Beyond the Borderlands: Diversity within Latino Community

Soy Mexicana. Filipino ako.

I am Mexipina—both Mexican and Filipino. Growing up in a predominantly Latinx community in Los Angeles, I was often called “Chinita.”

“No soy Chinita! I’m Filipino…and I’m Mexican, too!”

Related to Anzaldúa’s quote, my mixedness designates my existence outside of the normal and within the borderlands. As a Multiracial Woman of Color, I have had to try and prove I am Asian and Latinx “enough,” consequently moving me to study mulitraciality as a higher education doctoral student and scholar. Additionally, my racialized experiences have shaped me to continually validate the racialized experiences People of Color encounter. In my undergraduate experience in Chicanx courses, I learned about the myriad of ways Latinx people may live in the borderlands. I was often taught about the concept of mesitzaje as it is related to the mixings of Indigenous and European people due to the multiple colonizations brought to Latin America. I also learned that the term mesitzaje was then later employed as a characterization intended to embrace liberation and identity. Moreover, I learned to appreciate Gloria Anzaldúa’s scholarship on the mestiza consciousness as she illuminated the space in between identities, cultures, and sexuality. Though the knowledge I obtained through my Chicanx Studies education has contributed to the growth in my connection to my ancestors, histories, and roots, it is imperative to remind myself, the Latinx community, and others that Latinx people are not a monolith. First and foremost, it is critical to point out that Latinx people exist outside of Mexico. The popular discourse around Latinidad centers Mexican American histories and identities, neglecting the experiences of Central Americans and other Latinx communities. Next, not all Latinx people are mestizos, mixed with Indigenous and European blood. Black people, Indigenous people, Asian people, and Multiracial people with varying lineages exist within the Latinx community. Movies, television, music, and other forms of media and scholarship display standard assumptions and stereotypes of Latinx people. While the inclusion of the Latinx community is imperative in predominantly white and xenophobic spaces, there seems to be a lack of diversity within the Latinx community that is captured and portrayed, such as the current critiques of the recent film, In the Heights. The ways in which race is socially constructed in the United States is convoluting and is used as a mechanism for how white supremacy operates. Latinx people as a collective need to confront the anti-Blackness, colorism, and xenophobic ideals engrained within the multitude of cultures enveloped within the Latinx umbrella. Furthermore, we should neglect the defined borderlands that confine people into specific boxes and position those who do not “fit” into said boxes as “others.” Instead, we should collaborate to expose white supremacy that perpetually produces systems of oppression that generates inequities for minoritized people. Abiding to the existing systems of oppression allows white supremacy to remain. Therefore, it is critical to continually remind ourselves and others: Latinx people are not a monolith. Diversity exists within the Latinx community. Let’s celebrate and encourage the diversity that exists. Let’s dispute the harmful and problematic stereotypes of Latinx people. Let’s work together and do better.