Keywords:
Explore the differences between Latinx, Latino, Afro-Latino, and Hispanic in our blog. Learn what these terms mean and their cultural significance in the Latinx community. Learn the differences between Hispanic and Latino, and Afro-Latinx.
Despite controversial opinion, Haitians and Dominicans are the same.
Because we are all Latines/Latinx! And some of us Afro-Latinos or Afro-Latines. But what exactly does it mean to be Latine? or Hispanic? or both?
The terms “Latino” and “Hispanic” are often used interchangeably, but they have different meanings.
Race and Ethnicity
We will go over 2 main concepts: Ethnicity and Race
“Ethnicity refers to people who have a common ancestry and share a common cultural heritage.”
This culture includes language, history, set of traditions, and other characteristics.
With this, we can go over Latine and Hispanic, two ethnicities or common cultural heritages a group of people can have.
I will be using this diagram to show which countries are included when describing the ethnicities of Latine and Hispanic
What is Latine/Latinx/Latino/Latina?
Latine: Latine refers to people who are from, or have ancestry in, Latin America. Ancestry can refer to family or ancestors from Latin America.
Latin America includes countries in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.
A person from Haiti, Brazil, or any other Latin American country can be called Latine, because while they do not speak Spanish, the countries are located in Latin America.
What is Hispanic?
Hispanic refers to people who are from, or have ancestry in, Spain or Spanish-speaking countries.
Some Spanish-speaking countries include Spain, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico.
Being Hispanic means, you have a family background, culture, or language that comes from these Spanish-speaking countries.
Ethnicity is one part of the puzzle, and the next part is Race.
What is race?
“Race refers to a group of persons created and defined, by themselves or by others, as a distinct group with common physical features, like skin color and hair texture”
Race is a concept, that is different in countries. For example, in the United States we have races like white, Black, or Native American.
But in some Latin American countries, there are other racial categories, like Mestizo, Mulato, and Zambo.
Since ethnicity refers to a common ancestry or shared cultural heritage, that means any race can have the ethnicities of Latine, Hispanic, or both. Some examples are Asian Latines, White Latines, and Black Latines to name a few.
What about Afro-Latines/Afro-Latinx/Afro-Latino/Afro-Latina?
Some Black people who are Latine will call themselves Afro-Latine.
Let’s break down the word into two sections: Afro and Latine.
Afro refers to “of African-descent” and in combination with Latine, means someone of African and Latin American ancestry. In this case, ancestry can refer to family or ancestors from Latin America and Africa.
While Black people who are Latine can be considered Afro-Latine,
Are Afro-Latines considered Black People?
I will discuss this in my next TikTok and blog post, so be sure to sign up for emails and subscribe to my TikTok and Instagram linked.
Do you still have any questions about Hispanic, Latine, and Afro-Latines?
Do you consider yourself any of these labels?
Comment down below and I’ll get back to you!
Sources
10.2 The Meaning of Race and Ethnicity – Sociology (umn.edu)