(Originally shared October 6, 2022)
Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the contributions of the 62 million Americans who are descendants of Spanish-speaking peoples. While most Hispanic Americans have Latin American ancestry, they represent a highly diverse group, with family ties across North, Central, and South America, the Caribbean, and Spain. Most (67%) of Hispanic Americans were born in the United States, and more than 80% are English speakers.
Hispanic Americans are the future, too. As the fastest growing segment of the population, they represent the majority of new workers in the US and a significant portion of the influential 18-34-year-old consumer market. Their purchasing power is already changing the agrifood landscape, and their influence will only grow in the coming decades.
Fast facts:
- It’s an ethnicity, not a race. The US government recognizes ‘Hispanic or Latino’ as an ethnicity, defined as “a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture regardless of race.” Hispanic and Latino advocacy groups asked for this designation, first included in the 1980 census, to allow numerous smaller Hispanic American groups to lobby collectively for federal funding and resources.
- A word about terminology. ‘Hispanic’ generally refers to the descendants of Spanish-speaking persons, regardless of their place of birth. ‘Latino’ and ‘Latina’ refer to persons from Latin America. Because these words are gendered, some genderqueer persons of Latin descent choose to identify as ‘Latinx’, a term which is also sometimes used to collectively denote Latinas/os regardless of gender. There are a diversity of preferences and opinions about these terms, for example here and here. ‘Chicano’ has a difficult history; it was originally used as a slur against Mexican Americans, but has been reclaimed by some in the fight for civil rights. If you are unsure how someone wants to be identified, just ask.
- By the numbers: Hispanic Americans represent 19% of the population in both the US and New York, making it the second largest race or ethnic group after non-Hispanic whites. Geneva’s population is 15.7% Hispanic, and skews young; the Geneva City School District reports that 34% of its students are Hispanic. At Cornell, 14.6% of enrolled students identify as a part of this group.
One way to celebrate is to learn more at Weill Cornell’s excellent Hispanic Heritage Month resource page.
At AgriTech, we grow things- including diversity in food products and market share.
Sincerely,
Anna Katharine Mansfield and Amara Dunn
AgriTech DEI Council co-chairs