Underrepresented Latinxs: A Personal Journey
During the sixteen years I have lived in London, I have witnessed first-hand the exponential growth of the Latinx community. With around a quarter of a million people hailing from Latin America, the growth of our community is similar in other major UK cities. One would assume that with such a large number, our representation would be great. However, popular media features no Latinx characters, the news hardly covers issues concerning Latin America –let alone from the community in the UK– and music by Latin American artists is largely ignored unless it features a Western artist singing an English verse.
I come from a very multicultural area in East London. Anyone who grows up there is exposed to people from all over the world. Despite this, when I was little, people at school would ask me where I was born, and they had no idea where Venezuela was. It was because of experiences like this that I started to deny my roots. I couldn’t really relate to British culture, because I hadn’t lived in the country for very long. However, I forced Britishness on myself because I thought it would help me fit in and be accepted by my peers. Of course, this was all when I was a lot younger. Today, I wear my heritage proudly and don’t feel the need to ‘fit in’. In fact, it was the short-lived success of Latin pop and reggaeton in the music charts that helped. Seeing others enjoy my culture felt good and I wanted them to know that it was a part of me, which improved my self-esteem. That just goes to show how even a little representation can go a long way. Even though I am no longer ashamed of where I am from, I still struggle occasionally. For instance, I’ve had to fill in application forms where the ‘Latin American’ identity is not even an option on the ethnicity section. It may seem trivial to some people but having to select the ‘Other’ option is not a nice feeling. In fact, it feels like a whole ethnic group has been completely overlooked, as if we don’t exist .
Sadly, this feels like it’s a trend in the UK. For instance, any established Latinx hotspots get destroyed: the Pueblito Paisa in London, has been at risk of closure for as long as I can remember. Additionally, the shopping centre in Elephant and Castle in London was demolished this year. Latinxs have been in the area for over 20 years and made up a good amount of the business owners there. When I was younger, these places allowed me to feel comfortable and like I belonged; I loved being able to listen to music and eat the food of my culture outside of my home. None of my school friends were Latin American, so this was the only chance I had to interact with people other than my family who were part of the Latinx community. It makes me so sad to think about how the council could choose to demolish the shopping centre with complete disregard to the livelihoods of the business owners, and how the surrounding community ended up being displaced as a result.
My hope is that with this year’s census, the government will see how large the Latinx community is in the UK, making the necessary amends. In the meantime, I can still attend all the reggaeton nights, which are increasingly popular and successful, whether I’m at home in London or at university in Manchester, and I can still attend the festivals put on by Latinxs whenever I want to feel a sense of belonging. If we need to fight for our representation, then so be it.
Click this link to watch a video with interviews with the business owners in Elephant and Castle.
