This is the second in a series of stories by Raymond Arroyo, chief diversity officer of Aetna, that

seeks to clarify and provide a historical context regarding diversity-related terminology commonly used in American culture today. By making it clear what the "right words" are, this series aims to encourage employees to have candid conversations with one another, regardless of their differences, to promote an environment of openness and trust. Aetna is one of DiversityInc's 25 Noteworthy Companies. These stories originally were published on Aetna's intranet. Next week's installment will be about older workers. Click here to read the first in the series: What's in a Name: Who Is an African American?

In this article, we will examine the usage of terms, within the context of U.S. culture, that apply to individuals whose ancestry originates in any of the 22 Spanish-speaking countries.  

Have you ever wondered what term to use when describing someone whose ancestry links to a Spanish-speaking country? Is it Hispanic? Latino? Latin? Spanish? What's the difference?

Background

The ancestry of the U.S. Latino population is linked to the following regions, in alphabetical order: Central America, Greater Antilles, Mexico, South America and Spain. Collectively, these represent 22 Spanish-speaking countries. In the United States, this group comprises more than 48 million individuals, outnumbering Canadians in Canada and twice the population in Australia. If the U.S. Latino population represented a country, it would make up the second-largest Hispanic "nation" in the world, second only to Mexico. (While mentioning Mexico, an important point to consider is that a person born in Mexico and living in Mexico is a Mexican, not Latino. However, if this same individual immigrates to the United States, he will be counted as part of the Latino community within the context of the U.S. society, regardless of what he considers himself to be.)

U.S. Latinos share many traits, including similar experiences, values and viewpoints that generally unite them. They often--but not always--speak Spanish and carry a Spanish surname. Some are recent immigrants; many more are not and have lived in the United States for generations. While sharing a similar set of values in the United States, each Spanish-speaking country represented by U.S. Latinos has a different culture, rooted in rich traditions, art, eclectic music, scrumptious cuisines and major holidays. While Hispanics are not classified as a race, they include biracial and multiracial individuals, resulting from the African influence related to slave trade throughout the Caribbean and parts of South America and from the union of the indigenous peoples of the Americas and the Europeans. Hispanics represent every hair and skin color. There isn't one "look" that identifies all Latinos.

Defining some of the most common terms:

·        Latino -- An individual with roots that go back to any of the Spanish-speaking countries. Be aware that the term "Latino" may be used for a man only or for a man and woman. Latina is used for women only (never say "Latina women," as it is redundant). The term "Latino" began to be broadly used in the late 1980s when a younger generation started using it to replace the term "Hispanic."

·        Hispanic -- A term that was originated by the Census Bureau in the 1960s. It was used as a way to capture all the people whose backgrounds included any of the Spanish-speaking countries. The term is gender neutral.

·        Mexican American -- An American citizen of Mexican descent. This term gained popularity in 1980s.

·        Spanish -- The language of Spain and the language spoken in most of Latin America, except for Brazil, where Portuguese is the main language.

·        Latin -- The official and ancient language of the people of the Roman Empire. It is a term that is generally not used to refer to someone who is Latino.

·        Chicano -- An American citizen of Mexican descent who has a strong sense of Mexican-American ethnic identity. This term was regularly used in the 1960s, mostly in the Southwest, and by the 1970s it was the preferred term used to refer to Mexican Americans. It isn't used widely today except in some parts of the country, like Chicago.

It is also important to note that there are regional terms used across the country, such as Tejanos in Texas or Hispanos in New Mexico.

Bottom line: "Latino" and "Hispanic" are terms used in the United States to identify individuals whose ancestry comes from a variety of countries where Spanish is their main language. Both terms are generally acceptable, although in the last 10 years, there is a slight preference for the use of the term "Latino." There are also some regional preferences that play a role, and when in doubt, you should ask.