I figure out what to select.

Ethnicity: ____________ Wait, what? Ethnicity? What does that even mean?

I was puzzled right away with the inquiries about my race and my ethnicity. I have learned now, through my work as diversity, equity, and inclusion leader, that this is a way for some organizations, government, and industries in the U.S. to understand different aspects of identity, like skin color and other physical, social, and biological attributes, as well as cultural identification. Race is a narrow term used to identify people based on their biological attributes and physical appearance. Ethnicity is a broader term associated with cultural markers and place of origin. For someone who had never been “labeled” this way, it was confusing and othering. It would have been helpful to have the definitions somewhere on these forms as a reference.

Race Definition

o Merriam-Webster Dictionary: “any one of the groups that humans are often divided into based on physical traits regarded as common among people of shared ancestry”
o U.S. Census: “a person’s self-identification with one or more social groups”
§ Common checkbox options: White, Black or African American, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, Other.

Ethnicity Definition

o Merriam-Webster Dictionary: “[ethnic] of or relating to large groups of people classed according to common racial, national, tribal, religious, linguistic, or cultural origin or background.
o U.S. Census: “determines whether a person is of Hispanic origin or not.”
§ Common checkbox options: Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish, and other.

Latina/o/x diversity

Not all Latinxs speak Spanish. Living in the U.S. gave me a wonderful opportunity to be exposed to the most beautiful diversity I’ve ever known. I was enthusiastic every time I went to the store or the park to be able to see so many people from different cultures and religions. It was certainly exciting to hear someone speaking in Spanish and be able to connect immediately through our shared language. It was also very awkward when I would introduce myself — in Spanish — to someone who “looked like me,” and they would reply with, “Sorry, I don’t speak Spanish.”

It took a few of those experiences for me to realize the diversity of Latinos in the U.S. Not only do they come from many different Latin American countries (not only Mexico), they are also sometimes second- or third- (or more) generation immigrants, meaning it was their ancestors who migrated at some point in their lives, and those ancestors may or may not have passed the language through the generations. I also had the eye-opening opportunity to realize that not all Latina immigrants have the same level of privilege I had when coming to this country.

Because the company I work for had offered to relocate us, we came with not only the sponsorship for a near-future green card (permanent residency) but with a full package of two months of housing and car rental, a local liaison who would help us with all the miscellaneous processes (like getting our driver’s licenses and figuring out which supermarket to use), plus a significant monetary allowance to cover our expenses. Our immediate network was composed of employees from the same company, including many other Costa Ricans who had moved with similar packages, and a wonderful church group that made us feel at home. It was not until we started getting involved with local organizations and volunteered for different initiatives that I was able to fully comprehend what my privilege was really about.

While leading the Spanish-speaking chapter for Sharing Down Syndrome Arizona, a nonprofit organization, I heard heartbreaking stories of “single” parents supporting and raising their children by themselves when their partners had been deported and “American” children with special needs growing up without their parents and without the ability to go visit them. Other people have shared how their families decided to send the “fittest and strongest” to live in the U.S. so they could work hard and send money back to sustain their families. (Check out “The Borgen Project” and how personal remittances keep families in El Salvador out of poverty.)

If all this was not enough to give a very contrasting picture, my husband and I decided to volunteer with a nonprofit organization called Gathering Humanity. I cried with many Central American individuals who had traveled hundreds of miles by foot during some of the recent waves of immigration you’ve seen and heard in the news. They described the many hardships they faced during their travel, from getting all their belongings stolen by the “coyotes” (people who charge money for helping others get to and sometimes cross the border), to a woman giving birth in the most unhealthy conditions you could imagine without any trained personnel by her side. Others asked if they could borrow my phone to call their families, some of whom they hadn’t spoken with in weeks: “Yes. I’m alive.” “I’m safe. We made it.” They were getting ready to be reunited with their asylum case sponsors, and, some were going to travel by bus from Arizona to Florida with only the items that fit in a regular backpack plus some snacks that were donated.

A question that we might ask is, why? Why decide to make such an unimaginable decision to leave their families and travel that far, to seek asylum or cross the border illegally? “Their choice, their consequences,” right? Even though I don’t support illegal means to enter into this country, I’ve seen firsthand that the core of their motivation comes from seeking a better life, some peace, and the opportunity to work hard to achieve their goals and provide for their needs—the needs that every human being has of food, water, security and safety. Most Latinas I know here in the U.S., especially those who have come under the hardest of circumstances and were fleeing unimaginable situations, are some of the most hard-working people. They just want one chance — one opportunity to prove themselves and contribute to society.

Taker or contributor?

