Latin-Experience
I often feel lost, unsure of who I am and whether I’m enough within my Latinx community. I question if my experiences match what’s expected of someone like me. But everything shifted when I talked to a close friend whose journey was different from mine. That sparked my curiosity about how others in the Latinx community experience life. Listening to their stories led me to create Latin-Experience, an online archive of personal interviews where people share what it means to be Latinx in their own words. I hope it opens your eyes the way it did for me.
For the visual assists I drew inspiration from screen printing. In particular the screen printing that came out of Las Anglos by Mexican Americans. The colors came from houses in Latin America it very common for people to color their house a bright pastel. The most notable colors are the primary colors. Even the logo itself has a link to Latin America. I was inspired by textile cloth that is rooted in indigenous culture.
In my entire educational career I’ve never seen myself in the history books or even mentioned in any context. So I ask, is the Latin American community taken for granted in the United States? The Latin American community is composed of people from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, French Guiana, Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. But asking the average citizen what contributions the Latin American community made to the United States is answered with two words. Mexican food.
The Latin American community has a very complex relationship with the United States. There are some who immigrated to the U.S. (Ex: Salvadorans), who are U.S. citizens (Ex: Puerto Ricans), as well as some who settle in the U.S. before it was established (Ex: Mexicans). Even though each individual came to the U.S. under different circumstances.
As I stated before, throughout my educational career, I’ve never seen myself mentioned. Going through this journey of discovery, I have come to realize how crucial the Latin American community is to the United States. It amazes me how a community can be taken for granted by a country, but still thrive in said country. I believe there is a disconnect with the Latinx community and the U.S. and I’m hoping the testimonies of each individual will hopefully broaden the perspective others and help understand what is the Latin Experience.
Jonnea Herman is a graphic designer originally from outside of Chicago. In our conversation we touch upon her experience being both Black and Puerto Rican, what it was like growing up, and how Identity play influenced her work as a graphic designer.
I was lucky enough to speak with a lot of different members of the Latin American Community. Each person not only gave their perspective on what it means to be Latin American, but we also discussed different topics that’s not fully discussed with in the community. If this sample interested you I encourage you to check the rest of them
▽ Click Below to see for yourself ▽