Hispanic? Latino? Latinx?

National Hispanic Heritage Month, also sometimes known as Latino Heritage Month, is September 15 - October 15. It honors the cultures and contributions of both Hispanic and Latino Americans as we celebrate heritage rooted in all Latin American countries.

The celebration originally began as a commemorative week introduced by California Congressman George E. Brown in June 1968 as a part of the Civil Rights Movement, and was officially commemorated for mid-September, chosen because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September18, respectively. Also, Día de la Raza, which is October 12, falls within this 30 day period.

The terms Hispanic, Latino, and Latinx are often used interchangeably -- especially by white people -- but they actually have different meanings, and which term you choose depends on how people self-identify.

“Hispanic” denotes people ethnically from Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America and Spain.

“Latino,” or the feminine “Latina,” is used to describe people with ancestry from Latin American countries. Unlike "Hispanic, it doesn't mean those countries are Spanish-speaking. It can include people from Brazil (Portuguese) or Haiti (French) or those from indigenous cultures in Latin America, which number in the millions.

"Latinx" is a more recent term meant to be gender neutral, and is often used by LGBTQ+ communities. It is also sometimes criticized because it does not follow Spanish grammar.
(via salud)

Which term used often depends on personal choice. The Federal Government uses "Hispanic" on Census forms, and officially recognizes "Hispanic Heritage Month". But many people who might fall under that category choose to represent themselves according to their family country of origin: Mexican-American, Cuban-American. Or simply according to their ancestral ethnicity -- Mexican, Cuban, Dominican.

Still, "Hispanic" is also the term most commonly used by the people in question it is meant to designate. It is not a neutral word, however. Even setting aside the fact it has basically been imposed by the US Government for the purposes of taking the Census, the origin of the word is an anglicized version of "Hispano", meaning a person whose cultural traditions originate from Spain.

That immediately erases the complex cultural reality of Latin America, including the rich indigenous traditions and pre-Columbian cultures that are now inextricably mixed with the cultures of colonizing forces. It also ignores the African heritage of those with enslaved ancestors, whose history is actually one of resistance to Spain and European colonization.

Mario T. Garcia, professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies at the University of California in Santa Barbara recently said in an interview with NPR that people in the US lack a good understanding of the stories and history of Hispanic people. "Too often the focus is on the musical contributions or dancing or other happy artforms." Whereas stories of oppression or injustice are ignored.

Luckily, booksellers are experts at collecting and recommending stories. Remember, when you are creating your displays and reading lists, just how many different kinds of stories there are Latinx, or Hispanic, heritage.

Further reading:

Yes, We're Calling It Hispanic Heritage Month and We Know It Makes Some of You Cringe
Hispanic, Latino, Latinx: What's the Difference
Who is Hispanic: The Pew Research Center
¿A quién consideran latino en Estados Unidos? (y por qué es más complicado de lo que quizá imaginas)