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Spanish. Hispanic. Latino. Latina. Latinx.

These words are labels. But what do these labels mean? What’s the difference? Can’t I use them interchangeably? Why is this important?

I was hesitant to start looking for answers to these questions. I was scared of accidentally misinforming people, offending others and not being able to dig deep into the history of these terms. I didn’t feel like I had a right to share what these labels mean since I do not identify with them. I had an assumption that the labels could be used interchangeably but quickly found out that they can’t be and it’s important to know why.

To those who identify as Spanish, Hispanic, Latino/a, or Latinx, each has a different meaning.

“Overall, those (Spanish, Hispanic, Latino/a and Latinx) are a variety of different labels that are used by people either to self-identify, or through our government to identify specific groups,” Lupita Aquino said.

Aquino is a Multicultural Admissions Counselor in the Admissions Office at Grand View, but her qualifications go beyond her title. She has experience in leadership, counseling, international admissions, first-generation college student support and building community partnerships.

Aquino said that the best way to understand the terms is by knowing the history of colonialism behind the words. There is a vast amount of history that explains how the labels came about.

She is educated on the labels due to having studied anthropology, which is the study of language, culture and habits.

The U.S. is a diverse country, and ethnicity and heritage are complex. Aquino said she wants people to know that heritage and people’s background are tied to these labels. She also said that people need to make sure they are giving someone a label that is an accurate reflection of who that person is.

Being that she has roots in both El Salvador and Mexico, Aquino identifies as Latina.

Aquino said she believes that being Latina is a connection to her parents and their culture. Although she does not live in Latin America, she said that she feels rooted within the history, experience and culture through food, traditions and holidays.

Several GV students who identify as Latinx created a club on campus called Voz Latinx, which translates to Latinx Voice. Aquino is the adviser to this club and said that it is a safe space and community for Latinx students. They often have discussions about challenges the students have experienced. Students plan to focus on cultural events specific to Latin America through food and highlighting specific cultural differences.

 “What I hope for them (Voz Latinx) to accomplish is really to create a strong community amongst themselves,” Aquino said. “That they can really embrace and support each other through the college process of just kind of surviving and being a minority population on campus. Experiencing the similar challenges that I would say a lot of our Latin American students experience. Really showing the Grand View community what it means to be Latin American.” 

A question that stood out to Aquino in her college experience is the infamous, “Where are you from?”

She went to a predominantly white college and often found herself explaining who she was. She said that these labels can eliminate some of that, but people have often asked her for specifics on her background. Aquino said that this question baffles her because she does not understand why it matters to someone else.

Aquino has experiences where she had to explain her background more than what is necessary. She said that she feels stereotypes can come from identifying with certain things and you never fully know where someone is coming from when they ask.

She can vividly remember a time in college when she was in class and a girl randomly asked for her ethnicity.

“I went to a majority white school, and the one question I can recall from this girl that I interacted with was like, ‘Where are you from?’” Aquino said, “And it was followed by, ‘You look so exotic, like I can’t tell where you’re from.’”

At the time, her reaction was to question what that statement really meant. She said that there is not a time where she was comfortable when asked this question. 

According to Aquino, it can be OK to ask depending on the context and who you are talking to. However, there was never a time where she liked having to identify herself.

In this case, she did not have a clear idea of what she labeled herself as but explained why she looked “exotic” by clarifying where her parents are from.

But not everyone sees the terms the same way or places the same amount of weight on them.

Some people don’t identify particularly strongly with any label. GV student Ruben Salgado, for example, said that he does not have a preference between being labeled Hispanic, Latino or Spanish.

“Let’s just say if someone called me Hispanic or Spanish, I’m not going to be offended,” Salgado said.

Salgado’s family comes from Mexico. In some cases, he has even been called Mexican-American as another way to be identified. According to Britannica, people with roots from Latin America generally like to claim their country of origin by hyphenating the same way that Salgado has.

Coralie Turner, an assistant professor of modern language at GV, has traveled the world while meeting and learning about a variety of people and their background. She grew up in Brazil and has traveled globally, especially because she has been on study tours to Europe and Latin America with GV students.

 “A better question is: ‘Tell me your story,’” Turner said.

It is important to be cautious when asking someone how they identify because everyone has a different opinion. However, we are all human beings who are more than just a label.

Turner said she finds that meeting people who are different from her is invigorating. In response to Aquino’s experience, Turner found that it is best to let people share what they want to share when it comes to their identity. Throughout that conversation, someone might explain their label preference if they are comfortable doing so.