Latinx
Latinx Immigration and Belonging
Watch and learn from our past webinars.
⬇︎ Scroll below and click on each webinar ⬇︎
in what ways do some Latinx feel about belonging? Is the Latinx community perceived as part of American society?
Some of the Latinx community feel they need to forget and erase the culture of their country of origin or their parents’ culture to really become “American.”
There is a societal pressure to speak only English in this country. Often, Latinx people have been made to feel wrong about speaking two languages or even speaking Spanish while living in the USA. And what about all the indigenous languages that many immigrants speak as a native tongue?
What is the relationship between America and undocumented Latinx immigrants? Are they embraced, or are they are just used as cheap labor or as a source of votes when needed by a politician?
To what extent has the Latinx community been a fundamental part the USA — since the establishment of this country up to today?
The Latinx community contributes greatly to the U.S. economy while being paid substandard wages, yet are treated as if they do not exist. This negatively affects how the Latinx community are perceived, and diminishes their sense of belonging. Some feel like criminals who must hide from society, despite being underpaid and undervalued. This makes them feel as though they belong to a non-welcoming community.
Even the sonority or spelling of their name limits college and job opportunities because of the connotations associated with a certain language, origin, or culture – again inherently and inevitably affecting their sense of belonging.
How will we take action to make these communities feel welcome?
Resources:
Wikipedia:
“Belongingness is the human emotional need to be an accepted member of a group. Whether it is family, friends, co-workers, a religion, or something else, people tend to have an 'inherent' desire to belong and be an important part of something greater than themselves. This implies a relationship that is greater than simple acquaintance or familiarity. The need to belong is the need to give and receive attention to and from others.
Belonging is a strong and inevitable feeling that exists in human nature.[1] To belong or not to belong is a subjective experience that can be influenced by a number of factors within ourselves and our surrounding environment.[1]
Roy Baumeister and Mark Leary argue that belongingness is such a fundamental human motivation that we feel severe consequences of not belonging. If it wasn't so fundamental, then lacking a sense of belonging wouldn't have such dire consequences on us. This desire is so universal that the need to belong is found across all cultures and different types of people.”
Forbes: Hispanics, Not Trump, Are the Biggest Engine Of U.S. Economic Growth
Pew Research Center: Key facts about U.S. Hispanics and their diverse heritage
CNN: Hispanics in the US Fast Facts
Pew Research Center: About One-in-Four U.S. Hispanics Have Heard of Latinx, but Just 3% Use It
Latinx Immigration and Belonging
with Brenda V. Perez Amador & Renata Lara Arizpe
February 24, 2021
- CLOSED
Brenda (she/her/ella) is an award-winning community activist who is passionate about the environment and immigration, and is deeply involved in community advocacy.
Renata holds an NYU degree in Sociocultural Anthropology and French with a minor in Public Policy and Management. She is passionate about looking deeper into the evolution of our world’s societies, particularly how humans are agents in our forever-changing environment.
Learn more about this webinar and about Brenda and Renata. We are delighted they will be co-facilitating this conversation!
Latinx Immigration and Belonging 2
with Cristina Martinez
March 17, 2021 - closed
Cristina Martínez is a Mexican chef and immigration activist in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and a native of Capulhuac, Mexico. Cristina is an undocumented immigrant who barely survived crossing the border through the dessert. She arrived in the United States after escaping from her extremely abusive husband and looking for more opportunities for her family.
Martínez had been cooking Barbacoa in Mexico and so she began working as a chef in an Italian restaurant in Philadelphia. When the restaurant was asked to help her become documented, she was fired. After that, she began cooking food for other Mexican workers in her apartment.
Latinx Immigration and Belonging 3
with Camilo Montoya
April 21, 2021 - CLOSED
After spending many years feeling he had no community to rely on, Camilo Montoya began making films in order to connect with the immigrant community here in the US. His films have also helped him re-connect with his community back in Nicaragua by sharing his appreciation and respect for the struggle of the Latinx community as a whole.
In this Making-Visible webinar, Camilo will share his perspective of the the impact of misrepresentation of latinos in the media. He will also share the role that art and creative expression plays in healing generational trauma.