Today marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month in the USA! From September 15 to October 15, this month is dedicated to celebrating the diverse and vibrant cultures of Latin America and Spain (learn more in this blog post I co-wrote with my sister). In Canada, we observe it throughout the month of October, but I, personally, celebrate it each and every day.
To me, being Latina/Latinx is my superpower. It is in my DNA and something I take with me in everything that I do. I am a proud first-generation Canadian, with my parents having immigrated to Canada from Guatemala in the late 80s. Being Latina and being Chapina (Guatemalan) means having grown up every day with the sounds and culture of back home infused in everything: from the food I ate to the music played day after day. But lately, I’ve been reflecting on the fear of losing that connection to my culture.
The thought came to me as I was cooking dinner the other day in silence. It really hit me out of nowhere – how will I keep the culture, music, food and language going in my day-to-day, especially now that I am at a point where I no longer live with my family and am building my own space and routine. The fear of losing that connection to a huge part of what I believe makes me who I am, including how I show up at Girls Forward, was really a fear of losing authenticity. I realized that if I don’t intentionally bring my culture into my daily life, it becomes easier for it to slip away.
So, I’ve started holding myself accountable for creating a space that reflects who I am and where I come from. For me, that looks like cooking the foods I grew up with, playing the music that filled my parents’ kitchen, speaking Spanish more often, watching telenovelas (and lots of Disney – Coco is my favourite!), buying apparel that celebrates my culture and identity, and decorating my space with reminders of Guatemala. These are small acts, but they’re ways of reminding myself every day that my culture doesn’t live only in my childhood memories – it lives in the present too.
At Girls Forward, we talk a lot about creating spaces where girls feel seen, celebrated, and empowered to be their authentic and whole selves. This month, I’m reminded that I can’t ask others to do that unless I also commit to doing it for myself. Whether it’s through the traditions I keep alive at home, the stories I share at work, or the way I show up in community, I want to model what it means to hold onto authenticity and to make room for others to do the same.
Hispanic Heritage Month is more than a celebration; it’s an invitation. An invitation to honour our roots, to celebrate our stories, and to create spaces where being yourself is enough. So, I invite you to pause and reflect: what are the traditions, sounds, or rituals that make you feel most connected to who you are? And how can you bring more of that into your everyday life? For me, it’s a promise to keep my space authentic to my upbringing and culture. For you, it may look different, but the heart of it is the same: staying true to yourself.
