Who’s In and Who’s Out: The Complexities of the Latinx Community
Panel Moderator
Event Type
Panel
Academic
TimeThursday, September 81:45pm - 2:45pm EDT
LocationConvCtr 146 A
DescriptionThe Latinx community tends to be included in interventions and research under the label “people of color.” Even when they are extracted from the “people of color” category, they are treated as a monolithic category of “Hispanic” or “Latinx.” In the concept of "spectrum-based racial logics," Latinx are considered not quite Black and not quite White, but “Brown,” suggesting a middle-of-the-spectrum position. Whatever the ever-evolving, and often confusing, terms are, they fail to capture the complexity of language, ethnicity and race that exists in the Latinx community. There are advantages to being rolled up into a single category: Too few from a single group can mean that certain groups won’t get counted in research unless they are included as part of a larger category. This rolling up can lead to collaborations and partnerships between different communities when their priorities align. However, for Latinx communities, like other communities historically marginalized in computing, there are many important differences that get overlooked. Latinx peoples differ by language, nation of origin, culture, religion, race, and skin color, to name just a few major differences. Broadening participation in computing (BPC) efforts will be strengthened ultimately by understanding the differences within the Latinx community and how these differences can impact what structures need to be changed and what interventions should be provided. Even interpersonal relations between Latinx and other faculty or students can be enhanced by heightened appreciation of the very real differences between individuals who are designated as Latinx or Hispanic.
Panel Moderator
Presenters
Recent Comments