We’re more than just a month.
Whether you’re Hispanic, Asian, Native American or of African American heritage, these months are meant to celebrate and recognize minority groups in the U.S. Not for big corporations to profit from these “themes” to seem like they’re inclusive.
We’re more than just a theme.
We are artists, writers, workers and more. Our sacrifices and journeys are a testament of who we are as people and the contribution we bring to the U.S.
These heritage/appreciation months are a moment for all of us to reflect on the specific group being featured. Yet, companies take advantage of our spotlight during heritage/appreciation months to make more money.
Marketing and branding for heritage months acts as a double edge sword. Sometimes the branding can help business owners that are of that specific heritage group be noticed, but often these marketing techniques are used to continue to mass produce products and assign a theme to it.
Certain corporations mass produce items with a “Hispanic” palette just so an average consumer feels they’re supporting that specific heritage or they are “inclusive.” In reality, big corporations use these months to target specific ethnic groups and generate more money.
One way we should celebrate this month is to buy from businesses owned by Hispanics/Latinos or whichever heritage we’re celebrating. This can be as simple as going to a local restaurant owned by someone of Hispanic heritage or doing research before making your next purchase.
However, many brands do try to invite collaborators of a specific heritage for the heritage/appreciation month they’re trying to celebrate. Additionally, some companies make donations to causes that promote or help a specific ethnic group in need.
For brands that actually try to be inclusive and feature artists of a specific group they want to support, in the face of backlash, they may diminish their efforts. The most recent example was Target’s LGBTQ collection this past summer. According to Forbes, a specific clothing designer featured at Target caused controversies, as his own designs on his personal website had the slogan “Satan respects pronouns.” Target’s selection of their collection did not feature that design, but customers were enraged Target would feature an artist who created such designs.
This has led Target to reevaluate the way they feature groups during heritage and appreciation months. “The hope is that as Target reevaluates the mix of its own national brands versus the ones of external partners for these heritage months, they don’t move in favor of featuring more of their own products, as a way to try to avoid backlash,” the Forbes article read.
The negative response from consumers could prompt corporations like Target to be more controlled and possessive of their branding and manufacture their own “heritage” or “appreciation” collections. This negates the whole idea of featuring and appreciating that minority group.
This is why, during this Hispanic Heritage Month, you should opt to shop local and directly benefit hispanics or latinos in the community. Their labor is essential to the American economy, and from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, take the opportunity to give Hispanic businesses amor.
