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WANDERER SPRING 2022

LATINO LATINA LATINE LATIN LATINOAMERICANO LATIN AMERICAN HISPANIC SPANISH HISPANO HISPANA

A PUBLICATION CREATED BY PEOPLE, POWER & NARRATIVE: LATINO VOICES, AND VISUAL COMMUNICATION STUDENTS

THE LATINX WORD

WRITERS | PHOTOGRAPHERS CARMEN ARROYO ZELDA ARROYO NATHAN BIENEMAN DANA CAMPOS AILEEN CARRANZA ROWAN COLOWSKY ARAMIS CÓRDOVA JAKE FREDRICKSON SEBASTIÁN GONZÁLES CAROLINE GUFFEY NIKKI HERNÁNDEZ OLIVIA HUBBELL JENNIFER LUNA JULIAN LYONS MIA MARTÍNEZ HUGH MAXEY SUGEY MONDRAGÓN MARCO PULIDO DONOVAN STEWART DANIELI TRINIDAD JOCELYN WOODS DESIGN EDITORS GEORGE BYE SEBASTIAN CHINO ALEX GESHEL PAYTON GUINAN HYNIAH HERRIN-OVERBY IRVIN IBARRA ANTHONY MEDINA AESHAH OBAIDI ANGELINA PORTILLO-AUTH LAUREN SCHURMAN REAGAN SWORD ZOË TAKAKI LAUREN TOEPPER CAITLYN VALDERRAMA LUKE WINNIE NATALIE ZALEWSKI BRETT ZERA FACULTY ADVISER ELIO LETURIA DEPARTMENT CHAIR ERIN MCCARTHY

This publication has been possible thanks to the support of the Communication Department of Columbia College Chicago, 33 Ida B. Wells Drive, Chicago, Ill. 60605 Phone 312.369.8900

presentation WHAT’S IN A NAME? The answer often depends on who is doing the

naming—is it given, or is it chosen? This issue of Wanderer explores the question by asking: “What do you think of the term Latinx?” One thing we learn: no two responses are the same! In 22 interviews with Chicagoans who closely identify with one or more of many Latin American countries and Puerto Rico, the answers are more nuanced than non-Latinos might imagine. Perhaps this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Latino Chicago is known not only for its diverse and vibrant neighborhoods and cultures, but also its resistance to being lumped into one category, as illustrated by the narrators featured here, and their preference to self-identify in reference to a specific country, countries, or territory. While they embrace the intentional inclusivity of Latinx, they do not use the term to describe themselves. These interviews also reveal definitive attitudes toward bilingualism, as well as generational differences in knowledge and acceptance of this emerging terminology. While each interview is unique, there is one constant, language continually evolves in response to cultural/political/social change, and that is a good thing. (Spoiler Alert: Have you heard of the term “Latine”?) I want to acknowledge all the student interviewers in Elio Leturia’s People, Power & Narrative: Latino Voices, and the student designers in Visual Communication courses at Columbia College Chicago, and thank them, and their narrators, for giving us a valuable insider’s perspective on Latino identity in Chicago. Enjoy! —ERIN MCCARTHY, PH.D.,

Interim Chair, Communication Department

Wanderer is a student-produced magazine. It does not necessarily represent, in whole or in part, the views of college administrators, faculty, the Communication and Columbia Experience Programs, or the student body as a whole.

Communication 2 Wanderer | The Latinx Word

inside

SPRING 2022

4 MERCEDES RUIZ: Latinx ‘encompasses everybody better than just saying Latina or Latino’ by Dana Campos

26 TANIA MANRIQUE: Latinx is ‘fine if that’s how someone chooses to identify as’ by Marco Pulido

6 RICARDO PÉREZ: ‘I don’t think I’ve ever heard a singular person refer to themselves as Latinx’ by Zelda Arroyo

28 MARCELO CAPLAN: ‘Self-identification is the most important thing’ by Hugh Maxey

8 DIANA CANTALAMISA: Latinx? ‘I had to look it up because I’m old school’ by Olivia Hubbell

30 NOEL SANTIAGO: ‘I’ve never heard the term Latinx’ by Nikki Hernández

10 OSNALZA ORTIZ: ‘Labels are important in a lot of cases, but they shouldn’t be used in a divisive way’ by Jake Fredrickson

32 GUADALUPE PALACIOS: ‘I’m Chicana: Does that make sense?’ by Carmen Arroyo

14 LISSETH MORAGA: ‘I prefer Latina or Latino’ by Jocelyn Woods 16 CARMELO ESTERRICH: ‘It’s a useful term in the U.S., in English’ by Aramis Códova 19 GABRIELA MOLINA: ‘I was all of a sudden the most exotic in the room’ by Julian Lyons 20 AMIR RODRÍGUEZ: “Latinx or Latine were created to be more inclusive to the other identities’ by Rowan Colowsky 22 DANIELA JIMÉNEZ: ‘If it were to be more Spanish appropriate, I would go with [Latine] better” by Aileen Carranza 24 JOSÉ OLIN: ‘Why Latinx? It’s just broad, and there’s Latino’ by Caroline Guffey

This issue of Wanderer magazine is a collaborative project produced by Visual Communication and People, Power & Narrative: Latino Voices students. The courses are offered in the Communication program, and the Columbia Experience program respectively, at Columbia College Chicago.

36 ENRIQUE GÓMEZ: ‘I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone older than our age using [Latinx]’ by Sebastián Gonzáles 38 MELISSA MAGAÑA: Latinx, ‘it makes sense to be inclusive’ by Mia Martínez 40 SONIA SAUCEDA: ‘I don’t have much familiarity with Latinx’ by Jennifer Luna 42 JOHNNY RODRÍGUEZ: Latinx ‘just generalizes all Latinos and Latinas’ by Danieli Trinidad 44 NADIA ALFARO: ‘We all have different cultures within our Latinx community’ by Sugey Mondragón 46 LUZ MARÍA COSTILLA: ‘i just learned about [Latinx] last summer, on Twitter’ by Olivia Hubbell 48 ESTEFAN LINARES: ‘Somebody outside of the community is telling people how to speak and how to address things in their language’ by Nathan Bieneman

WANDERER SPRING 2022

A PUBLICATION CREATED BY PEOPLE, POWER & NARRATIVE: LATINO VOICES, AND VISUAL COMMUNICATION STUDENTS

LATINO LATINA LATINE LATIN LATINOAMERICANO LATIN AMERICAN HISPANIC SPANISH HISPANO HISPANA

12 CARLOS VARGAS-MARIN: Latinx ‘is incredibly progressive and incredibly helpful’ by Donovan Stewart

THE LATINX WORD

Visual Communication students edited, designed and laid out each story as their final course project, and People, Power & Narrative students reported and wrote the stories providing photography for them. This issue is all about Latino issues and the use of the word Latinx.

Wanderer | The Latinx Word

BY DANA CAMPOS ercedes Ruiz, 24, is a fulltime student majoring in Public Relations at Columbia College Chicago. She was born and raised in DePue, Ill., a town close to Starved Rock State Park, and lives in the South loop dorms on campus. She considers herself a white Hispanic woman, 75 percent Mexican and 25 percent White, and is a second generation Mexican-American. Both her parents are American born. Her father’s parents are Mexican and her mother’s parents are Mexican and Caucasian. Do you think Latinx is a good term to define people of Latin American or Spanish background? Yes, I do. Do you feel that Latinx is just an excuse for corporations to lump all Latino cultures together? Not necessarily because I feel like it kind of encompasses everybody better than just saying Latina or Latino, since it’s so much more diverse now. I just think it’s a lot better actually. I prefer it, but I do think that there also needs to be recognition of different cultures within that. Just like any other race. Has your experience as a Latinx person isolated you in the way you grew up? Have you been able to branch out culturally? When I was younger, I grew up in a predominantly Hispanic and Latin community. I feel like it was kind of isolating. But at the same time, it’s given me a lot of opportunities as well. Even though I’m not fluent in Spanish, or anything like that, I do think having that perspective, coming from that culture and having that background is kind of an advantage. As a US born citizen, does it bother you to be labeled? Why?

4 Wanderer | The Latinx Word

It bothers me just a little bit because I feel like that pigeonholes you in a certain category and makes people look at you a certain way. I think that identity is important, but as someone who is mixed, I think acknowledging both cultures, and also just being American and representing and being proud of all those cultures is also very important.

get that I look like a mixture of something, so I don’t know if that’s a compliment or not. Personally, I think that I look Hispanic but I don’t think I look “fully” Hispanic.

You mentioned that you were mixed. You said that you were Mexican and 25% White. Does being white or Mexican affect your closeness to either culture? Oh, yeah, definitely. Like I said, I grew up in a predominantly Hispanic town and because I am not fully Mexican, and because I don’t fully speak Spanish, people would either say, that I’m not Mexican enough, that I shouldn’t even say I’m Mexican, and stuff like that. And then on the flip side, I get the same thing from the Caucasian, white people. “You shouldn’t even say you’re Caucasian or white because you’re Mexican. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know it. You’re still Mexican, you’re not white.” When people see you what do they usually think you are? That’s very funny because I ask everybody that the first time I meet them. For [the majority of the time] I do get that I “look” Mexican, but I do sometimes

Do you speak Spanish? I do not speak Spanish. From my mom’s side, my grandpa was the one who was Mexican, and he just totally shut down speaking Spanish on my mom so she never learned it. Then my dad, first born here in America, fluent speaker but never spoke to me [in Spanish] growing up. I didn’t really [have] people speaking to me [in Spanish], until my grandma started talking to me [in Spanish when I was] around like, five. I was never able to pick up on speaking it but I do understand a lot. How do you view Spanish as an attribute of your identity? How important is it to you and the Latinx culture in your opinion? Well, personally it’s very im-

Overall, being accepting of different cultures within the Latin community is something that people need to do and look at.

portant because my grandma’s speaks Spanish, primarily. So for me to at least understand what she’s saying and have the ability to somewhat reply is very important to me. And then as far as the whole culture, I think it’s super important because being able to converse with people and having that knowledge and background and culture is so cool and important, and especially now since America is so much more diverse. In the workspace, it’s so important. How does it make you feel not knowing Spanish? Honestly, it makes me feel ashamed a bit because I hate saying, “Oh yeah, Mexican, but I can’t speak Spanish.” So, it has made me want to learn, which I am currently trying to learn more. I tell my dad, “Don’t speak to me in English, speak to me in Spanish.” The biggest part for me is just getting over how I sound when I speak it because like I said, I do understand quite a bit because I grew up around friends who spoke Spanish. Whenever you meet anybody else that is Hispanic, but also doesn’t speak Spanish, how does that make you feel about them? Do you also feel like shaming them or do you accept them? I definitely accept them because that’d be hypocritical of me, but also because I under-

LATINX ‘ENCOMPASSES EVERYBODY BETTER THAN JUST SAYING LATINA OR LATINO’ MERCEDES RUIZ

stand that whole mentality with Mexican parents and Mexican grandparents over “Oh I’m going to come to the United States and be American”. I don’t necessarily agree with it, but I feel sympathy towards it. I do think that’s changing now, where people are more proud of where they came from. Would you say your culture is better than someone else’s who is of a different ethnicity or country? Hispanic and Mexican culture are amazing. Don’t get me wrong. We have great food and culture, but I would never say that any culture is better than anyone else’s, because each one has its own pride and traditions and I just think like sharing it rather than judging it is what we need to do as humans. As you’ve said before, you’re white, and that your father is a first generation American. Do you feel you

Mercedes Ruiz is a fulltime student majoring in Public Relations at Columbia College Chicago.

have been fully immersed in Mexican culture? I do not. I feel like that’s had a huge impact on me. A lot of the Mexican traditions that I learned were through friends at school, and my grandma when I would be able to see her. Although my dad is fully Mexican, and he’s fluent in Spanish, he definitely took on that American identity. So, I feel that culture was kind of lost and I’ve had to do a lot of finding on my own. Does cultural appropriation bother you? When it’s actually cultural appropriation—because I feel like people tend to blow things up—is very disrespectful, especially because from what

I’ve seen, people do it in a very disrespectful way. There’s a difference between appreciating a culture, learning about it, than when people dress up as like a costume or to make fun of, specifically with Hispanic culture. I know people dress with the big hoops and the outline lips and stuff for trends or for even Halloween, and I don’t think that’s okay. Also, one big thing that really bothers me for some reason is going to a Mexican restaurant, and people wearing sombreros or doing stuff like that. You need to be respectful of the culture.

what Latin country they come from? No, I can’t necessarily tell. Especially because in Central Mexico and even central South America, there’s a lot of Hispanic people who don’t fit the typical dark hair, dark skin, brown eyes. I have a lot of friends who are light skin, blue eyes, very light hair, and they’re Mexican, they speak fluent Spanish, and they have a thick accent. So no, I don’t think you can necessarily judge someone off that. Sometimes you can tell if somebody is from a Latin culture.

These people that are wearing sombreros, what ethnicity are they? Generally, almost every time, it’s somebody who’s Caucasian or white.

From all the stereotypes about Latinos, which ones do you believe are true and which ones do you absolutely detest? I don’t know. That’s kind of a hard question because I have tons of Mexican friends who fit the stereotype, who drink on the weekends or whatever. The ones that I detest, is that we are uneducated and don’t want to be anywhere in life or are stuck in Mexican culture, which might be true for some people, but I don’t think that’s a stereotype that you can apply to everybody in Latin culture, especially Mexican culture.

In your opinion, if a Mexican dresses up as a Mariachi or skull candy for Halloween would you find that inappropriate? I wouldn’t find it as offensive, but I do think it is a little bit inappropriate because those are sacred stuff and I feel like if you’re going to do it, you need to do it in an appreciative way and not a disrespectful way. But, at the same time, it is different because it is our culture. So, it just depends how the person does it. Whenever you meet somebody, specifically of Latin or Hispanic ethnicity, can you tell right away, from their accent or how they look like,

Do you have any closing comments that you would like to share? I just think, that overall, being accepting of different cultures within the Latin community is something that people need to do and look at. Especially for me, someone who is Mexican and identifies as that shouldn’t be deemed any less because I’m not full [Mexican] or I don’t speak Spanish. I feel like growing up that definitely causes an identity crisis a little bit because it’s like, “Oh, well, like where do I fit in?” I think that just owning your culture and learning about is what you should do and what you can do. — Designed by Anthony Medina PHOTO COURTESY MERCEDES RUIZ

Wanderer | The Latinx Word

Gage Park resident Ricardo Pérez is a Mexican American part time student.

‘I DON’T THINK I’VE EVER HEARD A SINGULAR PER REFER TO THEMSELVE AS

LATIN

6 Wanderer | The Latinx Word

RICARDO PÉREZ BY ZELDA ARROYO

orn and raised in Chicago, Ricardo Pérez is a part time student living in Gage Park who identifies as “19-year-old Mexican American male” as well as Hispanic.

COURTESY RICARDO PÉREZ

R RSON ES

NX’

What do you think of the term Latinx to identify people of Latin America or Latin American or Hispanic background? I think it is a blanket term to generalize. Everyone within Latin America, I am totally fine with it. But I understand that for some people it takes away the importance of the individual countries. Some people are like, well, I am Puerto Rican, I identify as Puerto Rican. So they are not super big fans of the Latinx term, but I am OK with it. Do you feel like Latinx is just an excuse for corporations to lump all Latino cultures together? Yes. The only times I’ve seen it is when a corporation or something like that uses it. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a singular person refer to themselves as Latinx; they usually use the specific region that they’re from, like my friend, Briana would say she’s Puerto Rican. She wouldn’t say she’s Latinx. Has your experience as a Latin ex person isolated you to the way you grew up, or have you been able to branch out culturally?

