The “Hispanic” Heritage holiday started off as a week of performative allyship in 1968, continues today as “Hispanic” Heritage Month, beginning on September 15 to mark the anniversary of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, and the respective independence dates of Mexico and Chile on September 16 and 18. But this national ‘celebration’ often ignores the complexity of the Black and Indigenous Latinx experience, the ongoing impacts of U.S. influence that Central American countries and Mexico still endure, and the real-life demands for policies that reflect the needs of the people.
When we look at the Latinx experience today, we know that the breadth of our culture is not reflected in politics and media. The Biden Administration has yet to make good on their promises to deliver progressive change to Latinx communities in the workforce, immigration, and the economy. In the meantime, we will keep holding the Administration accountable until they do. We will keep supporting the efforts of grassroots Latinx organizers, daily fighting against voter suppression, xenophobic attacks, and the right to live freely.
The Bottom Line
Instead of celebrating made up holidays that don’t serve us, we choose to organize with and protect our gente.
Today, and everyday, we celebrate the resilience, organizing, and leadership of our people and invite you to join us in listening to their stories as shared on our La Cura Podcast series. Below you will find a few offerings that to deepen your understanding on the nuances of where we’ve come from, perspectives from the current moment we’re in, and the hopes for future of our gente. To view the whole La Cura Podcast series: click here.
Podcasts to Listen to
Reflections and traditional wisdom shared by Latinx activists, healers, and historians, with an emphasis on practical remedies for physical and spiritual preservation.
Conversation with director of Mijente, Marisa Franco, on the political and spiritual impact of colonization, how pride plays out from a non-Black Latinx perspective, and where to begin in building pro-Blackness.
Discussion on how to honor complicated ancestry and elevate ourselves in the process, through the lens of the teachings of the ancient West African spiritual tradition of Ifá and its connection to Latin America.
Iluminación sobre cómo la sanación somática y emocional combinado con una perspectiva antirracista y social puede crear espacios de contención y acompañamiento. [episode en español]
The fight for el Buenvivir of all people — for racial, economic, gender, and climate justice — continues. And our commitment to grassroots efforts and transformative change through organizing, healing, and relationships remains in the center.
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