The media hasn’t been kind to ethnic minorities.

With better representation, there would be fewer stereotypes perpetuated and their second class status could be eliminated, says senior Gianna Perez. Perez, who is proud of her Puerto Rican  background. She says it has not always been easy to feel this pride.

“When I was younger, I remember wanting to be white because I thought that was what it meant to be beautiful,” Perez said.

No part of her has not been touched by this“I feel like Hispanics are often seen as not intellectually on the same level,” says senior Gianna Perez.

Perez says she wishes“hispanics weren’t seen as gang bangers. Like in movies, that’s all I see, and the females are oversexualized.”

Hispanic Heritage Month, spanning from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 was originally created to celebrate the cultures of American citizens with ancestors from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.  This month celebrates many famous Hispanic or Latino people, but it’s also an opportunity to have a conversation about these issues.

“I would like to see more positive portrayal in the media. Positive contributions definitely need to be highlighted,” says world language division head Claudia Sahagun.

On Oct. 4 in the student activity center, the world language division hosted an event to celebrate Hispanic heritage month, highlighting Hispanics and latinos.

The event featured posters depicting Latinos like human rights activist and part of the K’iche, an indigenous group, Rigoberta Menchu and American labor leader Cesar Chavez.

One key point the event brought up was the distinction between Latino and Hispanic.

Hispanic refers to people who speak Spanish, or those descended from a Spanish-speaking population. Latino refers to people who are from or have descended from Latin America.

Still, there is a gross mislabeling of a multitude of minorities.

“I wish people could understand why it would be hurtful if you called someone who is Cuban or Puerto Rican Mexican,” Perez said.“It’s not the content in which they are speaking, but the fact that they see Hispanics under one umbrella.”

Census.gov says 17.6 percent of Americans are Hispanic or Latino. Despite this large population in America, many are uneducated about Hispanic and Latino culture. In regards to history classes, Perez said, “It’s always kind of brief. It’s the Mexican-American war and that’s it.”