I’ve been in a Hispanic/ Latinx community for my entire life. But I have had the opportunity to expand and interact with other cultures. I just don’t take those opportunities, mostly because I’m socially awkward. As a U.S. born, does it bother you to be labeled? No, I’m not super against or for labels. I do not really care if someone is like, “Oh, you’re American,” or someone’s like, “Oh, you’re Mexican.” I’m like, I’m both buddy. Let’s go. I don’t care.

It’s okay if you’re trying to learn, if you do understand it and you want to partake in it. It’s not okay if you’re just doing it because it’s cool or a trend. Do you speak Spanish? How do you view Spanish as an attribute to your identity? How important is it? I do speak Spanish. I speak it a lot more now. As far as if it’s part of my identity, I think it is. But it’s a very small part of me. [If] I was introducing myself to someone it’s not one of the main things I would say. Spanish as a language is important. Knowing any second language is important. It’s really important to be bilingual. Because it helps a lot. For me, it’s impor-

tant mostly because that’s how I communicate with my family. Would you say your culture is better than someone else’s? Who is different? Who is of a different ethnicity or country? No, I wouldn’t say it’s better. I don’t think there’s one culture that’s better than the others. I think that’s all kind of subjective at the end of the day. I will say though, the Día de los Muertos go hard. No comment. [Laughter.] Does cultural appropriation bother you? So cultural appropriation is when someone not of the culture partakes in their, like, cultural events, right? It’s inappropriate adaptations or doing something unacknowledged. Key word there is inappropriate. I’m not okay with that. If you don’t understand what the tradition or the event is about, I don’t think you should be partaking in it. If you want to learn, cool, go ahead buddy. But bringing back the Día de los Muertos, those who were just trying to eat sugar skulls and do all that, no. You got to understand that that’s a day where we [pay] respects to the dead and acknowledge our loved ones that have died. I think it’s okay if you’re trying to learn, if you do understand it and you want to partake in it. It’s not okay if you’re just doing it because it’s cool or a trend.

Wanderer | The Latinx Word

D I A N A C A N TALAMISA

LATINX? ‘I HAD TO LOOK IT UP BECAUSE I’M OLD SCHOOL’

iana Cantalamisa is a para educator for English Language Development (ELD) students at Wixom Elementary in Wixom, Mich. Cantalamisa identifies as a secondgeneration Mexican American Latina. What do you think of the term Latinx to identify people of Latin American or Spanish background? To be honest with you, when you asked me about meeting today about Latinx issues, I had to look it up because I’m old school, and if my understanding is correct that Latinx term is for gender neutrality I don’t have a problem with that whatsoever. Some of the reasons that others might have a problem with the term Latinx is because it was not created by people in the Latino community. Some might think that it’s an excuse for corporations to lump all of the different Latino cultures together. Do you feel like it’s like that, or would

8 Wanderer | The Latinx Word

BY OLIVIA HUBBELL you feel that it’s probably based on inclusion? Now that you’ve enlightened me a little bit further about the term, I would have preferred to have had the Latino community have a say. In that respect, I love the gender neutrality of it, but at the same time I don’t know if there is a bigger picture or motive. I’d have to think about that because it’s new to me, and I did not know that it wasn’t created by the Latin community. That part I don’t like and I wasn’t aware of it. Would you say that your experience as a Latina person has isolated you in the way that you grew up? Or was it not as much of an issue for you growing up, were you able to branch out culturally? Are you familiar with the movie Selena? I do not believe so. There’s a scene in that movie. She is American born, like me, yet wants to break into the Hispanic music, Latina music. I’m using that as an example, the way I look. It’s expected of me to speak Spanish. So isolation, yes, because I grew up in a primarily African American community. And I wasn’t really wanted there. If I tried to join the Latino com-

munity because I didn’t know the language at the time, I wasn’t there. And so, yes, there’s a sense of isolation. I do know the language now because I went to school to learn it. But growing up there is a sense of isolation, but probably not in the way that you’re thinking. As a U.S born, does it bother you to be labeled? I think visibly, people can see something other than, you know, another ethnicity. You can kind of guess what I am. So, I don’t really have a problem, because there’s a sense of pride that comes with my heritage. So, no, it doesn’t bother me. You have said that you do speak Spanish. Do you view Spanish as an attribute to your identity? How important is knowing Spanish to you? To me, it’s vital. I had to go to college to learn Spanish because during my formative years, it wasn’t encouraged. There wasn’t a lot of Spanish speaking in the home because being bilingual in those days wasn’t something that was really acceptable. So as an

If my understanding is correct that Latinx term is for gender neutrality I don’t have a problem with that whatsoever. adult, I went back and I learned the language. So you know, it’s really important to me because I can communicate with a whole different group of people on a different level. Are you first generation? Second generation.

Diana Cantalamisa is a Mexican American who teaches English to Spanish speaking children in Wixon, Michigan.

tion, attending specific or special education meetings or something like that. Translating for these parents is a really important part of my job as well.

PHOTO COURTESTY DIANA CANTALAMISA

Would you say that your culture is better than someone else’s or do you not really view it like that? I would hope to never say that my culture is better than anyone else’s. I think people should learn more about other cultures. Does cultural appropriation bother you? For example, we had a discussion on horchata coffee in class, and how it really bothers some people, and other people don’t understand why. Could you elaborate on the term so I can understand?

Cultural appropriation is the unacknowledged or inappropriate adaptation of the customs practices, ideas, etc. of one people or society by members of another, and typically more dominant people of society. So for me as a white person, if I were to get dreadlocks, that would be considered cultural appropriation. Because I am not from the Bahamas. I do not have those ties, even if it’s not coming from a place of offense, even if it’s coming from a place of “Oh, I just like the hairstyle.” It’s taking from a not as dominant culture and not necessarily giving credit to that culture. Got it. I don’t have any issue with someone adopting any kind of style or habit from any other

culture, because I think that’s how we expand ourselves. If we do that, I don’t have a problem with that. Do you mind explaining a little bit more about what your job entails in the school? What is your day-to-day work life like? I work with kindergarten through second grade students who speak a second language; not all of them speak Spanish. We are trained to work with all languages, but where my specific language comes in, is Spanish. If a student does speak Spanish, I can relate to them on a different level, and also the parent interac-

Do you deal with discrimination, or do you see your students dealing with discrimination on a day-to-day basis? You know, it’s out there. I think there’s a stereotype for every culture. For example, my daughters have gone to University of Michigan, and they often get asked what campus they go to. There’s Ann Arbor, there’s Flint, and there’s Dearborn. And that, in itself speaks to us because it’s not expected of a Mexican American to attend the Ann Arbor campus. So is it out there? Yes. Is it day to day? No. But there’s certain expectations or stereotypical thoughts that people do have. [Do] you have to constantly be proving yourself? Oh, yeah, I went to college. Yeah, you know, that kind of thing. So it’s out there unfortunately. And my students sometimes when their English is not the best, other students, sometimes they just don’t understand. At the elementary school age level, would you consider it more of an innocent non-understanding or copying of parents as opposed to actually being mean? Absolutely. —Design by Hyniah Herrin-Overby

Wanderer | The Latinx Word

OSNALZA OR TIZ BY JAKE FREDRICKSON

orn in Chicago, Osnalza Ortiz is a surgical technologist and mother who currently lives in Glen Ellyn, Ill., a Chicago a west Chicago suburb. “I am mainly Puerto Rican, and that’s what I’ve always connected with and identified myself as when people ask,” Ortiz, 49, said. What do you think of the term Latinx to identify people of Latin American or Spanish background? I think the term is acceptable, as long as someone doesn’t purposefully tell you they don’t want to be grouped into that term. Overall, I think it’s just an easier way to talk about a generalized group of people who are all of Latin descent. However, if someone has a problem with it then respect their boundaries because no one can identify you properly how you want to be known except yourself. Do you feel like Latinx is just an excuse for corporations to lump all Latino cultures together? In many cases, yes. It’s a more convenient way to categorize for sure, but it certainly does take away from the uniqueness of each individual culture that is thrown into this term, ‘Latinx.’

10 Wanderer | The Latinx Word

Corporations will do this with Caucasian people a lot too, as long as they have no reason to know who’s Italian, Irish, or whatever other European nationality. The less amount of work they have to do, the better for them, and they’ll take advantage of this. Has your experience as a Latinx person isolated you to the way you grew up, or have you been able to branch out culturally? I wouldn’t call it ‘isolated.’ In some ways, yes; I grew up in a different culture and household setting than a lot of people around me growing up. However, I was in Chicago so the feeling of isolation was never there. I’m thankful to have begun life in such a diverse city. Yes, there

‘LABELS ARE IMPORTANT IN A LOT OF CASES, BUT THEY SHOULDN’T BE USED IN A DIVISIVE WAY’

Surgical technologist Osnalza Ortiz is also a mother who currently lives in Glen Ellyn, Ill., a west Chicago suburb. Here with 11-year-old Logan.

own personal preference, obviously I’m going to say Puerto Rican is better than other cultures just for pride in the greatness of who I am, but that’s what everyone should do. The only thing is that people should be able to do this without putting other ethnicities and cultures down. I love my culture because I grew up in it and it’s who I am. This makes Puerto Rican better in my own mind, but it’s all subjective and we have to realize and respect that. COURTESY OSNALZA ORTIZ

were challenges of branching out culturally, but when aren’t there challenges to that? I think meeting childhood friends of different backgrounds than my own is the best thing that could’ve happened to me in terms of where it’s helped me get to today. As a U.S. born, does it bother you to be labeled? Why? No and yes. If someone labels me in a demeaning way, then yes. However, everybody has labels. It’s how the world works, and it’s how people differentiate from each other. I think labels are important in a lot of cases, but they shouldn’t be used in a divisive way. I have no problem being called Puerto Rican because that’s what I am, or being called ‘Latinx’ because I am of Latin

This culture is crucial to understanding who I am, and I’ll say it loud and proud that I’m Puerto Rican. descent, but if these terms make you think less of me or make you think I don’t belong in a certain place or position, then there’s where we have a problem. Do you speak Spanish? How do you view Spanish as an attribute of your identity? How important it is? I do speak Spanish. I’ve taught my kids Spanish. It’s an impor-

tant part of the household, even though it’s not the primary language any of us use with each other. With the food we make in this household, the Spanish language was inevitable to rub off on the kids anyway. I feel that Spanish is used in my family more so to identify things we take from our Puerto Rican heritage. This culture is crucial to understanding who I am, and I’ll say it loud and proud that I’m Puerto Rican. I feel that having confidence in who you are, in any case, gives you an important edge. Would you say your culture is “better” than someone else’s who is of a different ethnicity or country? No, absolutely not. For my

Does cultural appropriation bother you? No. I eat my food, dance my dances, sing my songs. And you can do the same, whomever you are, however you want to. That’s how I feel because it’s just taking pleasure in some fun, and I don’t care if a white person enjoys Puerto Rican food. If anything, it’s a compliment that people would want to add their own touch to my culture’s food. Just don’t advertise your new version as this ‘hot new thing’ because the original, authentic will always deserve the credit. —Designed by Angelina Portillo Auth

Wanderer | The Latinx Word

ario VargasMarín, 21, was born in Costa Rica and is a third-year Audio Arts and Acoustics student at Columbia College Chicago. He identifies as a white male but feels more comfortable identifying with his Costa Rican and Puerto Rican background. In October 2019, Vargas-Marín became a citizen of the United States. What do you think of the term Latinx to identify people of Latin America or Spanish background? I find that this term is incredibly progressive and incredibly helpful, mostly because there are certain Latinx members that don’t identify with the gender male or female. It’s very important to include them and make them feel safe and secure in our community. Do you feel like Latinx is just an excuse for corporations to lump all Latino cultures together? Corporations are using this to their advantage to mark up their sales. They really don’t care about what’s going on with Latino culture. But I don’t feel Latino cultures are lumped all together. I feel like we’re all very beautiful and have our different expressions. But I do agree that corporations are using [Latinx] to markup profit on their marketing campaigns.

COURTESY CARLOS VARGAS-MARIN

12 Wanderer | The Latinx Word

Has your experience as a Latinx person isolated to the way you grew up or have you been able to branch out culturally? I was born in Costa Rica, and then I moved to Puerto Rico, which is a U.S. territory. I experienced

some of the U.S. culture that has been filtered through Puerto Rico, but when I moved here to Chicago, I’ve seen so many different types of people, and I feel the beauty of the American culture is that there are a lot of

I do speak Spanish and I view it as a part of my identity, mostly because when I speak Spanish, I’m an entirely different person than my English counterpart. people here in America from different places [that] contribute to the culture model that we are building today and it’s quite frankly, beautiful. So yes, I’ve been able to branch out culturally. How have these labels changed from your country of birth, and now living in the U.S.? I am someone who necessarily doesn’t spend much time thinking about labels. I am a white man, but my ethnicity is that of Costa Rica and Puerto Rico, those cultures that I’ve spent so much time living in. I just get clumped up together as another white person. It doesn’t bother me but I sometimes wish they really know about my culture and where I come from, and how it’s different from the American experience. How do you navigate our culture? and what type of culture shock have you experienced?

MARIO VARGAS- MARIN

LATINX ‘IS INCREDIBLY PROGRESSIVE AND INCREDIBLY HELPFUL’ BY DONOVAN STEWART

Vargas-Marin identifies as a white male but feels more comfortable identifying with his Costa Rican and Puerto Rican background. When I first arrived to America I mostly got my information from my roommates and social media. Thankfully, Tik Tok has helped me see other aspects of American culture, which are quite frankly quite funny. Culture shock, mostly with food and clothes, the way we dress, styles. I found out that, where I lived [before] a lot of people don’t necessarily tender to their identity. But here in America, your sense of self and identity, your fashion sense, how you Mario Vargas-Marín, 21, is a third-year Audio Arts and Acoustics student at Columbia College Chicago.

Some of the best works in the world have been multiple cultures clashing together and building amazing pieces of art. look how you feel, is incredibly important. Ever since I got here I have been improving and working on it. Do you speak Spanish? How important is Spanish as an attribute of your identity? I do speak Spanish and I view it as a part of my identity, mostly because when I speak

Spanish, I’m an entirely different person than my English counterpart. It’s very important, mostly because all my family speak Spanish. I cannot communicate with my mother in English, she will understand me, but she won’t talk back to me in English. Spanish is very important because there are ways to describe certain objects that the English language can’t grasp, especially when it comes to descriptions. And it’s really important to me. Would you say your culture is better than someone else’s, who is of a different ethnicity or country? Some of the best works in the world have been multiple cultures clashing together and

building amazing pieces of art. But I would never go as far to say that my culture is better than anyone else’s. Does culture appropriation bother you? It only bothers me when is it being used, clearly for profit, and to besmirch other people or when it’s used in a comedic way to make fun of people. There are healthy ways to make parodies of culture. I feel like some of them are either very racist, or incredibly disrespectful to certain practices and groups of people. —Designed by Lauren Toepper

Wanderer | The Latinx Word

LISSETH MORAGA

BY JOCELYN WOODS hen Lisseth Moraga arrived to the U.S. from her native Guatemala she was 10 years old. Her family settled in Chicago, on the north side in Rogers Park. Moraga, now 47, has worked 22 years as a crossing guard for the City of Chicago, and also part-time as a school monitor and helper at George B. Armstrong Elementary School in Rogers Park, where she still lives. She defines her ethnicity as Latino, identifies as a female, and goes by she/ her/hers. What do you think of the term Latinx to identify people of Latin American or Spanish background? Honestly, this would be the first time I have heard of this word and discussed it. I heard the word mentioned on the news before and how it’s caused controversy in the Latino community but I never took the time to understand why. After getting a little background from you, I guess it’s a good way to include everyone in the community but I also feel that it’s a new generation thing. I wouldn’t really go around saying I’m Latinx, I prefer Latina or Latino. Do you feel like Latinx is just an excuse for corporations to lump all Latino cultures together? In a way yes, I do feel like it’s another easy way to clump up the Latino community as one whole unit. It’s really unfair

14 Wanderer | The Latinx Word

It’s really unfair how one word [Latinx]can cause someone to think of all the Latino cultures as one. how one word can cause someone to think of all the Latino cultures as one. There are so many different beliefs, fashion, food, norms, and so much more that makes each Latino culture unique [that] it really should not be clumped as one. Has your experience as a Latinx person isolated you to the way you grew up, or have you been able to branch out culturally? Since I grew up in Rogers Park, it was a pretty diverse area with plenty of Latinos so I really didn’t feel too left out. I attended Sullivan High School and the majority of my friends were Latino. I also had friends of different races, too. Once I graduated high school and got to meet more people around Chicago. My friends group

changed to a larger mixture of different races. So I guess you can say I grew up very culturally diverse. How have these labels changed from your country of birth and now living in the U.S? I left my country at the age of 10 so I don’t really have much to say on labels. I was too young to really understand that concept. All I remember was being very scared because I did not speak or understand English. That was a barrier for me. How do you navigate U.S. culture? What type of culture shock have you experienced? I feel that the only cultural shock I experienced was the language barrier. All I knew was Spanish because of my

Speaking Spanish and understanding it is a great advantage for me especially when it comes to work.

