Kicking Off Hispanic Heritage Month 2022

You may be asking yourself, “What the heck is Hispanic Heritage Month?”. Well, from September 15 until October 15, Americans observe and appreciate the culture and contributions that Hispanic and Latin American citizens have brought to the USA. This was first observed as a week of September in 1968 by President Johnson, but was expanded into a month of observance in 1988 by President Reagan. You can read more here!

It’s important to recognize that the terms Hispanic and Latin American can be synonymous, but this is not always the case. Hispanic refers to people who speak Spanish (for example, people from Spain are Hispanic but not Latin American), and Latin American is geographical and refers to the people that make up countries in North, South, and Central America (so, Brazilian people who speak Portuguese are Latin American but not Hispanic).

I wanted to kick off this month of observance by sharing what The Neighboring Movement has done to create a safe environment for the Hispanic & Latinx People (and many others!) that come through and complete our programs!

I have not always been so fortunate to work at a place that is not only welcoming of my cultural differences, but celebrates them! One thing that I appreciate about this place is that we have always been intentional in continuing our education. Not too long ago we completed a training facilitated by Inclusive Growth Strategies of Wichita (you can read all about our commitment to DEI here!) which did a fantastic job of breaking down extremely nuanced topics into easily digestible conversations.

So, for Hispanic Heritage Month, I have been reflecting on the wonderful people who have come through and completed our curriculum. I’m sure you’ve seen them before we got to witness their spectacular gifts. But people like Clarissa Carrillo who has put together a cultural festival in her hometown of Liberal or Emily Cruz who has created a support group called Somos First Gen for other first generation high school and college students. They are just two examples of Animators who have moved into Phase 2 of the Community Animator Network to continue their work.

I have been extremely lucky to have met not just them, but other Latinx members like Ana and Zaira, who are in the Kansas City area and are putting in so much of their own time to bettering their communities.

Keep an eye on our social media platforms, because for the rest of this month I will be attending various festivals and webinars on behalf of The Neighboring Movement! I hope to capture some of the beauty I see, and of the people who are celebrating and showcasing all that the Hispanic/Latinx community has to offer.

Happy Neighboring!