The HIS in Hispanic: Recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month
I was certainly Hispanic in a past life— The way I’m drawn to the culture and language; how some of my favorite places to travel to are in Central and South America; the mood and movement Latin music provokes in me— there is simply no other explanation. To prove it, my mother named me after a Spanish princess she had seen on TV. Felicia is Latin or Spanish for happiness. So it only makes sense that I fell in love with a half Black and half Honduran man to create perfectly exquisite HISblasian babies. When Hispanic Heritage Month came around this year, it was the perfect reason to tap into my Mamacita side.
Before I go on, I should be clear. My husband, Ricky’s, dad is from Honduras, and although, his father is fluent in Spanish, frequently travels back and forth from his home in Honduras, my husband has been to visit once as a teenager and his Spanish just as good as mine (advanced beginner/intermediate level). When he reunites with his family, he wakes up to rice, beans and sweet plantains for breakfast, his Dad translates his wife’s Spanish for us and reminisces about the Tequila he and his brother had too much of while they were in Honduras. But on most days, he is American, very much like me relative to my Asian roots. We are first-generation immigrants and Americans. Our kids are second-generation immigrants and are/will be even “more American” for lack of a better description. How much or little we pass onto them is directly related to our efforts because culture and traditions will fade away into nonexistence if we are not intentional about keeping them around. Ricky and I have agreed since becoming parents that we will keep the best from our childhood, modify some to make it work for us and make some of our own as a family.
When the daycare newsletter came out for September and October, it was filled with Pajama day, spirit week, Teachers’ birthdays, pizza Fridays and National Pumpkin Day. Nowhere was there any mention about Hispanic Heritage. If you read my “Our Mixed Month” blog post then you can guess that this was extremely disappointing to me… again. I reiterate that these are the times that we need to emphasize diversity and push representation. And quite frankly, the Spanish built into their curriculum, is not enough. I will go on to say that because the area and the majority of the students are not Hispanic, it makes learning about the heritage even more relevant and important. Not less.
“Here we go.” Ricky jokingly comments when I read him the email I sent to daycare over this matter, and he sees the Amazon order list sent to his inbox.
“What?” I laugh like I don’t know what he’s talking about but I actually do.
Here we go. Felicia is pointing out an oversight by the school that turns out to be more important than, let’s say, National Pumpkin day, explaining how significant it is to recognize it from the infant room to the pre-kindergarten class, and spelling out all of the potential activities and ways to make learning about Hispanic Heritage fun. I will say, with the limitations on travel, I think I stress these activities more than I usually would. Before Covid, Skylar’s passport was stamped about 6 times before she was 9 months old. She didn’t need to rely on daycare for exposure. Then Covid hit and Maverick and Naomi haven’t even been to 6 states combined. So when there is an opportunity to open their senses up to something different and meaningful during their routine every day life than it must be done.
There is Hispanic Heritage surrounding us every day. I don’t need to be in education to find creative and fun ways to help children recognize it. With that said, daycare was genuinely open to suggestions on how to celebrate and I appreciate them for that. Two prime days later, I show up with a box full of materials and books to donate to the school alongside other ideas. It’s my gentle way of showing that I won’t take ‘no’ as an answer and that I am a firm believer in ‘actions speak louder than words.” I’m going to need you to show me that you understand where I’m coming from and not just agreeing with me because I pay 2, and soon 3, kids’ tuition at your place of business. And it went a little something like this…
Movies of the Month: 1.) Vivo by Netflix. 2.) Coco by Disney 3.) Rio 1 & 2 by Disney
Activities of the Month: 1.) Salsa and Bachata lessons for toddlers on YouTube 2.) Arts & crafts Maracas project with plastic eggs, spoons, tape, macaroni and markers.
Music of the Month: 1.) Shakira 2.) In the Heights Musical Soundtrack by Lin Manuel Miranda
Books of the Month: 1.) Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed a Neighborhood written by Isabel Compoy, illustrated by Rafael Lopez 2.) Pepe and the Parade by Tracey Kyles 3.) Off We Go to Mexico: An Adventure in the Sun by Laurie Krebs
Trailblazers of the Month: 1.) Frida Kahlo- Artist 2.) Ellen Ochoa- Astronaut 3.) Lin Manuel Miranda- Playwright 4.) Sonia Sotomayor- Supreme Court Justice
Word of the Month: FAMILIA
Daycare got all of these books plus 3 others we owned and everything they needed for DIY maracas. I went through some of my favorite jewelry that I had collected from places like Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Colombia, thinking about the highlights from each trip and decorated Naomi with the bracelets. Looking at the stones, I felt excitement for the next time we will all travel and taste, smell, hear, feel a different culture. Then we covered all of the above at home throughout the month and rocked matching Familia t-shirts/onesies. Arts and crafts has always been my favorite activity with the kids. Not only because it’s colorful and limitless but because in a society that is constantly pressuring you to be someone else, art feels like something that encourages you to be more of yourself. Even 4-month Naomi sat in her infant chair attempting to hold a maraca as Maverick and Skylar painted theirs’. Then we all shook maracas and danced to reggaeton blasting in the living room as Naomi’s wide eyes stared at the crazy familia she inherited. I can only hope that they had some fun and it peaked a bit interest in them because even if they don’t realize it now, it is them. Creating positive energy around every ethnicity that makes up their hair and skin is how I try to invoke pride, build confidence, define self-love and uplift them. The truth is I learned a lot by taking Hispanic Heritage month seriously, and by incorporating culture that they don’t get unless we get together with their grandfather and/or great grandmother on occasion or hop on a plane to Latin America, it made me feel like I’m not letting it slip away so easily. Putting time and effort into exploring Hispanic heritage from home made me appreciate our diversity and how beautiful it is. Like everything else, if you put love into it, you only get love back. So I look for every opportunity I can to celebrate this world and show Skylar, Maverick and Naomi how it relates to them. At the end, I was so inspired by watching them get involved that we went on to apply for Maverick’s and Naomi’s passports so we could start planning our trip to Belize in Spring 2022. Open your mind, share your heart and be enthusiastic. You will never regret it!
Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!
