Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month
Cristina Martinez, Jalana Torres, Julio Ramirez
In the United States, Hispanic Heritage Month is held each year between September 15 and October 15 to celebrate the histories, cultures, achievements and contributions of Hispanic Americans. In recognition of the month, Prosekians Cristina Martinez, Jalana Torres and Julio Ramirez participated in an internal panel discussion reflecting on their individual experiences and shared some of their takeaways from the discussion for Unboxed readers. Take a look!
Cristina Martinez: My main takeaway from the panel is that we see ourselves more individualistically – meaning from each specific country that makes up Latin America – than as collective “Hispanics” than many people might realize. Although it doesn’t offend me when people label me as “Hispanic,” I wouldn’t personally depict myself as that. I describe myself as Puerto Rican.
Jalana Torres: I took so much away from the conversation with my colleagues, but what was most impactful was recognizing that the Latinx / Hispanic community is not a monolith. My fellow panelists spanned different parts of South America, the Caribbean and more. Although we share many commonalities, there are aspects of our cultures and the way we celebrate them that are vastly different, but equally special.
Julio Ramirez: The Latinx community is one of such diversity that it is almost impossible to represent under one umbrella. In order to truly understand the nuances of the culture, the Latinx experience needs to be evaluated from the perspective of self-identity of each group. Even though we are known for our music and food, our deeply rooted value towards family is the biggest common denominator between all the groups that shape what it means to be Latinx. 