‘I PREFER LATINA or LATINO’

Lisseth Moraga is a long-term Rogers Park resident. She was born in Guatemala and arrived to the U.S. when she was 10 years old.

require Spanish at some point. It becomes a useful tool to communicate and help others. It’s also something I am glad I passed along to my children to continue. Would you say your culture is “better” than someone else’s who is of a different ethnicity or country? I have a lot of friends that are very patriotic when it comes to their country. I choose not to be overly patriotic about my country because I don’t feel like I’m in a position to compare and make my culture seem better than someone else’s. In my eyes, that’s just being very ignorant. COURTESY LISSETH MORAGA

parents and brother. The elementary school I went to was not suited for bilingual speakers but I still managed to learn English. Navigating the U.S culture was not too hard for me because I grew up adapting to everything since I was young and sociable. A lot of the kids around were in my age group, whether it be at school or in my neighborhood so I learned a lot from them as well.

I choose not to be overly patriotic about my country because I don’t feel like I’m in a position to compare and make my culture seem better than someone else’s.

Do you speak Spanish? How do you view Spanish as an attribute of your identity? How important it is? Yes, I do speak Spanish—it is my first language. In a way, after coming to America and growing up at a young age, I feel at this point I speak more ‘Spanglish’ than Spanish. Speaking Spanish and understanding it is a great advantage for me especially when it comes to work. I work at jobs that

Does cultural appropriation bother you? It does bother me to see that white people take others’ beliefs and cultures and either make it a trend or ‘Americanize” something that really isn’t considered a part of your culture. I understand when others are being creative with foods and events but at times sometimes, the people, culture or country are not given credit, which is unfair. —Designed by Alexandra Geshel

Wanderer | The Latinx Word

BY ARAMIS CÓRDOVA orn in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Carmelo Esterrich is an Associate Professor of Humanities and Cultural Studies at Columbia College Chicago. “I am a man, a white Puerto Rican,” says the Downers Grove resident. Esterrich, 56, identifies himself as Puerto Rican but doesn’t mind using the word Latino. He came to the United States in 1983 to attend college at Penn State and later moved to Chicago in 1987. What do you think of the term Latinx to identify people of Latin American or Spanish background? I think is a useful term in the United States in English. There’s been this huge controversy about how do you say Latinx in Spanish, like, “Do you say Latinx?” which doesn’t mean anything at all. I think a lot of people use it in the U.S. because they want to have a term that is not gendered, that doesn’t have the O or the A at the end of the word. It’s interesting because the term originally started in the in the LGBTQ community. It was a way of taking away the gender ending of the word, putting an X in it, and that way, it doesn’t really matter what your gender is. You’re part of the Latinx community, end of story. In English, that works, but translating into Spanish, it just doesn’t work. So inside the United States, people use it. I find it useful. I like using it, when I’m trying to talk about the community without ascribing a gender to it. That’s why I like the X. And I do use it. I would not use it for Latin Americans in Latin America. I would use it for Latin Americans living in the US. Because in those countries, they speak Spanish,

16 Wanderer | The Latinx Word

not English. I would just call them Latin Americans, rather than Latinx. There is a way in Spanish that some people are starting to use. Instead of saying Latino or Latina, they’re using an E for saying Latine. So that is sort of the equivalent of Latinx. Because the E at the end in an English word just sounds like you’re saying Latin with an E at the end. It doesn’t really translate. I like using Latinx, when I’m talking about Latinos in the US. But people in Latin America, I wouldn’t, and I would not use Latino with Spaniards. They’re Europeans, they’re Hispanics, they’re Spanish, they’re Spaniards. But I wouldn’t use or call them, Latinos, or Latinas, or Latinx. I would not use it for Europeans. Because to me, Latino is an abbreviation of Latin American, and a Spanish is not from Latin America. So that’s the way I use it. Do you feel like Latinx is just an excuse for corporations to lump all Latino cultures together? I’m going to say they’ve done it before with the word Latino and the word Hispanic. So I don’t think that Latinx is necessarily a corporate ploy. In many ways, for many years, the word Latino was the sort of generalizing term of anybody who speaks Spanish in the US, and just putting them in

the sort of big pocket of Latino instead of saying Puerto Rican, or Mexican, or Guatemalan or Salvador, and Peruvian, or Argentine, Uruguayan. It’s not new and so I don’t know. I don’t see it as a different way of sort of generically, lumping us into a group. I think that’s been done since the word Hispanic in the 1970s. Then later on the word Latino was this sort of generic term as well. But it’s really interesting because the Latino communities use the word Latino; it’s not that only white America calls us Latinos. Yes, it can be used as a commercial ploy. No, I don’t think it’s an exclusive use. The term was not created by corporate America. The term was created by queer kids and lesbians and gays to take out the gender out of it. How other people use it, that’s a different story. Can it be exploited? Absolutely. Corporations will exploit anything. But I don’t think it’s a deliberate ploy.

Latinx was created by queer kids and lesbians and gays to take out the gender out of it.

Actually, corporations are actually a little shy about using Latinx because it’s not conservative. Because when you put Latinx then you’re like accepting gays and lesbians and queers and transgender persons into the community and the Latino community. Some parts of the Latino community feel very reticent to include that part. So there are lots of corporations that are not using it. Because they feel like they would sort of push aside the conservative population of the Latinos because Latinx has sort of a modern progressive, forward looking term to it in a way that Hispanic has very conservative [tone.] You know, the government calls it the Hispanic Heritage Month. They don’t call it the Latino Heritage Month; they don’t call it the Latinx Heritage Month. And they’re using the word Hispanic, because that is the safest word. That’s the word that nobody is going to object too much. [With] Latinx there is lots of people that would object. So there are lots of corporations that are not using it on purpose. Because they don’t want to push away the conservative audiences, which are very large, although Roman Catholics and all their very conservative communities are not going to accept Latinx.

CARMELO ESTERRICH

‘IT’S A USEFUL TERM IN THE U.S., IN ENGLISH’

Has your experience as a Latinx person isolated you to the way you grew up, or have you been able to branch out culturally? Because I didn’t grow up in the US, I didn’t use the word Latino growing up. The term Latinx sort of includes me into a more progressive community. I don’t like the word Hispanic. It feels just very stodgy and old fashioned. When people call me Hispanic, I always feel like, “Oh, don’t call me that. Latino, I’m totally okay, … I’m part of that community.” I think because I’m

in an older generation. I don’t know that the term has sort of opened doors or created a different sense of how I relate to others socially. But it certainly makes me feel part of a progressive community, part of our forwardlooking community. And I like that very much. How have these labels changed from where you were born and now living in the U.S? In Puerto Rico, we do use the word Hispano. The word in Spanish is Hispano for anybody who speaks Spanish. So an Argentine is Hispano or a Spaniard from Spain is Hispano, because they speak Spanish. In this country, there is this sort of notion of Hispanic is a sort of lumping all of Latin America. At the beginning, people from Brazil were called Hispanics, and Brazilians speak Portuguese. They were really upset that they used that term. Now, people are much more aware of Brazil, and so they don’t use the word Hispanic for it. Moving to this country, the word Latino was new to me. Because Latino, I would always use the term Latinoamericano. For talking about somebody from Latin America, I wouldn’t call them Latinos.

Carmelo Esterrich is an Associate Professor of Humanities and Cultural Studies at Columbia College Chicago.

In Puerto Rico, nobody uses Latinx. Latinx doesn’t exist. But we’re using the “e,” like we’re saying amigue, amigues, instead of amigos and amigas. But in the U.S., that’s something that I have gotten used to by living in this country, of hearing people using the term to talk about the community of people from Latin America that live in the United States. There are some people that want to differentiate between people that came from Latin America, and people that were born in the US from Latin American parents. So there are some people that will use Latino only for the ones who were born here. If a Colombian family moves to the U.S., the parents are going to be Colombians. And the children will be Colombians, but they will eventually identify themselves as Latinos, because they’re part of this larger community of Spanish speakers in the U.S., and so there are some people that make that difference. If you’re from Latin America, you’re not Latino. But if you’re a descendant from Latin Americans you say you are Latino, I don’t use it that way. But there are some people that do. In Puerto Rico, nobody uses Latinx. Latinx doesn’t exist. But we’re using the “e,” like we’re saying amigue, amigues instead of amigos and amigas. But, if a word has an “o” or an “a,” a lot of people are using the “e,” and it’s been rejected by the Academy of Language in Spain. They said, “No, that’s not Spanish.” But people are using it anyway. They actually had

a meeting. All these old white Spanish men sat down in the room, like, “Should we allow this to happen in Spanish?” And they said, “No”. As if people are going to stop, because people are using it anyway. So very funny. Actually, there might be a woman or two in that group. Now, I think there might be a couple of very conservative women that are in the same office in Madrid that make decisions about the language. It’s called the Royal Academy of Spain, the Braille Academy of the Spanish language, La Real Academia de la Lengua Española that’s been around for hundreds of years. They sort of police the language. I remember when I was a kid, there was in the news that they allowed the word baseball. Like “beisbol,” like the rules of baseball, but spelled in Spanish. They said, “yeah, we can allow that.” Because that is an American game and it’s an English word, and we can use it. So that’s the same group that said, nope, that doesn’t work. How do you navigate U.S. culture? What type of culture shock have you experienced? Puerto Ricans are American citizens. Legally and officially, we’re Americans. Culturally, we’re so different. My moving from Puerto Rico to the U.S., when I came here to go to college, was just very, very difficult. I had no friends for a year. I just didn’t know how to make friends. Because in Puerto Rico, you make friends with anybody. You meet somebody, and five minutes later, you’re friends. By the end, you’re kissing each other goodbye, because you are friends. And here there’s distance. I didn’t know how to read that. So I thought, okay, they don’t like me. I would just pull away because they were not being friendly with me. Friendly, the Puerto Rican way. I just kept assuming that nobody wanted to be my friend. I just sort of dis-

PHOTO COURTESY CARMELO ESTERRICH

Wanderer | The Latinx Word

tanced myself for a whole year. My first year in college was really difficult. I had a nervous breakdown. I cried for a whole weekend, and my hands were shaking. I couldn’t hold a fork, couldn’t write or read. I was just a complete mess that was so lonely. In my first year, I didn’t know anybody, not one person. It was just really difficult. It really was a culture shock. Then eventually, I sort of started figuring it out. But this whole idea of the distance… in Puerto Rico, the private space is very small. I would be very close to people and people would back away, because Americans need a little more space. But I didn’t know that. I was reading that as a rejection. I was reading that as some sort of, “They do not want to be my friends because they are only 12 inches away from me rather than two inches away from me.” That was very, very difficult. The language barrier was also an issue. But, I sort of expected that one. I didn’t expect how difficult it was to make friends at the beginning. That was really hard. I’m an extrovert. I love being with people. I don’t even want to think about it. It was pretty terrible. After the first year, it was better. But the first year was tough.

I have lived in this country long enough that English feels very natural. But, I rather speak Spanish than English. Do you speak Spanish? How do you view Spanish as an attribute of your identity? How important it is? Spanish is my first language. Spanish is part of my culture. Spanish is part of my personality. I have lived in this country long

18 Wanderer | The Latinx Word

enough that English feels very natural. But, I rather speak Spanish than English. I just feel when I’m really tired. I wish I could just switch back to Spanish. When I’m with Spanish speaking people, I do but when I’m not, I just can’t do it. It’s a huge part of my experience. I’m very glad that I live in a country where so many people speak Spanish. Because I am able to communicate in my language with other people. When Elio [Leturia] and I talk, we always talk in Spanish, we don’t care who’s around. There’s a colleague that I have in my department. She’s from Spain, she teaches American history. She’s like an Americanist, and every time we meet, we just feel so weird. If we have to speak English, we’ll speak English. If there are other people that need to listen to our conversation. But if we’re talking to each other, Spanish. Spanish is a part of me. Yeah, it’s big. Language is really big for me. Would you say your culture is “better” than someone else’s who is of a different ethnicity or country? No, it’s just different. One of the things that I have really enjoyed about living in the United States is encountering so many different cultures. In Puerto Rico, when I was growing up, it was just Puerto Ricans. A few Dominicans, a few Cubans, I had never met a Mexican. I didn’t have Mexican food until I moved to this country. We have Taco Bell, but that doesn’t count. We had Chinese food. And that’s it. Everything else was Puerto Rican food. What we ate in my house was Puerto Rican food every day. It was so fascinating moving to a country where I could say, let’s see what Ethiopian food is like. I have friends from South Africa, Taiwan, Finland, Greece, Egypt, and in Puerto Rico, it just wouldn’t have happened because they just don’t exist. Now, there’s

You can dialogue with other cultures without necessarily appropriating them ... There’s such a thing as misappropriation, when you appropriate something incorrectly or out of ignorance... a little more of a migration. There are other people in the island. But when I was growing up, it was mostly Puerto Ricans. So, I enjoy the difference of the other cultures. I don’t think of a hierarchy. In Latin America, there is sort of like Mexican culture is better than Guatemala. Argentine culture is the best. Colombians are the ones that speak the best Spanish, period; they call them the grammar police. Because they know every single little tiny rule. So those things exist. I mean, that question comes from somewhere. It comes from this notion of certain cultures are more civilized, or they’re more advanced than others. I think living in this country has proven that that’s not the case. They’re bastards everywhere. They’re good people everywhere. So I don’t think of it in that term. I don’t think of it hierarchically. I really don’t. Does cultural appropriation bother you? The answer for me is, it depends. There are ways in which you take someone else’s culture and do something very interesting with it. Let me just give you an example. I find it fascinating how in rock and pop music, how certain rhythms are sort of absorbed into the music. So it’s really fun hearing a Mexican performer using tangos from Argentina, or a Cuban singer

using Ranchera music as part of a larger tradition. Now, when Justin Bieber is using Reggaetón in his songs, that’s different. That’s exploitation, that’s sort of like, this rhythm is popular, so I’m going to use that rhythm. Even though Justin Bieber as a Canadian has nothing to do with Reggaetón music. That is different. I think the issue that I have with the question that you’re asking me, is that there are different kinds of appropriation. There are a lot of people that just hear the word “appropriation,” and they automatically think that it’s a negative term. It’s more complex than that. There are ways in which you can dialogue with other cultures without necessarily appropriating them in the way that people think of appropriation. There’s such a thing as misappropriation, when you appropriate something incorrectly or out of ignorance, more than anything else. But, I have my battles with that word appropriation, because I think some things are really interesting. In other cases, it’s just exploitation. So using something you know, in Sex in the City on HBO, uses salsa [music] at the beginning of the show, when it’s for white girls, and there are no Latinos around in that show, that’s weird, really weird. But they use it because New York has that Puerto Rican feel, and Puerto Rican culture is salsa. So, they grab you with the music, but they don’t deliver it. There’s never any sort of Latin, or Latino, or even Latinx feel to the show. It just doesn’t exist. It’s just there for decoration. Sort of a tropical flavor to Carrie Bradshaw, who is not by any stretch of the imagination, connected to Latinidad in any way and so that’s problematic. But not all. I just don’t use the word appropriation the way a lot of people use it.

