Celebrating Latinx Heritage Month

I didn’t know about nor appreciate heritage months until my early 20s when I was starting my professional career. Throughout my primary and secondary education, actually even throughout my collegiate experience, I only recall celebrating Black History Month. If I’m being honest, I first heard of Hispanic Heritage Month when I was a second grade teacher preparing to teach my students about the importance of this time of year. 

As I reflect on this experience that took place almost 20 years ago, it got me thinking about my own learning journey and why celebrating heritage months are so important and special to me…

17 Years Ago: Teacher at Clyde C. Cox Elementary School (Fall 2005)

I was in my second year teaching and was the co-chair of the Multicultural Committee for my school. We were planning important cultural holidays for the school and I remember discovering the history of Hispanic Heritage Month. I was excited about this month because I knew my students, 97% of whom identify as Latino, would find joy and see themselves during the lessons and activities scheduled for this month. However, I struggled to find books written by Latinx authors that would resonate with my elementary scholars. There were so few and I was so disappointed. Fortunately, I found the book, “Esperanza Rising,” but since it was written for middle schoolers, I had to read it aloud to my second graders. I was in disbelief about the limited resources and books available during this time and since I was 1 of 2 Latina teachers at my school, I didn’t have much support. I was driven to do something to change this and recruiting many more Latinx educators seemed like a powerful solution. 

15 Years Ago: Diversity Recruiter at Hispanic Serving Institutes (Summer 2007)

I joined the national recruitment team at Teach For America as one of their diversity recruiters with the focus of significantly increasing the representation of Latinx teachers. My first priority was to research and recruit at Hispanic Serving Institutions also known as HSIs. Spending time at HSIs located in California, Texas, Florida and many states in between was just the tip of the iceberg. I was meeting with countless Latinx collegiate leaders from across the country and learning so much about their diverse Latin cultures. As I got to know them, I also began to learn about the impactful national organizations that supported them, like the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, HACU, UnidosUs, and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation. The more I learned, the deeper in love I fell with our culture and heritage. The more I learned, the greater my appreciation of the uniqueness and richness of respective cultures across our broad Latinx Diaspora. The more I learned, the more I felt myself drawn to further explore my own Colombian identity. Meeting so many collegiate and national Latinx leaders really had a profound impact on me.

12 Years Ago: Leading Latinx Initiatives and Partnerships (Spring 2010)

Pivoting from recruiting on college campuses to building partnerships with Latino-serving organizations introduced me to some of the most memorable experiences in my professional career. From attending endless events hosted by my partner organizations, speaking at national conferences about the importance of representation of Latinx educators in our classrooms to being invited to the White House to celebrate Hispanic Heritage month, I experienced firsthand the richness, diversity and power of our Latinx communities.

10 Years Ago: Curating Latino Leadership and Staff Summits (Summer 2012)

Engaging with fellow thought leaders across the country, participating in heritage month events and learning from our nation’s leading Latino-serving organizations, I was able to design and curate impactful summits and gatherings for Latinx college students and staff members who identify as Latinx. Designing these events required centering the Latinx experience, which I couldn’t have done without taking the time to strengthen my own understanding and appreciation of not just my culture but the many diverse Latinx cultures. 

Today: Principal Curator and Founder of Experiences On Demand 

So much of EOD’s origin story is found in this multi-year journey with heritage month celebrations, events, and experiences.

Reflecting on these experiences and the importance of creating intentional and safe spaces for communities of colors to celebrate, share stories, and to remember our histories, reminds me of the power in numbers, the power in diversity, and the power in community. 

This is why celebrating and acknowledging heritage months will always be an important part of how EOD lives out our commitment to equity. 

I hope hearing some of my personal reflections have inspired you to celebrate Latinx Heritage month with your family, friends, and colleagues. To get you started, here are a few tips and resources: 

With Family and Friends:

  • Research local Latinx Heritage Month events and support them by attending, making a contribution, or both.  These events matter, and they really take off when they are well attended and well supported.  If you’re not sure where to look, start your research by searching parades, fiestas, and museums.

  • Check out these virtual events for kids and families, curated by National Hispanic Heritage Month.

  • Choose books from this Goodreads Hispanic Heritage Month list to read in book clubs, with children, or on your own.

  • If you are in D.C., check out The Molina Family Latino Gallery.

With your team and colleagues:

  • Check out these Latinx Heritage Month virtual backgrounds created by EOD! Invite your staff to change their background to the country they identify with to celebrate the month.

  • Celebrate with food and music from different Latin American countries. If you are fully virtual, highlight beautiful photos and music to celebrate at the beginning of Zoom calls.

  • For education organizations, check out teacher resources here.

With your resources:

Trisha Griffith