As part of Hispanic Awareness week at the University, Juan Flores spoke last night to University students about American misconceptions of Puerto Rican and Latino cultures.
Flores is a professor of Black and Puerto Rican Studies at City University of New York, Hunter College, and a professor of sociology at CUNY Graduate School.
In addition to being a professor in New York, Flores also has written several books and essays on Puerto Rican and Latino culture.
In his speech, Flores addressed the fact that many Americans believe Latinos "just got off the boat," whereas the Puerto Rican community has been strong in New York since the late 19th century.
The longevity of Latino presence in the United States is an "omitted part of the historical record," he said.
Another misconception is the American public's view that all divisions of the Latino culture should be lumped into one group and under one name, Flores said.
The category "Hispanic" has been invented by the media, corporate marketers and census-takers to describe a group of people who define themselves primarily by their national origin, such as Puerto Rican or Cuban, Flores said.
"The current use of the term Hispanic is very objectionable," Flores said. However, "we should be careful not to throw the term away because it is a potential source of great solidarity," he added.
Furthermore, the media distorts perceptions of Latinos by portraying only the "model Latino," usually a person of light skin and relatively high socio-economic status.
Puerto Ricans have a long history of social and cultural interaction with African-Americans, which "has remarkably never been documented" by historians, he said.
This interaction can be seen in the strong but largely ignored influence of Puerto Rican music in the development of jazz and hip-hop, Flores added.
Flores used samples of music to suppliment his discussion. He often uses music as part of his speaking and research.
"I thought it was educational to find out ways to combat misperceptions" about Latinos, fourth-year Commerce student Tasha White said. "I think Latinos are underrepresented at U.Va. in general, so anything that sheds light on Latino history or current trends is important."
"I thought it was interesting to see how far back Latino and black music were influencing each other," second- year College student Emilio Alonso said.
The lecture was the last event of Hispanic Awareness Week, which began March 22. Other events held were a speech on the relationships between the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Puerto Rico; a discussion of how Latinos are portrayed in the media; an event called Latino Jeopardy; and a discussion on the Latin influence on American music.
Hispanic Awareness Week is an invention unique to the University, Asst. Dean of Students Pablo J. Davis said.
According to Davis events are made possible by a coalition of organizations under his coordination. The week-long program supplements national Hispanic Heritage Month, which comes in September.
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