The following article was written by Geraldine Gonzalez and published in the October 3, 2010 issue of "The Greyhound," the student newspaper of Loyola University of Maryland.
ALANA Services (ALAS) and Student for Life hosted this year's Latino Heritage Month keynote speaker, Bobby Gonzalez, presenting on "Why We Are Not ‘Spanish': The Rich Cultural Diversity of Latinos." Embracing his Native American and Latino and African roots, Gonzalez offered a unique collection of information that celebrates his heritage.
The presentation began with Gonzalez recalling a recent interview where the interviewer said, "I love Spanish food, music, etc." and he quickly stopped him by simply saying, "We are not Spanish".
The most common misconception about Latinos is that they all speak the same Spanish, eat the same food, enjoy the same music and have the same political views. The reality is that the Latino culture consists of European, Native American, Jewish and Arabic ancestry, which is seen through the different dialects, foods, and culture in Latin America.
Jen Burt, '13, who attended the lecture and works in the Center for Community Service and Justice (CCSJ) admits that she, too, is guilty of using the word Spanish to define all Latinos.
"You don't realize how much variety there is in Latin America, a lot of people generalize, and by doing that, we miss out on what each individual country has to offer."
Gonzalez began to show pictures of different people; some of the faces displayed features that could not be defined by one culture because these people were not just Mexican or Native American, but Afro-Colombian or Peruvian-Japanese. The combinations were endless proving the diversity within the word "Latino."
"Ancestry, struggle, and embracing," were all words that Gonzalez used throughout his presentation, not just directed at the Latino population of Loyola, but everyone in the audience. Everyone's ancestry had a struggle, whether it be Latinos, Irish or Italian; they all came to America and experienced difficulties.
He urged everyone to embrace his or her culture. There was a time in Gonzalez's life where he thought being Caucasian would just be easier but realized that the pride of his culture that was instilled in him was much greater than that easy life. "We are our ancestors, let us succeed but not forget who we are," said Gonzalez.
Joyce Arias, '13, vice president of ALAS, felt he fit perfectly with this year's Latino Heritage Month's theme, "Find the Latino in You," "Bobby spoke about everywhere, he touched on all different races and how we are all connected," said Arias.
He ended his presentation with advice for everyone: "Great change is happening in this world, to survive we must come together honoring each other's differences," said Gonzalez.
