Welcome to Hispanic Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the history, diversity, achievements and contributions of Latinos whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. This year’s recognition theme, Together, We Are More, pays tribute to community strength, shared values and the collective impact of Hispanic and Latino Americans.
September 15 marks Independence Day for five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico celebrates its independence on September 16 and Chile on September 18.
To be clear, the word Hispanic is generally a linguistic category, referring to people from the 21 Spanish-speaking countries and territories, including Spain. Latino is more of an ethnic and cultural category, describing people descended from Latin America, including Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba and Central and South America. Which term people use to describe themselves is a personal choice.
Although traditional celebrations span a rich mix of cultural activities, I’ve decided to personalize the celebration with snapshots of some Latinos who have directly or indirectly in some way enriched my life – and the lives of others – in immeasurable ways.
Let’s meet them now.
My friend Melody Brown is the best Human Resources professional on the planet. She possesses a God-given compassion for others and unique ability to work with all levels of management and across all cultures. Her talents were on full display during the past few years as she managed the human side of her organization as it migrated through turbulent times of change and uncertainty.
Edwin Martinez. and I shared the backcourt on basketball teams when we both worked at Bell Labs. As a bongo drummer and dancer and always the party animal, he was courageous enough to drive us through the rural countryside during our trip to the Caribbean Islands of Trinidad and Tobago several decades ago. Over the years, he has exuded a love for his native Puerto Rico.
While on a business trip to Germany years ago, Brazilian-born engineer Analise Sacks. invited me to have spaghetti dinner with her husband and baby boy. A year later after she moved to Texas to manage a large group of engineers she invited me to her office to explain how she’s been able to balance work and family – with priority on her family – through the demands of her job responsibilities. My respect for her increased ten-fold when I learned that she rejected a job opportunity for a promotion to a high-level position in China when, after a family visit, she was unwilling to expose her family to the pollution and poor air quality in that city in China.
Alex Casimiro grew up and cut his teeth on the basketball courts in Jersey City, New Jersey. After completing degrees at the University of Miami, he launched a successful career at a Fortune 500 company in Texas before a car accident took his life leaving his lovely wife Carmen and son Alex, Jr. without a father and wife. Arguably one of the most popular leaders in the company, Alex served as a role model and mentor to scores of employees. Despite a busy work schedule, he carved out time to volunteer in his community and coached a local soccer team. He and I spent lots of time sipping beer and talking about his love for his beloved Miami Hurricanes.
A highly regarded design engineer and leader in the Hispanic affinity group, Maria Rosario. found time to teach me on the nuances of Latina culture and connected me with influential leaders in the company and local community. Like others here, she was also very active in the local community and spent weekends teaching math and science to children in her neighborhood.
With Eddie Aguirre an IT specialist, and long-distance truck driver Isreal Rodriquez and their families, we travelled to watch our sons and grandsons play in soccer tournament Dallas, San Antonio, Austin and Memphis. What I learned from these “brothers from different mothers” are lessons you don’t learn in textbook, family unity, mutual respect and a love of friends.
During our trip last year to Argentina, I learned about how the late Eva Perón used her position as the first lady of Argentina to fight for women’s suffrage and improving the lives of the poor. Reading local material about her life and visiting her final resting place are experiences I’ll never forget.
As an admirer, I choose to celebrate Dr. Carlos E. Cortés, a retired history professor who has been a speaker, educator, trainer, and consultant for 45 years. His books include: The Children Are Watching: How the Media Teach about Diversity; his memoir, Rose Hill: An Intermarriage before Its Time; and a book of poetry, Fourth Quarter: Reflections of a Cranky Old Man, received honorable mention for the best book of poetry in the 2017 International Latino Book Awards.
I celebrate the lives of immigrants from south of the southern border who live their daily lives in fear of being unceremoniously snatched from the sanctity and safety of their homes, schools, jobs and deported by Immigration Control and Enforcement agents; the ones whose brown hands – and not those of a sitting president – that were the ones who worked with steel, brick and mortar to build high rises and a soon to be the “big beautiful” ballroom or all ballrooms.
In the end, what, how and who we celebrate is a choice we all must make. As it should be. But for yours truly, this year I choose to depart from tradition and celebrate Melody, Edwin, Analese, Alex, Maria, Eddie, Isreal, Carlos and the common bond of caring for others that connects them. And I also choose to recognize and celebrate the scores of largely unknown immigrants, inarguably the ones who are the sustainers of our economy, our unearned privilege and our way of life.
So please join me in recognizing and celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month!
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