GABRIELA MOLINA

P BY JULIAN LYONS

anamanian-born, Gabriela Molina, 21, lives in the South Loop in Chicago and is a full-time international Columbia College Chicago student pursuing a bachelors in Acting. “I identify myself as a Latina woman,” and defines her as a mixed-race individual. What do you think of the term Latinx to identify people of Latin American or Spanish background? Good question! First, Latinx does not mean Spanish people. Because Spanish people were born in Spain, so it is nothing related to Latin America. I feel like the term Latinx is a great term to identify people of Latin American background. It is a term that really covers all of

‘I WAS ALL OF A SUDDEN THE MOST “EXOTIC” IN THE ROOM’ PHOTO @PICSELLINI ON INSTAGRAM

Latinx is a great term to identify people of Latin American background. the different identities around Latin America. Do you feel like Latinx is just an excuse for corporations to lump all Latino cultures together? Corporations have been profiting of our culture for as long as I can remember. I feel like we took that term and made it ours, because we are all Latinx at the end of the day, but corporations do not like to do the correct work and investigate. They just want to make money. Has your experience as a Latinx person isolated you to the way you grew up, or have you been able to branch out culturally? it’s a 50/50 situation. Since I was raised in Panama, I truly did not see any difference while

I was growing up. We were all the same except for the color of our skin, gender, sexuality, and all of that. But some of our experiences are the same. Meanwhile, when I arrived here, a huge culture shock happened. I was all of a sudden the most “exotic” in the room, I was singled out and I have to prove myself everyday, which gets tiring. How have these labels changed from your country of birth and now living in the U.S? It’s my identity so it never changes or [has] changed. How do you navigate U.S. culture? By connecting with other folks of different cultures! Do you speak Spanish? How do you view Spanish as an attribute of your identity? How important it is? Yes! Spanish is my first language. I’m an international student obviously, but it’s the one [trait] I love so much. It makes

Gabriela Molina is an international student from Panama majoring in Acting with a minor in Live and Performing Arts Management.

it all better, [I’m] not gonna lie. Being bilingual is a blessing lowkey. Would you say your culture is “better” than someone else’s who is of a different ethnicity or country? Oh no. Each person has their own culture and they are great in their own glory. Does cultural appropriation bother you? Yes. Ohhh, yes. It is not that hard to not appropriate, You can honor the culture. Respect it. Do not appropriate [from others.] —Designed by Aeshah Obaidi

Wanderer | The Latinx Word

Amir Rodríguez, 20, is a Columbia College Chicago student who identifies as Mexican Palestinian.

AMIR RODRÍGUEZ

‘LATINX OR LATIN

WERE CREATED TO BE MORE INCLUSI TO THE DIFFERENT IDENTITIES’

20 Wanderer | The Latinx Word

BY ROWAN COLOSKY mir Rodríguez (Abdallah) was born in Pasadena, Calif., and came to Chicago to study dance at Columbia College. He is 20 years old and identifies as a Mexican Palestinian man.

COURTESY AMIR RODRIGUEZ

INE

IVE

Eastern man, and I am able to be open in different ways. As a U.S. born, does it bother you to be labeled? It has always bothered me to be labeled. I have always identified as a gay Mexican-Palestinian man, and am totally okay with being known as such. What I do not appreciate about the U.S. is the amount of people driven by racism and stereotypical ideologies. Just because I am Mexican, does not mean I had to “cross the border” or am an “illegal immigrant” or “drug dealer.” I actually do not even speak Spanish, which shocks so many white people. I do not eat tacos all day and I am not planning on going into construction. The list goes on and on.

What do you think of the term Latinx to identify people of Latin American or Spanish background? Latinx was mainly created for those who identify as non-binary or who are gender fluid. Latin cultures have always been based on the two gender identities, so in the Spanish language, people are always referred to Latinos, or Latino for a male and Latina for a female. So you don’t speak Spanish. How do you view We’ve started to change this ideology by creSpanish as an attribute of your identity? How ating terms like Latinx and important is it? Latine, to take away the genI do not speak Spanish. I think der aspect, and create a name knowing another language is alThe term Latinx just for people, rather than helpful because you are able had nothing to do ways men or women. to communicate with more peowith corporations ple, but me not knowing Spanish Do you feel like Latinx is just doesn’t make me less Mexican. to begin with. an excuse for corporations to Spanish people are quick to bring It was made to lump all Latino cultures toshame to those in the community create a more gether? who do not speak the language. inviting term for I genuinely do not care about No. The term Latinx had nothing to do with corporathose who do not knowing Spanish. I don’t think it tions to begin with. It was me any more or less Mexiwish to identify as makes made to create a more inviting can to know the language. I’m term for those who do not wish Latino or Latina, doing just fine. to identify as Latino or Latina, due to identifying due to identifying as non-biWould you say your culture is as non-binary or nary or gender fluid. The terms “better” than someone else’s gender fluid. Latinx or Latine were created who is of a different ethnicity or to be more inclusive to the difcountry? ferent identities and communities present in I do not believe that my culture is better Latin Culture. than anyone’s. There is no such culture that is greater than the rest. Has your experience as a Latinx person isolated you to the way you grew up, or have Does cultural appropriation bother you? you been able to branch out culturally? Cultural appropriation is never okay. I Growing up Latin, Mexican, to be specific, don’t need white people wearing sombreros was pretty difficult when it came to being able for Cinco de Mayo or trying to be Cholos on to be my true authentic self. There were always Halloween. It’s seen as something fun to do, gender stereotypes and ideologies pushed but there has never been a time when doing onto me. In Latin culture, just like many oththat was respectful. Cultural appreciation is ers, people born as men and people born as always welcomed. Anyone is welcomed and women, are expected to act like those genders. encouraged to learn and respect the different As a boy, I was expected to be more masculine cultures. Learn from the people. Try the food. and to want to play with toy trucks and watch Learn the language if you’d like. It’s so beautiBatman. I knew from a young age that I was ful to have people from other cultures coming attracted to boys and knew I was gay, but that together to explore each other’s backgrounds was always such a big issue in the Latinx comand livelihood. munity. But, being born in the U.S., it was way —Designed by Brett Zera easier to branch out as a gay Latino/Middle

Wanderer | The Latinx Word

DANIELA JIMÉNEZ

BY AILEEN CARRANZA aniela Jiménez was born in Mexico City, Mexico and currently lives in Little Italy, Chicago. The 19-yearold student identifies herself as Mexican. “Well, I’ve heard recently that Hispanics or Latinos don’t want to be identified as white anymore, and they’re using mestiza, so I guess I will go with mestiza,” she said. Jiménez came to the U.S. around the age of four. What do you think of the term, Latinx, identifying people of Latin American or Spanish background? I think it’s nice that the way, that Latinx is more inclusive because Spanish is a very feminine or masculine language, there’s no real in between or anything. I understand why they want to use Latinx. But I’ve also heard that the argument was, “Why Latinx”? It’s Latine, where it’s easier to say, with the Spanish [speaking people]. I think it’s nice but if it were to be more Spanish appropriate, Latine I think, I would go with better. Do you feel Latinx is just an excuse for corporations to lump all Latino cultures together? I’ve never seen it that way before. I do think that companies definitely take more advantage of the term Latinx, and definitely I’ve seen them use it more than the Latinos, Latinx themselves. I definitely see corporations using it as a way to coin all these cultures together. Has your experience as a Latina or Latinx person isolated you to the way you grew up, or have you been able to branch out culturally? For everyone their experience varies as a Latinx/Latina person, but I don’t think I’ve had a cultural difference because I was raised in a very Hispanic Mexican household where I always was

in touch with my roots. But definitely there were times where because I didn’t have a lot of Mexican/Latinos around me, I definitely felt I wasn’t as connected as I would see other people, because the Spanish [language] is a big part of our identity as well. So, not being able to be comfortable enough to speak to others I feel that definitely impacted me.

BY AILEEN CARRANZ

The U.S. has many labels right like you can be Mexican, Mexican American, Latina, Latino, Hispanic. How do you feel the labels have changed in the U.S., compared to if you had grown up in Mexico? I feel labels such as those don’t really exist in Mexico, because it’s very homogenous. I think the struggle to try to identify yourself in Mexico wouldn’t be as hard. For me, it took me a while to use the term Mexican American because I just identified as Mexican. [I started] using Mexican American after I became a U.S. citizen. Trying to find a way to identify yourself within America definitely comes with struggles. How do you navigate U.S. culture? What kind of culture shock do you feel are different from American culture to Mexican culture? I think American culture is very— people describe it as more free—but they don’t have the heritage, culture, I guess you could say, because when I think of culture I think more of heritage. I feel there’s not much heritage here that’s bright and colorful and really deep rooted in a person like in Mexico. You really miss so much heritage culture there. As for culture shock, because I was raised here it’s hard to find culture shocks. [Some differences such as] in my family and an American family would be, [that we say] “Provecho” when you see someone eating. I even thought about it today. I was excited about it because I

saw a co-worker eating, and I wanted to say that, but it’s like, they don’t understand and I don’t use it even that often. It just felt like a formality. Do you speak Spanish? I do speak Spanish, not as often anymore, but I definitely try to use Spanish with my friends and Spanish class with my professor. I tried speaking Spanish there. How do you view Spanish, as an attribute of your identity, how important is it? Spanish is really important; because I feel once I lose touch with Spanish I also lose touch with my cultural heritage as well. It’s such a big part that I’ve always wanted to keep, which is why I’m taking Spanish classes and

‘IF IT WERE TO BE MORE I WOULD GO WITH [LATIN 22 Wanderer | The Latinx Word

PHOTO JACKELYNE CARRERA

Daniela Jiménez was born in Mexico City and identifies as Mexican and “mestiza.” She currently lives in Little Italy.

Spanish is really important; once I lose touch with Spanish I also lose touch with my cultural heritage. trying to keep a Spanish minor; it’s something that I need to do. And I won’t slack off on it either, because it would be a minor. That’s how I try to keep my Spanish intact, especially since I don’t use it as often anymore in my house. It’s harder when you’re surrounded by so many English speakers most of the time. Yeah, it was really hard especially in middle school, because I didn’t use it

as much, and I didn’t use it in elementary. So when people start using it in high school with each other again, it was very strange to me because I never use it like that. But that’s why I definitely try to use it more often, especially with my friends who all happen to be Mexican. It’s easier for me to use it more casually with them. Would you say your culture is better than someone else’s, who is of a different ethnicity or country? I wouldn’t say Mexican culture is better than other cultures because personally I’m very fascinated by a lot of other cultures and looking into them. Each country has their own unique and individual culture, good or bad; it really shows the history of the people who grew up in it.

Does cultural appropriation bother you? Yes, very much so. Especially with Día de los Muertos. I’m just like, “Oh my God, I’m not ready for that,” like I prepare myself every year. It’s like the culture appropriation that’s going to come out of it. Do you feel it’s something people take seriously, like cultural appropriation? I feel some people do, some people don’t take it seriously, but people that I know don’t take it as seriously as I feel like they should. Because they don’t. They need to understand that it’s literally their culture, their heritage that’s being affected by the perception and the appropriation of other people. ---Design by Caitlyn Valderrama

SPANISH APPROPRIATE, NE] BETTER” Wanderer | The Latinx Word

suburbia, and being darker complected than most of the kids I was bullied.

BY CAROLINE GUFFEY orn in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, José Olin is a retired handyman residing in Humboldt Park in Chicago. He does work on the side for local neighbors and long-time customers. He describes himself as a “white, Spanish-white, but I am very dark complected so many would describe me as Brown, but I see myself as white.” Olin, 62, identifies as Arab and Hispanic since his grandparents are from Palestine, but his father is from Honduras. He came to the U.S. in 1965, becoming a citizen at the age of 18. What do you think of the term Latinx to identify people of Latin American or Spanish background? I don’t know. I don’t think it’s appropriate, actually. I don’t see why create a new term when you can just say what it is, right? Why Latinx? It’s just broad, and there is Latino. Do you feel like Latinx is just an excuse for corporations to lump all Latino cultures together? I suppose it could be. An easy way, for demographic purposes. I can understand putting everyone together is easier? No, right? I have no problem with it actually. Has your experience as a Latinx person isolated you to the way you grew up, or have you been able to branch out culturally? Yes. In my younger days I did when I was not able to speak the language. And when moving to

24 Wanderer | The Latinx Word

I know you also had to repeat a grade because of this, would you say that was a barrier? Well, that was simply because of the language barrier. I had passed first grade when I was in Honduras. In the end it was the principal’s recommendation and it paid off. I mean, it was my parents’ choice too. But, I did not feel isolated, because of that at all. I feel that it may have helped

in the long run, because I was a pretty good English student, all throughout school, and even into college, where I was able to place out of some English courses. Then, at the same time, I also got nine hours of Spanish credit, before I even started college just by taking a test. So I made up that repeated year of first grade year in college. I didn’t come out so bad, I don’t feel I felt initially isolated when I didn’t speak the language; I felt like the only brown kid around. Once I was a little older I went to public edu-

I love being able to speak Spanish, and English. And go back and forth and understand what other people are saying, especially if they don’t think I’m Hispanic.

JOSÉ OLIN

‘WHY LATINX? IT’S JUST BROAD, AND THERE’S LATINO’

cation. I was able to get into the honors programs. So I didn’t feel like I was kept back because of my background. How have these labels changed from your country of birth and now living in the U.S? I don’t remember any labeling when I was in Honduras, because it was only the first six years of my life. But my skin was definitely an issue in America. It was something we didn’t

talk about, but it wasn’t a big deal. I guess dating was an issue for some parents, because I was so dark-complected. And the bullying, and being called the “N” word. Even in high school, I remember this story about my brother in homeroom. I’m not the aggressive type and he was a madman. He got in a fight because somebody said something about the color of my skin in high school. That’s enough about that.

How do you navigate U.S. culture? What type of culture shock have you experienced? We do a lot of hugging and we hug all family members, cousins, and everybody that we see. Nothing like the two-cheek kiss but just lots of embraces. At weddings we go not the wedding itself, but the party. The party will be an all-weekend thing. And—I’m not a girl, but I mean, [go to] the quinceañera for girls. I know they have them in Honduras, because there’s a picture of one of my cousin’s in her big dress all dolled up. Do you speak Spanish? How do you view Spanish as an attribute of your identity? How important is it? Yes, I love it. I love being able to speak Spanish, and English. And go back and forth and understand what other people are saying, especially if they don’t think I’m Hispanic. I would never want to lose being able to speak Spanish. I don’t think I ever will at this point. My parents sent us back [to Honduras] for summer vacations. And I think that, that

José Olin is a retired handyman who was born in Honduras and arrived to the U.S. as a child.

sealed the deal. You know, when I was 9, 13, and 16. We spoke nothing but Spanish the whole time. Of course, when we first moved, my parents didn’t allow any English in the house. Then when we started going to school, you know, they enforced it more. But it got to the point where they gave up because the three siblings would speak English amongst us. English became our primary language. Would you say your culture is “better” than someone else’s who is of a different ethnicity or country? No, that’s just been egotistical. Never thought like that. Does cultural appropriation bother you? I guess if you start because you’re doing a costume and behave in a stereotypical way of that culture. I guess it’s wrong. Yeah, it’s wrong. It’s wrong. How do you feel about people dressing up as Latino stereotypes for Halloween when they’re not? In my opinion, these costumes should not stop being sold. Because somebody might want them to have a certain culture. That’s borderline. I don’t know. Sometimes I think it’s okay, because you’re just being a comedian, in a sense, you know, but you are poking fun at another culture? I don’t know if everybody’s becoming too sensitive. I feel like I would feel more offended if I had stayed longer in Honduras growing up. How do you feel about Hollywood choosing actors/actresses that aren’t Latino as Latino characters? I think you should try to find the person who has the right ethnicity or background to play that role. Ideally.

