New Report Separates Indigenous Migrants from ‘Hispanic/Latino’ Labels

PC: Cedric Letsch Via Unsplash PC: Cedric Letsch Via Unsplash By Vy Tran

LOS ANGELES, CA – A preliminary report identifying the different indigenous migrant communities from Mexico and Central America established in Los Angeles County was released this past week by Comunidades Indígenas en Liderazgo (CIELO) , in collaboration with USC Equity Research Institute.

The announcement said it is the first step in separating the Indigenous diaspora from being mislabeled as Hispanic or Latino by larger government surveys.

“The ongoing invisibility and misrepresentation of Indigenous Migrant communities has consequences for the community…as Indigenous migrants navigate racialized systems that often lack culturally competent services,” said CIELO, an Indigenous women-led non-profit organization that works with Indigenous communities in Los Angeles.

“Most people talk about everything Mexican, Guatemalan, Salvadoran. They talk as if we are in a bottle and that we are Latinos,” said Angel Novelo, Maya Yucateco organizer. “We have many languages here in Los Angeles.

“Many of them think that they recognize us as being Latino and that’s it, and they don’t see us as Indigenous. They see us as Latinos and that we all speak Spanish and that we all come from Guatemala. But it’s a very diverse culture. We have many […]

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