Title: What is Latinx — Latinx Activists
Headings: Why Is the Term "Latinx" So Important?
Why Is the Term "Latinx" So Important?
Four Latinx activists talk about community, identity, pain, and unity.
What does Latinx mean to you?
I define Latinx, broadly, as anyone with a familial, cultural connection to Latin America.
What conversations are being had among the Latinx community?
What topics need to be addressed and dealt with among Latinxs?
The shooting at Pulse placed the Latinx community at the center of current affairs conversations. How did you feel about the shooting?
How do we strengthen solidarity between black people and Latinxs?
We also need to realize that black and Latinx aren't mutually exclusive categories.
Lighter-skinned Latinos get treated differently than dark-skinned Latinos, by non-Latinos and Latinos ourselves. We've seen this colorism affect Afro-Latinos the most. What are your views on colorism within the Latinx community?
How do we as Latin Americans continue to unify?

Content: Several Latinx people have died at the hands of law enforcement. In June, a man opened fire at Orlando nightclub Pulse, wounding 53 people and killing 50, making it the deadliest mass shooting in American history. The majority of those harmed and killed were Latinx. As presidential candidates tackle life-changing issues like citizenship and immigration reform, and police brutality against people of color becomes a regular occurrence, it's vital to have a conversation about what "Latinx" means and how we can strengthen the community inside and out. It's terrifying imagining what could happen to our loved ones, and ourselves, as presidential candidate Donald Trump issues threats of deportation at Latinos. We spoke to four prominent voices in the discussion of all things Latinx— Alex Alvarez (editor at MíTu, 31), Andrea Guendelman (co-founder of BeVisible and advisor at NCWID Latina Initiative, 44), Bianca Laureano (founder of The LatiNegrxs Project, board member at The Black Girl Project/activist/sexologist, 38), and Juan Paul Brammer (writer/activist, 25)—to face all of the above head on. What does Latinx mean to you? Alex Alvarez: I define Latinx, broadly, as anyone with a familial, cultural connection to Latin America. It's an imperfect term for sure, but has value;