PHOTO COURTESY JOSÉ OLIN

Wanderer | The Latinx Word

TANIA MANRIQUE

BY MARCO PULIDO orn in Michoacán, Mexico, Tania Manrique was a resource specialist at a non-profit organization. “I’m Mexican with a dual citizenship,” she says, as she grew up in the U.S. after she moved here at an early age. What do you think of the term Latinx to identify people of Latino American or Spanish background? I think it’s fine if that’s how someone chooses to identify as. It can be used negatively though if that’s not how someone wants to be considered as. Do you feel like Latinx is just an excuse for corporations to lump all Latino cultures together? It is a way to generalize a group and make it simpler to understand. It was created for it to be easier to put all these Latinos or people coming from Latin America into a group together. Do you feel its ok to use generalizations in general? Not for the most part because most of the time, it leads to negative connotations and stereotypes, although there are generalizations that will still be used, but for the most part, no. Has your experience as a Latinx person isolated you to the way you grew up, or have you been able to branch out culturally? In the U.S. the way that you are seen that’s put onto you, you know you carry it. But that’s the way people see you and

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LATINX IS ‘FINE IF THAT’S HOW SOMEONE CHOOSES TO IDENTIFY AS’ stereotypes and that you carry. But at the end of the day that’s not who you are. Every culture has people who are different within every culture. I think I have been able to branch out as to how other people see me. I have been isolated a few times, not for the most part, since I grew up where the community was mostly Latino. Maybe a few times at work [felt isolated] but only occasionally. How have these labels changed from your country of birth and now living in the U.S? Yes. In Mexico you’re not Latina or you’re not Hispanic; you’re just Mexican. How do you navigate U.S. culture? What type of culture shock have you experienced?

I did not speak English at all, so yes, I experienced some difficulty adjusting to the language and the different ways things were over here at school. Do you speak Spanish? How do you view Spanish as an attribute of your identity? How important it is? Yes, I do. I do attribute as a big part of my identity and it is very important to me. I feel more comfortable expressing myself in Spanish. I had difficulty with grammar in English especially when going to school and college. [Spanish] is a big part of my identity. Does that comfortability come from the fact that you feel you can communicate with people better in Spanish?

Generalizations lead to negative connotations and stereotypes, although there are generalizations that will still be used.

COURTESY TANIA MANRIQUE

Yes, probably, although I do think I am starting to feel comfortable communicating in both. Would you say your culture is “better” than someone else’s who is of a different ethnicity or country? No, I don’t think so. I think all cultures are the same and we can learn from each other. It depends on how people view things, because all countries have problems and if a person

really thinks that their country doesn’t then they probably don’t know their history or are not really paying attention. Does cultural appropriation bother you? I think its wrong because it is essentially stealing. I guess there’s a difference in what they call cultural appropriation and what they call cultural appreciation. Because throughout history we have exchanged ideas,

shared cultures and we have to acknowledge what we learn and borrow from each other. But appropriating does the exact opposite [when they] are not getting benefited from a product or given the credit they deserve. —Designed by Sebastian Chino

Tania Manrique was born in Mexico and moved to the United States when she was a little girl.

Wanderer | The Latinx Word

MARCELO CAPLAN

“ I identify myself as a Latino, a Jew, and an immigrant,” says Columbia College Chicago Associate Professor Marcelo Caplan. PHOTO HUGH MAXEY

‘SELF-IDENTIFICATION IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING’ 28 Wanderer | The Latinx Word

What do you think of the term Latinx to identify people of Latin American or Spanish background? I don’t see any problem with identifying proud Latino/ Hispanic people in that way. I believe self-identification is the most important thing. I identify myself as a Latino, a Jew, and an immigrant. Although I’ve lived in many countries this identity has never changed, a Latino born in Buenos Aires. I doesn’t bother me how others define me because I define myself. Has your experience as a Latino person isolated you to the way you grew up, or have you been able to branch out culturally? I can only speak on my personal experiences. In Argentina, I was a Jew. In Israel, I was the Argentinian. When I moved to Panama, I was the Gringo. I don’t feel that I am integrated into the society we live in. I feel I don’t have any background in common with people. Although I look white to some, I don’t have anything that connects me with the standard Caucasian background.

BY HUGH MAXEY

orn in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Marcelo Caplan is an electrical engineer by trade, and a professor of Science and Technology in the Arts at Columbia College Chicago. “I am a man of multiple backgrounds Latino, Jewish, white,” Caplan, 58, said. He identifies himself as a Latino Hispanic man, and has been around American culture for over two decades.

How has these labels changed you from your country of birth, and now living in the U.S.? If in any at all. Labels never define me. I know what people could think but that doesn’t bother me at all. I also know how I need to be prepared to react to certain things/situations, but I never let a label define or change me. Well, that’s good. How do you navigate us culture? What type of culture shocks have you experienced while living here? The first cultural shock that I had when coming to the U.S. was I noticed that everyone was fake. Everyone is smiling in your face, asking you how are you and how can I help you, when no one really cares. In my home country Argentina, or even when I was in Israel if

In Argentina, I was a Jew. In Israel, I was the Argentinian. When I moved to Panama, I was the Gringo. someone asked you one of these questions it was because they were actually concerned. I have learned to just say hello and move on. Do you speak Spanish? How do you view Spanish as an attribute of your identity? Is it important to you? I grew up speaking Spanish, I prefer Spanish now. I have gotten better at American literature and language over time. However, I don’t identify with the Americans writers, I identify with Latino writers like Vargas Llosa, or Benedetti. These are the kind of authors I identify with, the stories they tell are close to me and my early life. Spanish is my mother’s tongue, so it is my comfort language. Although I speak Hebrew and English, I never put Spanish as a second or third language, internally. Spanish is my language. So do you think in Spanish? I am not verbalizing what I am thinking all the time, so I want to feel comfortable whenever or whatever I think so I use Spanish. You will not hear me singing in English, I sing in Spanish because I grew up with those songs. I am fully immersed in the Latino culture. I am not immersed in the American culture, although I have lived here for 23 years. Would you say your culture is better than someone else’s who is of a different ethnicity or country? A culture has values. Now, I respect all cultures and I take my cultural values for me. I will respect what you do as an Afri-

can American, and I will respect what you do as a white Caucasian American all the time. I do have one condition though; don’t try to tell me what I need to do within my culture. We must just respect each other, which is the beginning to all good relationships between human beings. I totally agree. I think that you mentioning just mutual respect is very important and a lot of people especially Americans lack that understanding of mutual respect and being able to express themselves and not impose their own views on other people. Does cultural appropriation bother you? I believe that if someone needs to appropriate to other cultures to express themselves, they are missing the point. It’s not about where it’s from, it’s about if you like it and respect it. Like the taco for example, if you just say I love tacos that’s fine with me. I will never claim that tacos are from America because that is false, I will just appreciate the taco for what it is. If you must appropriate from other cultures to feel any kind of void that they have I think that is fine. I know you’re a science teacher. So are you an engineer also? I am an engineer. Yes. So how was that transition going from being an engineer in other lands to come into the US and implementing different techniques/styles here? There is no major difference between lands. My goal no matter where I was, was to be a functioning technician and engineer, which I was. Now my goal is to bring my learning about science to life and express it to others. This is why I created science and technology in the arts, to express my love for science and educate others as much as I can no matter where I am. —Designed by Lauren Schurman Wanderer | The Latinx Word

BY NIKKI HERNÁNDEZ orn and raised in Chicago, Noel Santiago is a 31-yearold police officer at the Chicago Police Department. Currently living in the Hermosa Park neighborhood, with a 90.5% Hispanic or Latino population of any race, Santiago is Puerto Rican, who identifies himself as a Latino. “I consider myself a Latino…and I am proud of it,” he says. What do you think of the term Latinx to identify people of Latin American or Spanish background? I do not really understand what that means...so it’s hard for me to answer that question. I’ve never heard the term Latinx.

NOEL SANTIAGO

‘I’VE NEVER HEARD THE TERM LATINX’

That’s okay. A quick definition of Latinx is a person of Latin American origin or descent and is used as a gender neutral or nonbinary alternative to Latino or Latina. So it’s pretty much a way to include everyone versus being specific to what gender you are. Well, since this is the first time I am hearing that word it’s hard for me to give you an answer on what I feel about it. With what you know about it now, and the context I have given you. Do you feel like Latinx could be used as an excuse for corporations to lump all Latino cultures together? Well, yes, in that case. I don’t really like that phrase because everyone’s culture is different. You look at Mexican culture and you look at Ecuadorian culture and while there are similarities, I am sure it’s different. Like Puerto Ricans and Mexicans, you can say it’s all the same but it’s really not. So do you feel like the term Latinx, while it is meant to be inclusive, do you think it could isolate people? 30 Wanderer | The Latinx Word

PHOTOS COURTESY NIKKI HERNÁNDEZ

Noel Santiago on the job in the West Side of Chicago.

Yes. When I was younger people would just assume I was Mexican. And I would get somewhat offended because I am not. I am Puerto Rican, and there’s a difference to us, but to others it’s like we are all the same. It’s one thing to be a proud Latino, it’s another thing to be proud of where you are from. As a U.S. born citizen, does it bother you to be labeled? Why? I don’t mind them labeling me Latino. That’s fine because, like I said, I am proud of where I am from. Luckily I was born in the United States, but it would be the same thing if I were born in Puerto Rico, since it’s a U.S. territory. I guess that’s one way to look at it. I don’t mind them labeling me a Latino because that’s what I am, right?

I don’t mind them labeling me a Latino because that’s what I am, right? Do you speak Spanish? How do you view Spanish as an attribute of your identity? How important is Spanish to you? Spanish to me is very important. For someone who was born in Chicago, a lot of the time the language does skip generations. I know a lot of Latinos who don’t speak Spanish. I do think speaking Spanish is a big attribute to have, especially in my line of work. Being the police and having to answer calls, having that ability to speak Spanish to better help people when they don’t know how to speak English that well, or at all. It should be in your culture to speak Spanish. Sometimes people look at their last names and they look at you like, “What? You don’t speak Spanish?” So I think it’s very important. For those who are Latino and don’t speak Spanish, do you

Santiago and some of his coworkers have been best friends since they were kids. As they grew up together they all decided to become police officers.

think that makes them any less Latino? No, you are born from a bloodline of Latinos. You can never say, “Oh, he doesn’t speak Spanish, he’s not a real Latino.” I think that some people might look at it differently and say he or she isn’t a real Latino because they don’t speak Spanish. Unfortunately, that sucks, but just because you don’t speak Spanish doesn’t make you any less. I know you said, you are very proud of being Puerto Rican and very proud of being Latino. Would you say your culture is better than someone else’s of a different ethnicity? No, I wouldn’t say that. Like I said I am very proud of being Puerto Rican, I think as a Latino you should be proud of where you are from, and even if you are not Latino you should be proud of where you are from … There’s a lot of things in every culture that make them unique. I am proud of where I am from, but I do not think I am better than anyone else or that my culture is better than anyone else’s. Does cultural appropriation bother you? I don’t know ... I think I would be happy if someone was trying to sell Puerto Rican rice

in a non-Latino setting … I think it’s a way to experience someone else’s culture. It can give people an idea of what it’s like to be in that culture. In terms of clothing, I think you can wear whatever you want to wear. You shouldn’t have to think I can’t wear this because people are going to slam me and say all these things about me.

It’s one thing to be a proud Latino, it’s another thing to be proud of where you are from. I want to go back to what we were talking about earlier with your work as a Latino. Do you think being Latino has affected you being an officer? It depends on where you work. Currently I am in the west side of Chicago so there’s not a lot of Latinos so sometimes it’s hard to connect with the community…but a lot of the time if I pull someone over who’s Puerto Rican and you are Puerto Rican they automatically assume, “Oh this guy’s going to give me a break because we are both the same. I don’t think that’s fair. I don’t look at someone and say, “Oh, this guy is Puerto Rican so I am going

to give him a break, or, this guy is Black so I am not going to give him a break.” In my line of work you have to look past that and make sure you treat everyone the same. What made you want to become a police officer? I wanted to make a difference in my community. As someone who grew up in Chicago I know the difficulties that most of the youth face, and I believe that the knowledge that I have gained over the years can help make a difference in someone’s life. What are some of those difficulties that come with living in Chicago? Some of the obstacles kids face are bullying, not enough after school programs, such as sports, and most importantly staying away from gangs and drugs. I know for me personally, sports was the thing that helped me so much growing up, and I believe it’s a great way to stay out of trouble. A reason I like working for the CPD is because they have programs that help with community outreach, such as food drives, or providing kids with school supplies, and something so small like that can really help. —Designed by Natalie Zalewski

Wanderer | The Latinx Word

‘I’M CHICANA,

DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?’

GUADALUPE PALACIOS

Guadalupe Palacios, 25, was born in the United States from Mexican parents and currently lives in Maywood, Ill. Palacios is an elementary school teacher at Jefferson Elementary School in Berwyn, Ill. Although she struggled with identifying herself, Palacios now proudly calls herself a Chicana, a blend of American and Mexicana.

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Teaching the next generation su cultura Being a teacher is one of the toughest jobs. Palacios has been trying to push the Spanish language into her elementary school. Being a first-generation student, she managed to graduate from Dominican University. Her journey to figuring out everything on her own, from college applications to managing FAFSA was not easy, she said. At Jefferson, she wants to show her classroom the many cultures the world has to offer. BY CARMEN ARROYO

PHOTO COURTESY CARMEN ARROYO

ow would you define your race? Were you born in the United States? I am first generation. I was born in the United States. I don’t feel I belong to either. I can’t say I’m fully Mexican, or I can’t say I’m fully American. I can definitely say I’m a mixture. I will always hold the question just because my dad would say, “you’re a Chicana” with my family. When I would go to school in Melrose Park, they were Italian so I was never really classified as an American. Even at a school I felt like I was American, and then at home you’re not fully Mexican. That’s how I always saw myself, like you’re in the middle. I always thought when growing up, what am I and what people say? “Oh, you’re Mexican American.” What does that mean? Really? I’m not fully Mexican, and for the outside world I am not a full American. So that is a very hard question to answer because I’m still wondering that myself. I guess I could say I’m Chicana, does that make sense? It’s different terms as [they are] used by everyone; I don’t know. So it’s a little hard. I think [that’s] something I have to figure out for myself now. I’m sure other first-generation folks [feel the same]. I have a couple of cousins

who also felt that experience and I’m sure others in college as well. I went to Dominican [University] where I had a history class. I had a couple of students who felt, where are we in this balanced Mexican American? Where do we fall? That always depends because there are some people who dominate more their Hispanic side versus their American side. I do think where you live also affects that as well. I grew up in the suburbs. I feel I kind of leaning towards more on the American life, even with my youngest brother. I feel he definitely dominates the more American side and my two other siblings dominate more the Hispanic side. At home you’re being told something and then at school, a different thing. That makes you question, okay, what do I do? What do I identify with? It’s a little tricky. It depends on the environment or the people. At school teachers would be, “Oh, she’s Mexican,” but am I fully Mexican? No, no, I’m not. I can say my parents are Mexican because they came from Mexico; they were born in Mexico. But at school people would say, “She’s just Mexican.” So I definitely think what people label you as also begins to affect you.