We’ve had the privilege of traveling back home to visit our families and friends every year (except this past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic). We usually plan to visit some new places we never had the chance to tour while living there and visit with some special friends from our old church community.

During one of these occasions, I can’t forget a conversation we had with a retired couple that was visiting from the U.S. When we told them we were tourists, too, as we were living in Arizona and were just visiting family for a few days, I noticed how the husband’s demeanor and tone changed. He seemed a little upset. It was not until we mentioned that we had been relocated to the U.S. from Costa Rica by my company — that I was an engineer and my husband an architect — that he changed back to the initial friendly demeanor. His facial expressions showed that he was relieved because we were “contributors.” Fro there, he began talking about the issues immigrants were causing in “his” country. His wife must have perceived my discomfort, because she nudged him with her elbow and, once he stopped talking, we said our goodbyes.

That was the first time the thought of being perceived as “takers” instead of “contributors” crossed my mind. It also made me reflect on how many times we are not getting to know others and, instead, choose to make assumptions. I know this is how our brains work — we are all biased. We can’t cure it; we can only learn to address it. Developing self-awareness can help us identify when our own biases or blind spots are getting in the way of creating meaningful connections with our fellow human beings.

But the question remains: Are Latino immigrants takers or contributors? I know that generalizing or using the “average” of statistical data is never going to be an accurate representation of each individual. I know there are Latinxs who have made poor choices that have impacted others negatively. But I also know there are many Latinas, Latinos, and Latinxs who are making the world a better place.

In 2017, Hispanic American households earned $1.0T — $86.3B went to state and local taxes and $165.9B went to federal taxes, leaving $780.7B in spending power.
A 2019 report found that if the U.S. Latino gross domestic product (GDP) were its own country, it would rank as the eighth largest GDP in the world.
Latinas are 1.7 times more likely than others to start businesses, and Hispanic-owned businesses are growing at a rate three times the national average.
Latinos play an important role in many industries and collectively hold 17 percent of private sector jobs. They are over-represented in several industries, including construction (31 percent), agriculture (26 percent), leisure and hospitality (23 percent), mining (21 percent), wholesale trade (19 percent), and transportation and utilities (18 percent).

Hispanic vs. Latinx

You may still be wondering, “What is the difference between being Hispanic and being Latina/o/x?” “Which one should I use?” Even among our very diverse community, there is no consensus. A recent study from the Pew Research Center indicates that 51% of interviewees say that they most often identify themselves by their family’s country of origin, and just 24% say they prefer a pan-ethnic label such as Latinx or Hispanic. “Hispanic” or “Latino”? Most don’t care. When a preference is expressed, “Hispanic” is preferred over “Latino” by more than a two-to-one margin — 33% versus 14%.

Hispanic: Includes people with ancestry from Spain and Latin American Spanish-speaking countries
Latino(a): Includes people from Latin American countries that were formerly colonized by Spain or Portugal
Latinx: A gender-neutral, pan-ethnic label

It has become more common to use or offer both Hispanic/Latino or Hispanic/Latinx and to use them interchangeably. I believe it is more important to take the time to understand the diversity that these terms imply, and to seek for further understanding when referring to specific individuals within each group.

U.S. citizens with Latin roots

Education has always been a priority for my parents, and they have made all the sacrifices necessary to ensure their nine children acquire “the key to opportunity.” As the oldest of the siblings — and having very close ties to my family — it was not easy to take the leap of faith and move to the U.S. with my growing family. Since our relocation in 2015, two more children have been born into our family. Also, seven out of my eight siblings have moved to the U.S. through legal means. Two of them — a computer engineer and a lawyer — found their forever partners (who happen to be U.S. citizens) here.

In 2019, my mother applied to a J-1 Visa international teacher exchange program. After paying the fees to one of the approved sponsors, she was accepted to work in a school district in Texas and, most recently, to move to Utah to be closer to the rest of her children and grandchildren. This opportunity has allowed her to change the socio-economic situation my family was living in back home as business owners and private teachers. Thanks to this wonderful program, my mom can not only provide for the family but also continue developing her career as a special education teacher. My dad established his own business as a mechanic, three of my siblings are taking college classes, and one is preparing to serve as a volunteer missionary. The youngest of my siblings is enjoying high quality education and the opportunity to develop skills in multiple disciplines — music and art.

As our families continue growing, life’s path is leading us to become U.S. citizens and continue contributing to the best of our abilities. I hope to be able to continue enjoying the fellowship and welcoming spirit I have felt from many in the United States of America. I know together we can build a world where everyone can have equal opportunities and not only fulfill their basic needs, but also develop to their full potential.