What it Means to be Latino

It's more complicated than you think.

What does it mean to be Latino? We asked writer Ruben Martinez, UCLA linguistics professor Otto Santa Ana, and Fordham University sociologist Clara Rodriguez to address that question. In the essays that follow, you'll find that their answers were all very different.

Rubén Martínez

Rubén Martínez
At the Crossroads: Latinos in the New Millennium
“…I'm branded a gringo where I don't want to be one, and where I want to be one, I'm rejected…”

Otto Santa Ana

Otto Santa Ana
Is There Such a Thing as Latino Identity?
“…That's because I don't know of a single community-that has a zipcode number-of Latinos anywhere in the nation. Weird, no?…”

Clara Rodríguez

Clara Rodríguez
What It Means to Be Latino
“…Finally, being Latino means you are a part of one or more groups that have their own unique cuisine, music, and cultural and artistic traditions…”