In my younger days in school there came a time where I didn’t want to be “Mexican.” I know my younger brother felt that too.

People don’t understand your culture. They just begin to do labels. People don’t understand your culture. They just begin to do labels, like all Mexicans are always very drunk, and I didn’t want to be associated with that. I guess that’s why I also made myself—and I know there’s a word for it—blended in with the American culture. But now I feel like I’m more, “Oh, I’m more Hispanic.” I try to speak more Spanish. I like to protect my Spanish because if not, in the future my kids would just be “fully Americans” and it makes it harder because like I said, I’m firstgeneration. I know my kids will be second, and in the school I teach right now, my kids tell me “I don’t like Spanish,” and I feel they are dominating that American side more. They just say, “I don’t know how to speak Spanish,” and I don’t like it. I have a blue card that means “English,” like English time,

and they jump out of their seats, and I pull out the green card [Spanish] and they’re like, “Nooo.” I definitely do things to help them identify themselves. It’s a little sad because that [Hispanic] culture is being left behind and it’s just becoming Americanized. I agree that we have to keep that Spanish tongue going so it can continue to pass on. Now, what do you think of the term Latinx to identify people of Latin American or Spanish background? I honestly didn’t hear that until later in college, maybe even in my junior year. I don’t think I have anything against it. I know there are some people who get upset [because] they want to be specifically identified as Puerto Rican or Mexican. I feel as Hispanic holders we are very protective of our country, and we don’t like being put as a whole. This might be an iffy subject but I know some Puerto Ricans don’t like being called Mexicans, but they don’t think it’s some offensive term for them. Or even vice versa. Some Mexicans don’t like being called that so I think the Latin theme it’s very interesting. I haven’t really gotten much into that topic. I guess I’m kind of closed minded on that. But I don’t think it’s anything bad. I Wanderer | The Latinx Word

don’t know. It’s kind of hard to understand the question. Do you feel like Latinx is just an excuse to mush Hispanics cultures together, one word to combine all of them? I think it’s a little biased, I guess. Especially in the Hispanic population. If they see someone that’s Chinese or Japanese, Filipino, they call them “chinito.” When they are not even Chinese! They’re Korean, from the Philippines, but I can see where people might be coming from, where we’re just being put into this whole bubble of just all the Hispanics. People not even get to know the culture itself. Some people might feel like, “Oh, but we’re not all the same.” And that’s true, it even goes for Mexico. Not all parts of Mexico are the same. For example, Día de los Muertos is coming up. On my mom’s side they celebrate a little differently because my mom is from the capital versus how some people from Durango celebrate. People feel really proud of the traditions and their customs and I don’t think it’s fair to be generalized. But we’ll just put them there like they’re all the same; all Puerto Ricans, all Mexicans. But there are different customs, different norms and cultures, different foods. For me personally, I don’t see anything wrong with [Latinx,] but I can understand where people are coming from. You had mentioned that at some point, you didn’t want to be identified as Mexican. Has your experience as a Latinx person isolated you to the way you grew up, or have you been able to branch out culturally? I think my elementary grade levels, and even some of my high school, I felt I wasn’t able to branch out with my culture. Maybe it was because of the environment. I grew up in the suburbs in an Italian area and I felt it was mostly Italian and Hispanics. It was half and half and some African Americans. And one or two Filipinos. I saw 34 Wanderer | The Latinx Word

all of my teachers being white, except for my ESL teacher, and even though, she was from Spain. I don’t think I felt comfortable. We never really talked about the truth—except for African Americans and slavery. We never really learned where their traditions came from or their customs. Like in college, I loved learning about Ghana. I had to learn about a new continent and about their traditions.

My kids tell me ‘I don’t like Spanish,’ and I feel they are dominating that American side more ...It’s a little sad because that [Hispanic] culture is being left behind and it’s just becoming Americanized. I did a whole PowerPoint and it was amazing. I didn’t know about their dances and stuff like that. [About my culture] it would have been nice to know [more] and if I would’ve seen that instead of the stereotypical tacos and Cinco de Mayo… When they had Taco Tuesday in their lunch? Yeah, and that’s all we had. I feel if I had seen more of my culture in my history class or even within their environment, if I just had seen more of Mexico and more of my traditions… Would you say like Día de los Muertos? It’s a very colorful set up. Do you think if you had seen that in elementary school, you’d be, “Oh my god, that’s what my culture where I come from!” Would you have been more open to your culture? I feel I would, especially because of my mom. She does her own ofrenda. But I feel I would have been able to relate to that as a student. Okay, I’m seeing

that at school, and I’m seeing that at home. And the school didn’t have to put a big ofrenda. They could just talk about it for a day or two just to begin with. I do understand, as a teacher, the school wants a certain curriculum. But you’re also not embracing the culture of the students. So even if they had some kind of material I would embrace it and be like, “Oh yeah, I have that at home.” I’d want to share out and ask my mom more about it. If I don’t ask my mom, then that tradition goes away. If I don’t follow it for my kids, I definitely don’t think my grandkids are going to follow it because they’re not going to know what it is, if they don’t teach it in school and embrace that culture. I think that where I grew up and the fact that I’ve always had white teachers, none of them ever spoke about a culture, other than tacos, rattles, and sombreros. I think about African Americans, I didn’t even really know about their customs and things of that nature until later. The stereotypes that the world has put on every race also made me feel kind of ashamed. Growing up they would always be like, “Mexicans are always drunk, Mexicans are racist, Mexicans are this and that.” I feel that seeing all those negative stereotypes is crazy. Even as a little kid, I was like, I don’t want to be associated with that. That also led me to my more American side. I would have been able to branch out more if I saw more of my culture within the school, the classroom, more Hispanic teachers. Seeing more Black teachers as well. I would want to learn more about cultures and that’s where it began. We’re having these stereotypes, like, Mexicans are always being loud, they’re bad people, and we grow with that mentality. And then they’re just going to keep it going; it’s just never going to get fixed. So, some of us are like that. But it doesn’t mean that every Hispanic is.

How do you view Spanish as an attribute to your of your identity? How important is it to you? I feel my Spanish is, on a scale of one to 10, a 10 or even more, I definitely think being bilingual is an attribute. It’s something wonderful not even just for finding a job but also to keep embracing our culture. If we don’t protect our Spanish, then who is? Some teachers don’t care, even before then, when I was in school, it was always English. There were monolingual classes. It was English, English. In my district, there were no bilingual [classes] or if there was, it only was one class and it would always be full. I’m glad to see now that there are more dual classrooms. Now we can also embrace that Spanish and we can fully accept it. Do you think you would be able to call yourself Mexican even if you didn’t speak Spanish? Like one of my brothers, he doesn’t speak Spanish. He understands it but doesn’t speak it and sometimes we would joke and say, “Well, you’re not Mexican.” I know people would say, “Oh, how are you Mexican but don’t speak Spanish?” So I think it depends... for myself I would still identify myself as Mexican, because you could still celebrate the culture, embrace the traditions, customs, the holidays. Would you say your culture is better than other cultures? Is it better than people who come from a different ethnicity? I don’t think my culture specifically is better than anyone else’s. I do think we all have our own traditions, norms, customs. I respect everyone else’s even if it’s something weird. No, no, I don’t think it’s in any way my culture better than others or their culture is better than mine. You mentioned all that you had an elementary school was Taco Tuesday and sombreros. Looking back at that, does that kind of bother you or in any way?

PHOTO COURTESY CARMEN ARROYO

Growing up they would always be like, ‘Mexicans are always drunk, Mexicans are racist, Mexicans are this and that ...’ I don’t want to be associated with that. That also led me to my more American side. I feel in a way it does because it’s very seriously stereotypical. I never came home to my mom eating tacos. She wasn’t singing on the top of her lungs and having a pancho. It was just a normal day, that’s not even what we’re doing. But I definitely think those stereotypes affected me. Yes, we party; anyone does. I work in the school and we feel, why can’t teachers think about what they teach and think about what is appropriate and what’s not? Dig deeper into what you’re going to teach and think about it because you as a teacher, you’re the leader, but you’re the one that’s enforcing all of this learning… Kindergarteners, first graders, second

graders, they’re like sponges. They’re observing all of this and if every grade level is telling them every Mexican is a drunk, then don’t you think I may be one of those kids? It’s going to feel like, “Oh, I don’t want to be with that.” I know I was thinking that [in school]. I wanted to be normal. I don’t want to be known as the one that always got drunk or a woman always getting arrested because we’re illegal. Just on sight, boom they’re illegal. There was never a time where I wouldn’t hear these two words combined in elementary, Mexican and illegal. Always came together. That really bothers me. I’ve been there before.

Palacios stands in behind her students in her classroom with education decorations surrounding them.

In college I wrote about the negative stereotypes and the impact that had on them and yeah, it was always Mexicans, illegal, illegal, Mexicans, Mexicans, aliens, aliens. Always. All the time. In the education system we need to better the way we implement those people’s beliefs and everything into every child, and not just our Hispanic cultures, but also other cultures. Like I said, “Oh Korea, same thing like China, same thing as [The] Philippines.” It’s just a bundle. It doesn’t matter. It’s all the same. They’re all Chinese people. These are all Mexicans, and Mexicans are all drunks. And the Asians and all of them are super smart. And I don’t think that should ever be the case because then kids aren’t going to want to embrace their culture. I think that’s where it starts with how others are implement-

ing it. How we’re being defined because it’s also at home [where] they’re telling you’re not Mexican. Not fully Mexican; you’re Chicano. It’s true. But if you’re telling me that I’m not Mexican, that made me think, “Okay, I’m not Mexican.” I’m not going to want to embrace that part of me. I think it’s also teaching little kids, maybe you didn’t learn English first, but we’re going to learn Spanish together and that’s what I tell my kids too. Because a lot of them don’t want to speak Spanish. They say, no, no, I just like English. But I know they know some words. When they see everyone else speaking English, they say, “Why can’t we speak English too?” So it’s very hard. —Designed by Irvin Ibarra

Wanderer | The Latinx Word

BY SEBASTIÁN GONZÁLES nrique Gómez is a 21-year-old firstgeneration American living in the Boystown neighborhood of Chicago. His mother immigrated from El Salvador and his father from Mexico. He studies Music Composition and Production at Columbia College Chicago, with a goal of writing movie, TV and video game scores. He enjoys listening to music, skateboarding, playing the piano and brushing his cat Smokey. What do you think of the term Latinx to identify people of Latin American or Spanish background? Honestly, I was never introduced with the term Latinx until senior year of high school, or just very late on. I think my opinion is kind of skewed or it’s very small. I think it’s a decent term. I’ve heard a lot of people

use it, people who do identify as Latinx or Latino or Latina. They frequently use it, or not heard a lot of it being used, on social media like TikTok and Instagram. But personally I don’t think I’ve thought about considering or not using that term to describe myself. I just usually use Latino, or just Hispanic, which I know is confusing because one or the other, you are not both, you’re one or the other or something, right? Have your family members had reactions to that term, or have they not been exposed to it as much? I don’t think they even would have ever heard it. My mom or my dad probably have never, they’re mostly surrounded by Spanish-speaking people. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone older than our age using it, unless it’s out of context. I don’t think my family would have ever heard of that, or have any opinions towards it now.

I didn’t realize just how whitewashed I was until I moved, and it was almost painful. Do you feel like Latinx is just an excuse for corporations to lump all Latino cultures together? I think it’s very easy for them to use it that way. I do believe there are people in the community who have appreciated the term and use it broadly. So, I think it can be either. Obviously there’s going to be big corporations that are trying to make money out of like, just like targeting a certain audience, but that happens all the time with everything. Like you see that on Pride Month when every commercial has to do with LGBTQ+ people; it’s just what they

ENRIQUE GÓMEZ

‘I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone older than our age using [Latinx]’ PHOTO BY SEBASTIÁN GONZÁLES

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do. So yes, I do feel it is an excuse for them to use that term. But I also do think that there are people who identify and appreciate it. Has your experience as a Latinx person isolated you to the way you grew up, or have you been able to branch out culturally? Honestly, I grew up in a very, very white neighborhood and went to a very white high school. And there’s not a problem with that. It’s just that I didn’t realize just how whitewashed I was until I moved, and it

was almost painful. It was such a culture shock. Once I started surrounding myself with other people of color of my age, it was just kind of, “Oh, crap this is what I’ve been like missing out on.” I’ve gotten so used to being one of the only people of color in the class. It was very weird. I think it did isolate me just a little bit, because I was conscious about it. So your isolation allowed you to want to explore? Yeah, 100 percent, and, I wish I was never isolated like that; I just wish my high school had been a lot more diverse. But at the time, I guess I wasn’t really too worried about that. Put me back there now and I would like to throw up. Do you speak Spanish? How do you view Spanish as an attribute of your identity? How important is it? I actually grew up not wanting to know much Spanish. I was taking Spanish classes in elementary school, but then I seriously got into a fight with my mom. I said something like, “I don’t want to learn Spanish, why would it matter?” It’s a really weird conversation she brings up a lot. But now I really regret not doing more, not learning it, as fluently as I could have [been.] It wasn’t even that my par-

ents didn’t teach me because my parents would always talk to me in Spanish and they still do. They never really talked to me in English, but I always respond in English. That made a barrier between my dad and I because he doesn’t know that much English, so a lot of the conversation was just me listening to what he had to say and then me stuttering through sentences to try to respond. But I really think it’s super important. I wish I was fluent at speaking it because I am seriously almost embarrassed at how bad my Spanish is. It makes me sad that I don’t think I’ll have enough time now to learn it as well as I wish I would have.

