Latinx Presence
The U.S. is a country founded by immigrants. The diversity in the U.S. is extremely broad; there are many cultures, ethnicities and diversities.
When it is time to represent history from other cultures in history classes, the educational system does not go in-depth and underrepresents the many cultures that shaped this country. I will only deeply consider Latin history, but I do recognize there are many other cultures also being underrepresented and uncelebrated in the U.S.
From my own experience, I have always heard my peers talk about how in their high school or elementary history classes, they did not learn much about Latin history and because of that lack of information, they feel they do not know much about their own history.
It is upsetting. I cannot relate to it because I grew up in Costa Rica, so my history classes were very different. For example when we learned about colonization, my teachers were unfiltered. Whereas my American peers were given a washed out version of the same lesson.
I have never known how to address this subject. I dedicated myself to learning the history of Hispanic and Latinx history in the U.S. to know the scale of their contribution to this country.
I started with social media and television because this is where I gained most of my cultural information on the U.S. but I found nothing. I realized that some ethnicities and cultures had a stronger platform than others.
The main goal of studying history is to culturally educate communities about any and all ethnic backgrounds without forgetting or ignoring others.
Defeated from the limited results on such large platforms, I checked Netflix and found John Leguizamo’s stand-up comedy special titled “Latin History For Morons.”
In the most humorous way, the actor and comedian teaches a history class. From all the topics and points he demonstrates, what caught my attention the most was how Latin history and Latin contributions are nowhere to be found in many history textbooks.
Until I saw the Netflix special, nobody comprehensively answered my question and confirmed that Hispanic backgrounds and history is overshadowed.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Latinos accounted for 39.1% of the population in California in 2018, making it the largest ethnic population in the state. The 2018 Student Success Scorecard states that 60.8% of students at Citrus College have a Hispanic background and are the largest ethnic group on campus.
This is not represented in our high school curriculum, where the assigned textbooks mainly focus on a Eurocentric perspective of the American revolution and the development of this country.
“It’s really a shame that it is underrepresented,” Latin American history professor Michael Ray said. “You have all these requirements— math requirements, English requirements, history requirements. But none of those history requirements have anything to do with Latin America at the college level.”
Latin history may not be taught in school, but U.S. history is. There are many historical figures with a Latinx background that contributed during the historical timeline of this country that are not mentioned. Latinx people have been a part of and fought in every single war of U.S.
According to the Al Día website, in the Revolutionary War, Francisco De Miranda was part of the siege of Fort Pensacola and contributed to Washington’s victory in Yorktown. Cuba also contributed financially to the revolution with 1.2 million pounds sterling, the equivalent of $28 million dollars.
The Al Día website wrote an op-ed of the museum of the American Revolution about how Latinx contributions are left out of American curriculums.
According to the website, Hispanics in the U.S. Army included a Cuban woman named Loreta Janeta Velazquez disguised as Lt. Harry T. Buford, a Confederate soldier who took part in the Civil War.
In the Spanish-American War, the Hispanic Captain Maximiliano Luna was part of the Rough Riders, leaded by Theodore Roosevelt the 1st U.S volunteer cavalry with George Armijo that become a member of Congress.
Two historical figures of World War I are Nicolas Lucero, who contributed by destroying two German machine gun nests and maintaining constant fire for three hours and received a French Croix de Guerre honoring his service. Marcelino Serna single-handedly captured 24 enemy soldiers and received the Distinguished Service Cross.
A 2017 Minority Veterans Report states approximately 400,000 to 500,000 Hispanic people served in the U.S Armed Forces in World War II. 150,000 Hispanic people served during the Korean war, many part of the all-Hispanic 65th Infantry Regiment in the U.S Army.
With so many historical figures that have contributed to the history of the U.S., students should know these figures and part of the history of how other countries—especially our neighbors— contributed to the U.S.’s development.
John Leguizamo pointed out that Hispanics fought in each war this country ever had and helped to shape it. They spilled blood in the battlefield but it is not mentioned and if it were, imagine how the stereotype could change.
Legislative petitions for ethnic studies in California are creating a movement for high school and California State Universities. California Assembly Bill 331 would add one course requirement of ethnic studies for high school students to graduate, while California Assembly Bill 1460 would apply one three-credit requirement for the 23 CSUs for graduation.
It is no secret that learning gives you a better concept and understanding of the world, as the more we learn the more open-minded a person becomes. If ethnic studies are implemented on high school or university campuses in California, students will grow up with a better understanding of our neighbors.
