Spanish speakers use the word latinidad to express solidarity among the vastly diverse peoples of Latin America, which spans two continents and ranges from Mexico to Argentina to the Caribbean. It’s less about legitimizing the melting pot analogy and more about celebrating each culture’s individuality.
The Portland Mercado oozes latinidad. The collection of Latin American businesses provides the city a vital avenue for collective connection. This week, the Mercado celebrates two years in the Foster-Powell neighborhood with a daytime anniversary party poignantly called El Pueblo Unido (the United People). Partygoers can expect kid-friendly activities like face painting and tabling from organizations like Hacienda, Causa, ACLU of Oregon, and Micro Mercantes, the Mercado’s sister project, which offers an affordable commissary kitchen for rent, and advising services to people of color interested in launching their own business in the food industry. All door proceeds will support local organizations fighting for immigrant rights.
The event’s organizers have curated a musical lineup as colorful and varied as the countries represented in the Mercado. Using blanket terms like “Latin” or “world” to describe the music of Latin America effectively erases the rich history and ancestral roots of latinidad, and lumping the region’s innumerable genres into these broad categorizations is simply lazy. Let’s retire “Latin,” and instead explore the cultural traditions of the local Latinx talent performing at El Pueblo Unido.