My parents have gone through a lot, because of the color of their skin and I have learned that they are just probably the strongest people I have ever met. Would you say your culture is “better” than someone else’s who is of a different ethnicity or country? I wouldn’t say “better.” I think I definitely 100 percent appreciate my own culture more than anybody else’s, just because I grew up in it. I am the first generation in the U.S. My parents both came from their countries fleeing from dangerous situations. They had me and my siblings here. Just knowing that they grew up in their own countries, it makes me who I am today. Everything that we did growing up were things that they did grow-

Enrique Gómez is a first-generation American student. His parents immigrated from El Salvador and Mexico.

ing up. I really appreciate my culture a lot; I might not show it too much just because I don’t think you really have to show that in that way. Appreciating your own culture is so individual to you. You can celebrate it in your own ways, however you need to believe it is the right way. Does cultural appropriation bother you? Of course. I actually recently had a whole dilemma, thinking about Hans Zimmer and how he writes music for movies like Kung Fu Panda, and literally is just straight up racist and no one did anything. And now, his latest film Dune. He’s just so stereotypical with his writing, and it’s just something that you see in all forms of art. It hurts to see how much people just don’t understand. It’s interesting looking at cultural appropriation and especially in the arts. You have to ask yourself, is it appreciation or appropriation? It’s very frustrating, and people just need to be informed and get out of this little box that everyone’s in and open up to other cultures, and know how to appreciate instead of appropriate. But we’ll see how long that takes. Do you think cultural appropriation can become appreciation or do you think cultural appropriation can cross the line, no matter what? I think that it’s up to the people you’re around. And in that case the businesses are handing you these things for you to join in. So, I guess, joining in would be a sense of appreciation because we’re inviting you. Do you have a story from your family that you’d like to tell? What experience from your family’s story stood out to you the

most? How does that define your life here in the U.S and how you view your circumstances? I feel that growing up I had the most of what other Latinx people can say are stereotypical Latino parents. And at the time, I was very conscious about it and I hated it. I was just like, “Oh, why can’t I go out at all?” “Why can’t I have any friends over?” But honestly, now that I moved out, I look back at my parents and my family and I have learned to really appreciate them. Because of who they are, because of who I am, and because of who we are. It’s so nice looking back and seeing all these instances where our culture allowed me to blossom as a kid. It’s times where I didn’t even notice until now I’m much older. It’s just traditions that are passed on that like traditional Spanish speaking, and household things like coffee at random times of the day. My parents have gone through a lot, because of the color of their skin and I have learned that they are just probably the strongest people I have ever met and never will meet. It’s really important to acknowledge what your parents have done for you. I can definitely relate to that, especially since your parents came from different countries and started this life here. Not for them, for us. That’s, literally, the ultimate sacrifice. Yeah, it’s crazy. I think that just really shows the power of immigrants in general. It’s just the topic of xenophobia; people are literally coming here because they’ve been threatened. There’s just so much that people overlook and just classify everyone under illegal immigrants or aliens, and it is so sad. —Designed by Luke Winnie

Wanderer | The Latinx Word

MELISSA MAGAÑA

BY MIA MARTÍNEZ hicago born and raised Melissa Magaña is a 28-year-old Latina who lives in Brighton Park. Her parents are both from Mexico; her mother from Puebla and her father from Michoacán. Magaña says that race has always been a confusing because, “I am not white, physically, but I still have to mark it off on paper when filling out documents.” A 2016 Columbia College graduate, Magaña currently works as an office administrator but has dreams to start her own clothing business. What do you think of the term Latinx to identify people of Latin American or Spanish background? I get why people use the term because of Latino and Latina. It’s very gender based, and I know nowadays we have they/ them pronouns. So it makes sense to be inclusive. Do you feel like Latinx is just an excuse for corporations to lump all Latino cultures together? Yes I do, because, and like I said earlier, now that people identify as more than just, she/ her and he/him, corporations want to avoid upsetting consumers so they use Latinx as the correct term that people should be using. Has your experience as a Latinx person isolated you to the way you grew up, or have you been able to branch out culturally? Yes, I think I’ve been able to branch out culturally. Growing

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LATINX, ‘IT MAKES SENSE TO BE INCLUSIVE’ I want to keep in touch with my culture and I want to be identified as Mexican. up in a Latino family you kind of grew up with those gender roles, but I think in our generation within our age range we’ve been able to expand our thoughts and beliefs. To understand that there’s more to this than just what I’ve grown up with. As a U.S. born, does it bother you to be labeled? Growing up and being brown you’re just labeled as Mexican, but then getting older, you realize “Oh, but I was born here in America so really I’m American,” but sometimes it does get frustrating, like you lose your identity growing up. I have to be American because what I grew up with, but I want to keep in touch with my culture and I want to be identified as Mexican. So, I think it’s more for me the American press that pushes labels, but I want to keep my roots.

Do you speak Spanish? How do you view Spanish as an attribute of your identity? How important is it? Yes, I do speak Spanish. It’s super important because my parents only speak Spanish and growing up I had to do a lot of things like their documents. I had to be able to translate, as a little kid and unfortunately I had no choice but to translate for them. I had to, because who else would translate for my parents. Would you say your culture is “better” than someone else’s who is of a different ethnicity or country? I wouldn’t say it’s better. I mean everybody has their culture and they’re very proud of it. So I wouldn’t say that mine is better because everybody can say theirs is better. I’m proud to be Latina. I wouldn’t be anything else. Does cultural appropriation bother you? Yes, it does. Growing up, as a little brown girl I used to go to a predominantly white school, and they were always like, “Oh,

It’s frustrating to see people who made fun of me and now they’re trying to become like me. look at you, you’re brown you’re like indigenous looking,” and then now as I’ve grown up I see people who tan themselves and they want to be my skin color. So it’s frustrating to see people who made fun of me and now they’re trying to become like me.

COURTESY MELISSA MAGAÑA

As a former graduate, what was your experience like as a Latina at Columbia College? It was very white and there were many kids that came from money or at least the ones that I had to go to class with. I became friends with some of them and sometimes they would try to involve me in their circle, but we were so different. Even culturally, sometimes I wanted to be like, hey, do you know, this or that, but they wouldn’t understand if I even told them. But then I took a Latino Studies class and I loved being surrounded by other Latinos who understood me. The professor taught us that this is why you should be more open and not only go by what you’ve been taught since you were in elementary school. I thought to myself, “Where have these people been?” My whole four years. But it was probably because I didn’t branch out. My experience was different because I had to go to work. I had to pay for my books and for tuition. —Designed by Reagan Sword

Melissa Magaña is a 28-year-old Latina who lives in Brighton Park and works as an office administrator. She graduated in adverstising at Columbia College Chicago in 2016. Wanderer | The Latinx Word

COURTESY JENNIFER LUNA

SONIA SAUCEDA

‘I DON’T HAVE MUCH

FAMILIARITY WITH LATINX’

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I pretty much still use ‘Latino’, ‘Latina,’ ‘Mexican,’ ‘Mexicana.’ Do you feel that maybe the term “Latinx” is just an excuse for corporations to lump all Latino cultures together? Make it one thing? I don’t, I really can’t say much on that because I don’t have the familiarity with it. Has your experience as a Latinx person isolated you to the way you grew up, or have been able to branch out culturally? No. I mean, we’ve been in a Latino neighborhood, primarily. We pretty much more [spend our life] with our super high tight knit families. We don’t know much of what’s out there. Other than most, a lot of us went to school, kind of ventured out. So, other than that, our roots are here, our families.

Sonia Sauceda is the Panadería Nuevo León manager in Pilsen.

BY JENNIFER LUNA

exico-born Sonia Sauceda is the manager of the Panadería Nuevo León bakery, located at 1634 West 18th St. in the Pilsen neighborhood in Chicago. Sauceda, 49, identifies herself as Mexican and Mexican-American. She defines her race to be “mestizo, because

we’re a mix between European and Native [American].” What do you think of the term “Latinx” to define people of Latin American or Spanish background? I honestly don’t know much about it, to be honest. I don’t really. I’m 49 years old so I pretty much still use “Latino”, “Latina”, “Mexican”, “Mexicana”. So, to be honest, I don’t have much familiarity with it.

How do you navigate U.S. culture? What type of cultural shock have you experienced? I don’t know if I’ve experienced much of a culture shock. Maybe because I was raised here. I think, culture shock was leaving Pilsen. Oh yeah, when I left Pilsen. I thought everything was like Pilsen. [When we moved] to the suburbs I was young, that I did experience. I thought everybody spoke the way we did in Pilsen and this was my normal, so going to suburbs was kind of different, like, why are they speaking differently? When in reality, we were the ones with a little bit of an accent because we speak Spanish at home [and] speak English outside; it’s a mix. I didn’t learn English until I was 8 years old. Yeah, they threw me in kindergarten and I only spoke Spanish at home. So, I don’t remember, to be honest. I do remember

having an accent. I remember having our neighborhood accent and I remember trying to at least pronounce, have the pronunciation correctly. That’s what I always [work on when] I was in high school. I have to try the pronouncing correctly. So you speak Spanish. How do you view Spanish as an attribute to your identity? It’s part of me, it’s pretty much half of me. I always spoke Spanish regardless of where I went. It’s just the way I function. [Some] times I function in Spanish; other times I function in English. But, yeah, it’s part of me. Especially with my parents. My parents still only speak Spanish, so yes.

I always spoke Spanish regardless of where I went. It’s just the way I function. Would you say your culture is “better” than someone else’s who is of a different ethnicity or country? No. To be honest, when I was in college, some of my really close classmates were Thai and I realized that as we hung out with them and got to know them, that the similarities were a lot more than the differences, and [they’re] from another continent. Wow, it’s just by meeting people from different backgrounds that you realize how many similarities we both have. Does cultural appropriation bother you? No, because sometimes what if I take something? It’s an admiration, I would say. If people admire things about a culture, admire it, there’s nothing wrong. I don’t think there is anything wrong with it. —Designed by Zoë Takaki

Wanderer | The Latinx Word

LATINX ‘JUST GENERALIZES Chicago native Johnny Rodríguez is both a real estate home inspector and a trombone player.

ALL LATINOS AND LATINAS’ BY DANIELI TRINIDAD

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uerto Rican Chicago native Johnny Rodríguez, 59, lives in Logan Square and works as a real estate home inspector. He identifies as Latino or Puerto Rican because there is no one race that identifies him. “My father has both Black and Native American blood in him while my mother is Spaniard,” Rodríguez said. Within the Latino community and for over 30 years he has been performing with various Latin American bands as a trombone player. Rodríguez plays music ranging from cumbia to salsa to merengue all over Chicago and the Midwest. He also produces his own Latin jazz music albums.

I’m wondering who started the [Latinx] phrase! It could be possible that corporations could do it as such.

COURTESY DANIELI TRINIDAD

What do you think of the term Latinx to identify people of Latin American or Spanish background? I feel like it just generalizes all Latinos and Latinas from South

JOHNNY RODRÍGUEZ

Our culture and music may be different. But if you really look, we are all very similar. and Central America and Caribbean countries. Do you feel like Latinx is just an excuse for corporations to lump all Latino cultures together? I’m wondering who started the phrase! It could be possible that corporations could do it as such. Has your experience as a Latinx person isolated you to the way you grew up, or have you been able to branch out culturally? Being Latino we do try to branch out as much as possible and it’s hard especially when you’re comfortable with your own Latin community.

of your identity? How important is it? Yes! I’ve learned to enjoy the different Latino cultures and help provide business services. Would you say your culture is “better” than someone else’s who is of a different ethnicity or country? No. I feel that we are all the same … our culture and music may be different. But if you really look, we are all very similar. Does cultural appropriation bother you? Yes. If done inappropriately it is insulting. I prefer cultural appreciation. —Designed by George Bye

Do you speak Spanish? How do you view Spanish as an attribute

Wanderer | The Latinx Word

BY SUGEY MONDRAGÓN

What do you think of the term Latinx to identify people of Latin American or Spanish background? I like how it gives us an umbrella to put us underneath, but I don’t like how it bunches us all together. I know we all have different cultures within our Latinx community, [with] different styles and different traditions. I don’t like how they pretty much join that all together when there’s clearly a difference, but a good difference. So, like how they put us in one genre, but they don’t have any sub genres for the rest of the community. Yes, exactly. Do you feel that Latinx is just an excuse for corporations to lump all Latino cultures together? I would say yes in the way that corporations can benefit off of that. When you’re signing up to apply for a job and they ask you what your race is, “because they want to know for future references,” I don’t like how they use that because

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COURTESY NADIA ALFARO

orn in Elgin, Ill., Nadia Alfaro is a 19-year-old currently working at Walmart in Huntley, Ill. Alfaro’s mother was born and raised in the U.S. with Hispanic roots while her father was born in Mexico. Alfaro identifies herself as Mexican but also struggles with the term “Mexican-American” for her identity. Even though she was born in the U.S. as well as her mother, her grandparents are from Mexico, which leads her to two conflicting positions.

Nadia Alfaro was born in the U.S. and identifies as Mexican. However, she struggles with the term “Mexican American” for her identity.

N A D I A ALFAR O

‘WE ALL HAVE DIFFERENT CULTU WITHIN OUR LATI

I like how [Latinx] gives us an umbrella to put us underneath, but I don’t like how it bunches us all together. I know that some way they will be able to benefit off of it. And it’s the same for any other race too, which sucks. Has your experience as a Latinx person isolated you to the way you grew up or have you been able to branch out culturally? Yes and no. I grew up with my grandparents. Later, as I started going to school more and hanging out with people who were not Mexican traditionally or anything Latinx, I kind of picked up some things from them and I just turned that into my personality, I’m not sure how to word it. Has your experience as a Latinx person isolated you to the way you grew up or have you been able to branch out culturally? Yes and no. I grew up with my grandparents. Later, as I started going to school more and hanging out with people who were not Mexican traditionally or anything Latinx, I kind of picked up some things from them and I just turned

that into my personality, I’m not sure how to word it. Do you mean that you take not personality traits but things that are representative of their culture and take it in for yourself? Yeah, like culturally appropriate [them] but in a good way, the right way, where’s I’m not doing it intentionally to offend them or to hurt someone’s feelings. Do you speak Spanish? And how do view Spanish as an attribute to your identity? I’m what you call a “No sabo” kid, but I know enough to know enough. I can understand most of it, but I can’t really speak it properly or write it properly because I haven’t had enough education in that besides taking one class of Spanish in school. I know enough to get by. I grew up with my grandparents and once I wasn’t around them anymore I didn’t have the need to speak Spanish. In my household we mainly speak English but also throw in Spanish every now and then, like the Spanglish. But for the majority of it when I was with my grandparents it was always Spanish and

I grew up with my grandparents and once I wasn’t around them anymore I didn’t have the need to speak Spanish.

that’s how I learned it. They never really taught me how to write it, but they taught me how to speak it. How important do you think it is for someone to speak Spanish as a Latinx person? I would say it’s very important, even though I can’t really speak on this just because I know I’m lacking some of it. It’s important since it could give them a really good future for jobs. Maybe do translating that [offer] them an even better position that they would [have had] before. If they were able to keep up with it and be able to not back down and keep pushing forward on whatever they are doing, they have that double language. I feel that it’s very good for them because they will be to get much further in life, for sure. Would you say your culture is better than someone else’s who is from a different ethnicity or from a different country? No, I would say that we are equal since we all have different things. We can’t really speak [on issues] that we haven’t experienced. Once we do, maybe we can. [Besides] we don’t have the right to be so judgmental. I wouldn’t want to bash on someone else’s culture either because it’s sad. How would you feel if they did the same thing to you? That would hurt; it would be disrespectful. It wouldn’t feel right I wouldn’t want to do that to someone.

URES TINX COMMUNITY’

We don’t have the right to be so judgmental. I wouldn’t want to bash on someone else’s culture either because it’s sad. Does culture appropriation bother you? Yes and no. It has to do with the right time and right place. You would have to know when to do it and when not to do it, especially around Day of the Dead and Halloween. I wouldn’t want to have a white girl or somebody wearing the sugar skull makeup, headdress, the dress, everything. I don’t want someone to go all out in that unless they know what they are doing, know how to do it right, especially if you know how they have altars for the family members. I don’t think they really go into that thinking that it’s to remember their ancestors; to remember their family members and loved ones. They just think, “It’s just makeup, costumes, there’s dancing, and parties, it’s fun.” But it’s more than that. It goes way deeper. I would get a little bit upset since they probably don’t know what or why they are doing it. Due to the lack of information, they wouldn’t understand or try to understand. They would say “Oh it’s makeup, it’s nice” and we have all the nice food and decorations. They just want to see it for the aesthetic. That’s just not okay. —Designed by Payton Guinan

Wanderer | The Latinx Word

uz María Costilla is a 20 year old, bilingual, first generation college student who is currently attending Columbia College Chicago. She is studying music, keyboards more specifically, and she hopes to travel with a band after she graduates. Costilla is also a first generation American. Her parents are from Mexico and her mother’s side of the family still lives there so she gets the opportunity to visit. “The air in Mexico is a lot more fresh than here in Chicago,” she says. Both her parents came to the United States crossing “La frontera” —the border. She said they haven’t really gone into much depth about how they arrived, other that they had to pass through “garbage.” Now, her father is a United States citizen and her mother is a resident. Costilla is passionate about immigration issues. “There’s so many Hispanics that come from the other side to get a job and to hopefully have a better life compared to where they come from. That topic it’s a bit personal for me because my parents came through the same way as a lot of these immigrants are going through right now. I feel like it’s only fair to support people like them.” Costilla feels it’s important to debunk certain prejudiced comments and misinformation that has been spread by politicians in America. “Not everyone is a criminal. Not everyone comes here with bad intentions. Not everyone here is going to make your country look bad, or anything like that. People just want to have a better job and more opportunities.” Overall, Costilla

46 Wanderer | The Latinx Word

LUZ MARÍA COSTILLA

‘I JUST LEARNED ABOU ON TWITTER’ BY OLIVIA HUBBELL

At first I was quite confused because I was like, what? what is that? I’ve never heard of [Latinx] before. and her parent’s story is one in thousands of immigrants who have ventured to the United States, and it just shows how giving people a chance can help better our country. How do you feel about the term Latinx? I just learned about it last summer on Twitter. I was writing something and I addressed the whole community as Latino slash Latina. I use pronouns. Somebody on Twitter corrected me and they’re like, “Oh, you shouldn’t be using that because somebody like you don’t know who is going to read your tweet and you shouldn’t be addressing people or everyone as in a certain masculinity or femininity. If anything, just use Latinx, Luz María Costilla is a studying music at Columbia College Chicago and plans to work with a band upon graduation.

