At Centro, pieces of us live in Honduras, México, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Perú, Colombia, Argentina, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Ecuador. Some of us identify as Indigenous, some of us as Latinoamericanos, some of us as something in between.
We are told we are all Latinos. What does that mean, exactly? On the surface, we say familia, baile, shared traditions, the same language we have all adapted in slightly different ways. On a deeper level, many of us or our families are characters in humanity’s age-old story of migration, of immigration—seeking a home outside of where we started. Ultimately, our questions of identity, of where we belong, are echoes of those asked by all those who came before us.
This Hispanic Heritage Month, we encourage our community to take stock of everything within us that makes us unique, that defies explanation or categorization. Somos quienes somos. Let’s ask hard questions, reflect on ourselves and each other, and be proactive about deciding where and how we belong. We are here, we are working hard to succeed, and we continue to make our adopted patria stronger and more diverse. This is something worth celebrating.
Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!