The Difference Between Speaking To Latinos vs. Speaking For Them

I once was asked: “Why do we always speak to Latinos as if Latinos were one homogenous entity?” To which I responded: “You are right, we are not one homogenous entity, but you are wrong we - (whoever we is) do not speak TO Latinos but we can speak FOR them." 

Yes, we come in many different forms, shapes and sizes. Our diversity is as rich as what binds us together. Our struggles are not one but many, and as such we don’t fight just one battle - we fight many. We win some, we lose some (and boy do we lose some.) Yet, what makes us stronger is not measured by our successes - but on our ability to learn, share and do our best to keep on fighting; never forgetting an individual mission and always remembering a collective vision.

There is not one voice for the Latino community. There are many. And they are all rich, powerful , enlightening, satisfying, exciting and important. It is still not enough, we should be striving for more. In all spaces, across all mediums. We should feel proud that more and more Latinos (homogenous or not) are occupying important platforms - some making it to the so -called "mainstream” - some organizing and leading their communities. There will be difference of opinions, backgrounds, strategies, approaches and inclinations. This difference doesn’t weaken our communities and the individual members that conform each of them but certainly does solidify our collective power.

It is always exciting to see more and more colleagues, friends, allies and heck even those alleged foes and “frenemies” advancing in areas we sometimes only dare to dream of - but always saw as remote possibilities. Our priorities will be different. Our missions will offer different roads. We will never agree entirely - not even on the most agreeable of issues. Some voices will shine at times more than others - and so on in perpetuity. Our role is not to quiet those voices - but encourage them, further them, create opportunities for them and yes, also counter them when we disagree.

As more and more of our community members get amazing opportunities to speak FOR ourselves and others - both in private and public spaces - we should continue to remind ourselves that our contribution is more powerful when we indeed acknowledge that speaking FOR us and speaking TO us are two very, very different things. When we fall into the danger of the latter - our vision and mission is clouded with absurdity and dishonesty. Yet in realizing that our responsibility is to the former - we remain humble, straightforward, clear, transparent and direct on those intentions.

A compromise that maybe, just maybe we can all agree on.