How exactly is "Latino in America" going to work?

Recently, CNN posted an article by somone asking "What is Latino?" (presumably in response to the "Latino in America" series) Honestly, I thought the same thing when I first heard about the idea. Not as easy as lumping the "black community" together to make "Black in America," Soledad.

How exactly is "Latino in America" going to work? We've all felt the wrath from asking a Hispanic person from one country if they were from another country. You'd swear asking a Cuban if they were Puerto Rican or Mexican was an insult or something. I think the best thing to do is correct the person, while not bringing down another Latino group's culture. And God forbid you call a Dominican African American. You'd swear you beat them with a bat or something. I don't throw a fit when someone addresses me as African American and not Haitian. Why? Beacuse I'm black and so are African Americans. Clarify, then move on.

This kind of thinking only brings down the cause for equality. Latino as a group is more powerful than Mexican or Cuban alone---even though they are distinct cultures. This is not a new idea. Go to Brooklyn--if a Jamaican or Haitian gets horribly beat up by the cops--no one says it was because he was Jamaican or Haitian (at least not outside of that community). Why? Because saying the beat down was because he was black is a much more powerful statement in America. People relate to that, and honestly, people who don't know much about your culture will judge the situation as if everyone who looks alike is the same. That's life. I'm not saying that you shouldn't explain that there are very distinct cultures within the phrase "Latino" (or "Black" for that matter). Instead, I'm saying that you shouldn't say- or act- like all Latino groups are not equal. Distancing yourself from other groups- who do share some cultural attributes- is the easiest way to set back the common goals you share.

~ Je pense