September 15 in the United States marks the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month, a time meant to uplift and highlight the voices of the Latine community. During this month, along with other heritage and recognition months in the U.S., it is common to see brands and companies change their social media profile pictures or create a new slogan reflecting the community being celebrated. While this trend may be fun, it is merely corporate performative activism, and the public often gives in. By turning these heritage and recognition months into a marketing scheme, the larger issues these communities face are being ignored.
One grave issue currently weighing heavy on the Latine community, in the U.S. and across the world, is the negative effects of climate change. In a study conducted by Pew Research Center in 2021, “the majority of Latinxs surveyed said that climate change is affecting their local community, that they lived in an area that had experienced an extreme weather event in the last year and that addressing global climate change is important to them.” This data brings to light the urgency in which climate help is needed.
Gentrification and redlining have pushed the Latine community into areas where they are more likely to experience the worst of climate change including floods, wildfires, and droughts. Around the world these problems become more apparent, with Mexico recently having another large earthquake and Puerto Rico facing Hurricane Fiona. It seems as if these countries cannot get a break to rebuild and stabilize with natural disasters constantly being thrown at them.
During this month, companies sometimes claim to work with Latine designers and state that a profit of their sales will go towards the community, and while these small promises help, they are most likely being done to avoid backlash while receiving a tax write-off. Social media has proven that those who claim to support disenfranchised communities gain more of a following, and companies use this to their advantage. This is merely the same problem as greenwashing. The merchandise that comes out often feeds into stereotypes like putting rainbows on everything during pride month and claiming you’re an ally. Walking into your local Target and finding a tacky display of Hispanic Heritage Month T-shirts and other merchandise is distasteful and does nothing to solve the systemic problems that harm these marginalized communities.
Large corporations are the main cause of global warming and add to the majority of carbon emissions. These corporations need to hold themselves accountable for their actions in destroying our environment. During this month we should push our representatives and leaders to pass legislation that would implement real solutions to climate change. Community action groups are also at the forefront of solving these issues and should be supported for their efforts that often go unnoticed.
While heritage and recognition months are still an important way to celebrate America’s diversity, the culture surrounding them needs to change. Supporting Latine owned businesses versus large corporations is one way to start decolonizing and decapitalizing the month. We should also place less emphasis on merchandise and instead take this time to learn about the community being highlighted. Teaching the youth to be tolerant and accepting of all backgrounds and cultures is especially important to create positive change. By putting an emphasis on action instead of capitalism, we can change the way heritage and recognition months are treated in the U.S.
