January 31, 2019
This essay, written by Edna Acosta-Belén, shows the development of the culture of various Latino communities living in the United States during times of great significance. One of the primary points mentioned is the fact how all Latino communities are different due to their native countries having distinct personalities and values; however, through the lens of the U.S., it is all the same. Due to the fact that the United States has so much influence, this can be an issue as then the general train of thought will be that all Latinos are the same and disregard any unique identities. My older sister was previously hired due to her knowledge of not only Dominican culture but also Puerto Rican, Cuban, Colombian and so on. This knowledge proved useful for her firm as they wanted to specifically attract these groups without marketing their product towards Mexicans. Unfortunately, many Americans associate many other Latino countries to Mexico as it is the most prominent culturally speaking.
Belén goes on to speak about the evolution of Latino arts and media. During the 1900s, due to many social movements and immigration waves, many Latino poets, writers, painters, singers, etc. started to come to light as they wanted to highlight their personal and collective experiences of being a Latino in the United States. This new stream of works proved beneficial as it helped distinguish each Latino country yet still mention the similarities they all experience especially when coming to the U.S.
Looking at the landscape today, the Latino community has made significant strides in making known the different characteristics of each country. There is still more work to be done as not everyone is educated in this regard. It is good to deviate from a certain stereotype while also displaying the many negative obstacles Latinos face in this country.
