Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
As Hispanic Heritage Month wraps up Saturday, Latinos in Texas are diversifying their media coverage and organizing cross-country events, rather than lumping Latinos together under the state’s heavy Mexican influence.
By the numbers: Hispanic residents may now be the largest population group in Texas, surpassing the white demographic, according to unofficial statistics released in September by the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
- Latinos make up 40% of the state’s total population, while non-Hispanic whites make up 39%, the data show.
The big picture: This milestone, coupled with Hispanic Heritage Month, is motivating people to highlight the diversity within Latinos.
Nancy Flores, publisher of Austin Vida, says it’s “always a work in progress” and “gold star examples” of inclusion are hard to come by. But she and Lilia Swayne, vice president of the Sociedad Cultural Hispanoamericana San Antonio (SCHASA), offer ways communities can create a wider field of celebration.
- Buy from small Latino businesses.
- Explore cultural festivals across Texas.
- Guess who hasn’t been involved in the event before.
Between the lines: Mexicans make up 33% of Texas’ Hispanic residents, but Flores and Swayne represent and celebrate everything Latinos through their work.
- Flores is Mexican American and originally from Eagle Pass. Swayne is of Colombian descent.
What is happening: Austin Vida was created as a cultural center for Latinos. Flores says readers are sometimes surprised to see their countries covered by her team.
- SCHASA organizes events in San Antonio throughout the year to integrate and showcase folkloric dances, gastronomy and art from countries like Peru, Colombia, Panama and more.
- “It shouldn’t be a big shock, no matter what kind of cultural connections you have, to see yourself in a publication. I know how it feels to not see yourself in the city, and I want to help change that,” Flores . say.
What they say: Flores and Swayne hope the growing population will encourage exploration of Latino arts, food and customs outside of the dominant Mexican influence in the state.
- “We’re not a monolithic group, and it’s really that diversity within our culture that makes us special,” Flores says.
- “Most people, when they hear someone speaking in Spanish, [they] immediately assume this person is Mexican. In fact, the person who speaks Spanish can be originally from one of 19 different countries in Latin America,” says Swayne.
Go deeper: Austin Vida’s coverage of sazon Latin artists is bringing to Austin City Limits, from Cuba to Colombia.
