Okay, here we go. It's that time of year again where we honor all Latin Americans' culture, baile, non-stop good food that abuela and your tias make, and the oh-so-good music that can make you burn tons of calories and never go to a gym, like ever again.
It's that time of year where we feel prouder than we already are, and the time to recognize some important, independent countries and their artists, writers, singers, dancers, leaders, activists, and overall beautiful people.
If some of you don't know the history of how we got a whole month to ourselves, here's how it went down:
-An entire month celebrating Hispanics from September 15-October 15.
-Roots go back in 1968 when it started as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, on the approval of Public Law 100-402.
-Honors the independence of five Latin American countries; El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Honduras.
-AND, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, while Belize celebrates theirs on the 21st.
-Celebrates the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
Well now that you know some of the known facts, it's probably notable to say that being Hispanic, OF COURSE I'm going to talk about this. Those who know me would NOT be surprised. I guess I feel the need to represent because being Hispanic but born in the U.S., you get a little torn deciding which aspect of your identity you feel you should belong. In other words, I was never enough Ecuadorian or never enough American. Until I recently come to terms that I am both. I am citizens of both. And for my family, my ancestors that go way back to who knows where nowadays, and to me, I will represent hard.
Hispanic Heritage month has shaped the importance on who we are and what we bring to the table. We have made our presence one to consider, to honor, to give importance. We come in different shades of color, different statures, and different dialects. We are a melting pot within ourselves.
The spirit we were born with transfers through the way we dance, the way we laugh, the way we love, and our thick skin that will stay forever and passed down to our younger ones.
We are storytellers, drama mamas, and the ultimate partiers. We believe in the soul and our destinies. And yes, there are a lot of us here and there. And YES, there is a difference between the term Hispanic and Latino. LEARN HERE, if you'd like: https://youtu.be/gs2tdjzla8Y.
We have this month to continue celebrating our pride more than ever! Although technically devoted to "Hispanics," I think it sounds better to include all the Latinos and Hispanics since I myself fall in both categories. So you can most definitely expect us to celebrate all day, every day, all year round.
That being said,"si tú eres Latino, saca tu bandera" —Marc Anthony
