Our celebration uses the term “Latinx” in the title as way to include and acknowledge the participation of students who identify as Latina, Latino, or Latinx. You may be wondering, what does the “x” stand for? Dr. Rigoberto Marquez (2018) shares that Latinx is “a political identity that centers the lived experiences of queer, non-binary, gender non-conforming/creative and/or trans* individuals”. Since Spanish is a gendered language, if we just called it “Latino Graduation”, we would be overlooking our Latina and Latinx community members. On the other hand, “Latinx Graduation” is a shorter way of including students of all gender identities and experiences. It is also a reminder that our work towards a more socially just world needs to include the recognition and affirmation of nonbinary, gender neutral, and nonconforming members in our communities.

Marquez, R. (2018). What’s in the ‘x’ of Latinx?