Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month | 1 October 2021
Entry posted by Darling_take_off_the_mask in Potpourri Series
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Latinx Heritage Month (officially Hispanic Heritage Month, but there are problems with the use of the word Hispanic in this context) (all links rated T) runs September 15 to October 15. It’s an official period of observance in the United States and specifically intended to recognize the contributions of the Hispanic and Latinx communities to US culture and achievements.
FFT being a multinational community, not US-centric, it seemed like a better aim to recognize and uplift Latinx communities more broadly for this particular blog post. And with our focus here being writing, reading, and fandom, it would make sense for us to highlight Latinx contribution and representation within that context.
But we don’t want to do so in a way that’s reductive. We’re currently a very small CC team and are not up to date enough on Latinx literature, art, or other media to give you a meaningful list of personal recs that are current. That’s our shortcoming.
You don’t need a blog post about Selena, Lin-Manuel Miranda, or the movie Coco (all of which are Very Important, but you already knew that) as if the entirety of Latinx achievement and culture were encapsulated within a few big names. And aside from how embarrassing it is to admit to you that my most salient pop culture references for significant Latinx representation are at least half a decade old (Callie Torres, Grey’s Anatomy; Daya Diaz, OITNB; Leo Valdez, Heroes of Olympus), there’s something wrong about the idea of four white women telling you what we think are great Latinx characters, because really, what do we know about it? And also, this isn’t about us and how these characters made us feel or what they’ve taught us.
In fact, just last year more than 270 Latinx creators in TV and film wrote an open letter to Hollywood about the lack of inclusion or meaningful representation. Voices such as those are the ones you should be listening to on this score, not ours.
But you’re currently stuck with us as your CC’s (though we hope that will change — applications, anyone?) and since one of our goals is to create a fandom space that is inclusive and safe for BIPOC, what we can do is share some Latinx voices you may not already be aware of, specifically focused on participation in fandom and geek culture, and/or representation in fiction.
Latinx Geeks (@LatinxGeeks) and Latinx Nerds (@comosedicenerd)
Twitter accounts that are exactly what they sound like. In particular this month they are both promoting wonderful content by Latinx creators under the hashtags #LatinxsCreate #LatinesCreate and #AfroLatinxsCreate.
A blog (and corresponding twitter account @bookhoarding) run by Bianca Hernandez-Knight, a talented cosplayer/ costumer/ crafter, Jane Austen enthusiast, and romance aficionada. She creates her own period costumes and hosts a rom-com elimination bracket, and she also addresses the topic of racism in fandom spaces.
Erin Joy Araneta
Erin Joy Araneta is a young, aspiring chemist who is writing children's books about a Latina Chemist doing neat science -- her first book was published last year -- Chemist Clara Paints the Lake -- and she has a new book coming out in October called Chemist Clara Explores Mars! She's forging a path ahead in children's literature not only for Latinx representation, but also Latinx and womxn representation in STEM fields and science-focused children's literature.
Nerds, Goths, Geeks, and Freaks: Outsiders in Chicanx and Latinx Young Adult Literature (edited by Trevor Boffone and Cristina Herrera)
A collection of essays about Latinx and Chicanx youth identities — “outsiders within an already marginalized community” — and their representation in literature; and how those identities, which defy stereotypes, can affect their status not only within white American communities but Latinx communities as well.
The full book summary is under the spoiler, and you can preview the entire Introduction and part of Chapter 1 for free on Amazon.
Contributions by Carolina Alonso, Elena Avilés, Trevor Boffone, Christi Cook, Ella Diaz, Amanda Ellis, Cristina Herrera, Guadalupe García McCall, Domino Pérez, Adrianna M. Santos, Roxanne Schroeder-Arce, Lettycia Terrones, and Tim Wadham
In Nerds, Goths, Geeks, and Freaks: Outsiders in Chicanx and Latinx Young Adult Literature, the outsider intersects with discussions of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality. The essays in this volume address questions of outsider identities and how these identities are shaped by mainstream myths around Chicanx and Latinx young people, particularly with the common stereotype of the struggling, underachieving inner-city teens.
Contributors also grapple with how young adults reclaim what it means to be an outsider, weirdo, nerd, or goth, and how the reclamation of these marginalized identities expand conversations around authenticity and narrow understandings of what constitutes cultural identity.
Included are analysis of such texts as I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, Shadowshaper, Swimming While Drowning, and others. Addressed in the essays are themes of outsiders in Chicanx/Latinx children’s and young adult literature, and the contributors insist that to understand Latinx youth identities it is necessary to shed light on outsiders within an already marginalized ethnic group: nerds, goths, geeks, freaks, and others who might not fit within such Latinx popular cultural paradigms as the chola and cholo, identities that are ever-present in films, television, and the internet.
If you have any resources or recommendations to share, or really just any thoughts, we’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Contributors: Madi, Melanie
Draft: Melanie