OUT [LATINX] LAST SUMMER, It’s fine to make songs using samples or rhythms that artists would use in their music that is Hispanic-based or Mexicanbased, as long as they’re not doing anything bad with that stuff. like put Latin and then put the X at the end.” At first I was quite confused because I was like, what? what is that? I’ve never heard of that before. And for me, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to use it because it’s not something that I was used to. I educated myself for the past month. I started to use it more. Have you been discriminated against? Directly? No, no, I haven’t. I haven’t really experienced much, but I’ve heard other relatives experienced that. What’s your goal for after you graduate? Hopefully I get hired by a band and I get to tour. Because, there will be people that would have keyboard players or people that play drums, bass guitar, and have them tour with them. And I’m hoping to do that and I get to write songs for other people. How do you feel about cultural appropriation?

Well, in terms of stuff like dreadlocks and all that, I feel like since I am not Black I don’t have a say, because, that’s not my crew. That’s not my culture that they’re appropriating. But, um, I don’t know much about non-Hispanic people appropriating Mexican culture. I obviously can’t speak for all Mexicans or Hispanics in general. But for me, as long as they’re not offending my culture in some sort of way, making fun of it, or being hypocrites profiting off of our culture, or hating the actual people in that culture, as long as they’re not doing any of that stuff [that’s OK.] I feel like it’s fine to make songs using samples or rhythms that artists would use in their

People will appreciate it more if your art comes off as being appreciative of that culture and not just profiting off of it.

music that is Hispanic-based or Mexican-based, as long as they’re not doing anything bad with that stuff. If you want to incorporate a culture into your art, I feel like you should be a bit more careful. People will appreciate it more if your art comes off as being appreciative of that culture and not just profiting off of it. That is why I think it’s good to incorporate people of that race into your art. It’s like making hip hop music and incorporating Black people into your art into your craft, collaborating with Black artists, hiring backup dancers that are Black, stuff like that. What are some traditions that you and your family celebrate? There’s Day of the Dead, where you technically will celebrate Nov. 1, and Nov. 2, in a way. They have altars for people and their loved ones that passed away, and they will decorate the tables with bread and also put stuff that their loved ones liked. For example, if there’s an altar of a person that liked video games or drinking soda a lot, then they would like put that in the altar, [as] a way of honoring them. There’s this legend saying that that’s the day where they come alive, visit their family on Earth in a way. I mean, I don’t believe that since I’m Catholic.

COURTESY LUZ MARÍA COSTILLA

Wanderer | The Latinx Word

ESTEFAN LINARES

LATINX: ‘SOMEBODY OUTSIDE OF THE COMMUNITY IS TELLING PEOPLE HOW TO SPEAK AND HOW TO ADDRESS THINGS B IN THEIR LANGUAGE’

BY NATHAN BIENEMAN orn in Highland Park, Ill., Estefan Linares is a 22-year-old alumnus of the University of Notre Dame. Currently searching for a full time job, he volunteers weekly at a food pantry near his hometown. His father is from Peru and his mother is from Costa Rica. “I think the identity that I most commonly see myself as is an American minority. I do see myself as Hispanic and American-

48 Wanderer | The Latinx Word

Hispanic but I also feel I can relate to a lot of things that Black people go through. I do identify with Peru and Costa Rica strongly but I’m more, so an American minority,” Linares said. What do you think of the term Latinx to identify people of Latin American or Spanish background? Somebody interviewed me about this like a year ago. My answer back then was that I don’t like it too much because Latinx

Half-Peruvian and halfCostarrican, Estefan Linares graduated from University of Notre Dame.

music a lot and I’m a rapper. Rap music often crosses over with Black culture a lot. I don’t feel like it’s my place to speak on Black culture. I may have opinions on it but I’m not going to tell Black people how to feel, what to say, what to think as a community and a culture. So I still agree with that, people outside of the culture shouldn’t be telling Hispanic people, “Hey, you have to say it this way or that way.” But I think it’s a really positive thing because there are Hispanic people that are non-binary or on a different gender spectrum and I think the term is made with good intentions, out of a willingness to help and to make more people feel included. So as long as it’s something that people are trying to use like, “let’s be more inclusive of others, let’s try to understand others,” then I am all for it 100%. Maybe in the past I did mind it a bit but I don’t mind it anymore. I guess the only time I would draw the COURTESY ESTEFAN LINARES

was created by people here in the United States. I’m sure you know that the Spanish language is masculine and feminine, Latino and Latina, but now there’s a term Latinx which was created by people here in the U.S. A lot of them are white people and I think some Hispanics are uncomfortable with it. I was too in the past because somebody outside of the community is telling people how to speak and how to address things in their language. I’m Hispanic, and I like rap

It’s a really positive thing because there are Hispanic people that are non-binary or on a different gender spectrum; the term is made with good intentions, out of a willingness to make more people feel included.

line is when other people in other cultures try to tell us what to say. I would never tell others what to do or how to feel. I wouldn’t appreciate the same thing done to us. I think it’s a matter of respect; overall I think it’s a good term. Do you feel like Latinx is just an excuse for corporations to lump all Latino cultures together? I don’t think it does. Latinx is meant to include LGBTQ Hispanics so I’ve always seen that as a positive thing because I think there are a lot of struggles that come with that so I’m 100% in favor of that. I’ve never seen it that way before, Latinx being used to lump all Latino cultures together. But I guess that you could say that about any culture, like there are Black people from the United States, there are Black people who grew up in Kenya or Ghana or Nigeria. So I think Latinx isn’t so much a problem for distinction between Hispanics, more so I think it’s useful to be inclusive for LGBT people which I think is good. Has your experience as a Latinx person isolated you to the way you grew up, or have you been able to branch out culturally? When I went to elementary school, I’m going to be honest, wasn’t a very welcoming place. It was racist, and there are people there who have beliefs and they are not OK. They’re intolerant and make you feel bad about yourself and your culture. If you’re not a typical white person you’re probably going to feel bad at some point about who you are. That made it difficult for me to feel I was Hispanic for a long time because I just felt ashamed of who I was. But now I see myself as very involved and

Your Latino identity goes beyond the language that you speak. It’s the culture, the people, the customs; you have to learn all of that beyond just the language. I feel that I’m very connected to my culture. Also, I feel connected to other cultures as well. That’s one thing I don’t like about certain Hispanics or people in other groups. They’re very identified with their culture but they’re close-minded to other cultures. I always try to be openminded minded to everybody. I try to learn about everybody because I know how that felt, to be discriminated against. I feel at this point, I’m pretty connected to my roots. When I got to Stevenson [High School] I was able to do that because I started to meet other people who were Hispanic and people of other cultures because that allows you to discover yourself as well. You learn that other people are happy with who they are. As a U.S. born, does it bother you to be labeled? I have for a long time felt like the labels bothered me. Because you’re Hispanic, there are certain comments that come at you a lot. When I went to Notre Dame, other students were familiar with the fact that Notre Dame is a white school. A lot of white people go there. The stereotype with Hispanics, and Black people, is that you have to play sports to get there. So I got that question a lot from other students there.

Wanderer | The Latinx Word

‘You’re Hispanic and you’re not as good as us white people, and therefore you had to have played a sport or done something else to get here.’ They asked me if I played a sport. I’m sure they’re assuming that because a lot of Hispanic people play soccer; I must play soccer. I never took it offensively because I love soccer and I would have loved to play soccer at Notre Dame. But I made it because of my credentials, the way I worked hard. So those kinds of labels do bother me; make them look at you in a demeaning way. “You’re Hispanic and you’re not as good as us white people, and therefore you had to have played a sport or done something else to get here.” I feel like being Hispanic is also something that I’m proud of because it’s my culture, my heritage. I feel labels aren’t necessarily a bad thing but when you label people and put them in a box, that’s really toxic and unhealthy for everybody because you’re a human being. You can do whatever you want. And it also puts them in a box where you feel like you’re lower than other people. Everybody’s equal, everybody deserves to be happy. So those are the labels that make me angry, the labels that demean. Do you speak Spanish? How do you view Spanish as an attribute of your identity? How important is it? I grew up speaking Spanish. That was the first language I spoke. I’m definitely much more

50 Wanderer | The Latinx Word

versatile in English now but Spanish is a big part of my identity. When I grew up I was ashamed of speaking Spanish because any time I spoke Spanish around the people at St. Francis, I’d get weird looks. You’re not as American as them because of that and you feel bad about yourself. But I’ve learned that they’re the problem and they’re the ignorant ones, so in reality, I now embrace that. It’s really cool to speak another language and it’s really cool to interact in a different way. At this point in time, it’s a big part of who I am. One other thing to note though, is that speaking Spanish doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a part of the culture. I spoke Spanish my whole life and even when I was ashamed of speaking it, I still spoke it around my family.The thing is that I was not very connected with my roots. Being Hispanic, even though I spoke the language doesn’t mean I was connected to the culture. So I feel like it’s both. It is part of who you are, but your Latino identity goes beyond the language that you speak. It’s the culture, the people, the customs; you have to learn all of that beyond just the language. Would you say your culture is “better” than someone else’s who is of a different ethnicity or country? Absolutely not. I really dislike if any Hispanic thinks like that. Every culture has customs that may not be healthy or appropriate. For instance: mental health [which] was criticized a lot growing up in Hispanic circles. Because of that, for me it was hard to seek out mental health help and understand that I needed help for a long time because I was always being machista. A lot of

that comes from the culture. I think that is genuinely wrong. There are a lot of other cultures like that as well. But just because there are segments of the Hispanic culture or other cultures that might be toxic or problematic or wrong, it doesn’t make the entirety of the culture any better or any worse. Everybody has value in who they are and I think that value, that worth, never changes. There are people in every culture that are shitty, and use that stuff as an excuse to put others down. It doesn’t matter what culture you are in. But if you actually use that to understand yourself better and to understand others better, I think it’s very productive and you grow and change as well over time.

Cultural appropriation is problematic for people if somebody takes part of a culture and then makes it their own without giving credit, or stealing it. I see it more like cultural theft. Does cultural appropriation bother you? It depends. It is a very polarizing term nowadays. The definition of cultural appropriation isn’t actually a bad thing. It’s just taking segments of another person’s culture and utilizing it. We culturally appropriate things, based on the definition, all of the time. A good example, Reggaeton,

which is like Latin pop, has been taken from Black music, hip-hop and rap, and from Jamaican reggae music. We have literally taken elements of other cultures to make our music. That being said, I don’t think that’s bad. I can’t speak on behalf of Black people but I think to most Black people that I know, it’s like an honor. We appreciate that culture and have used it to build on others. I feel like where cultural appropriation is difficult or problematic for people is if somebody takes part of a culture and then makes it their own without giving credit, or stealing it. I see it more like cultural theft. I guess that’s what some people mean when they say cultural appropriation but I think that’s what’s wrong with it. One popular Black hairstyle is box braids. There were segments of people in Hollywood that were wearing box braids and calling them Kim K braids. They’re not Kim Kardashian braids. They’re braids that have been created by the Black community. You have to give them their credit, and that’s a form of theft, I think. That they’re taking it and redefining it to be theirs but it’s not. I love things from all cultures, I appreciate that and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I know where my heart is. I know that I genuinely appreciate things and you make it part of who you are. Most people feel like that’s healthy, at least I do. I feel like the line is drawn when people take something and make it their own or steal somebody else’s idea or custom and make it their own. Other than that I think cultural sharing is great and it really connects us as human beings.

Seven undergraduate programs Two graduate programs Communication Department

Wanderer | The Latinx Word

COVERING EUROPE:

Ireland J-TERM 2019

Intro to Fashion Journalism 53-2526

3 credits

Spend two weeks during J-Term in Dublin working as a multimedia journalist. We’ll be reporting, writing, blogging, taking photos and shooting video in Ireland’s capital – and meeting some of the country’s leading journalists and officials. Plus, we’ll see some amazing sites and experience another culture.

July 3 - August 1, 2014

florence

Course numbers: JOUR 465 & JOUR 565 Requirements: This course is open to all majors with permission of instructor. For more information, contact Suzanne McBride smcbride@colum.edu

Summer 2014 Intro to Fashion Journalism: Florence 3 credits

Photos STeVehdC, ellenM1

Visit the stunningly beautiful and historic city of Florence! Students will examine all facets of contemporary fashion and its influence on the culture of Italy and the world at large. Critique trends and designers! Students will develop fashion writing, reporting, multimedia and blogging skills.

Communication

The Office of International Programs will provide a detailed cost summary. More info: visit colum.edu/internationalprograms

Journalism Department

Questions? Contact instructor Yolanda Joe, yjoe@colum.edu

This is an intense international travel/ study course designed to prepare students to report, write and produce print, broadcast and multimedia projects about the politics, history, economics and culture of Europe. Based in London, students will see how CNN, BBC , the New York Times, MSNBC, the Associated Press, and Reuters cover Europe from London. They will interview members of the British government, Scotland Yard, World Bank, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), leaders in the arts, and prominent international correspondents and newsmakers. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• analyze international topics, politics, and social, economic and cultural problems;

• pitch, research, report, and produce

spot news, feature stories and multimedia projects about the United Kingdom and Europe; • develop strategies for covering a continent and producing and distributing news dispatches and blogs; • offer news and feature stories to student publications like The Chronicle’s website, News Beat, Metro Minutes, the new Global News Student Exchange; • develop news sources and media contacts in Europe; • navigate the international press corps and demonstrate an understanding of the geographical, logistical, visual and deadline pressures of being an international correspondent. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Contact Rose Economou at reconomou@colum.edu or 312.369.8919

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Januar

| 3 credi

July 16 to August 3, 2007 3credits Visit Guadalajara in the heart of Mexico, the birthplace of mariachi music, charros and tequila. Over three intense weeks students will learn and write about the culture and traditions of Mexico. The course also will include a field trip to Puerto Vallarta and day trips to Tequila, Lake Chapala and other locales.

Photos TERESA PUENTE | Design ELIO LETURIA

Interested students must write a 300-word essay on why you want to study in Mexico and also include the name of a faculty reference. For more information, please contact Teresa Puente at 312-344-8911, tpuente@colum.edu or stop by her office 201-M in the Journalism Department. Prerequisites include Reporting for Print and Broadcast and Introduction to CAR. To enroll you must have the permission of the instructor. This course is open to undergraduate and graduate students. Spanish skills are helpful, but not required.

MEXICO

TRAVEL WRITING 53-2545 There will be an informational meeting Thursday, March 29 at 6 p.m. in the orange hallway. In addition to tuition, there will be a $1,500 trip fee to be paid to the journalism department. This includes airfare, all lodging in Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta and transportation for field trips. Students will be responsible for their own meals.

EXPLORE THE WORLD WITH US. For more information, contact the Communication Department, 33 Ida B. Wells Drive, Chicago, Ill. 60605 or call 312.369.8900

Communication

The Latinx Word / Wanderer magazine