Global Shapers Celebrate Latin Heritage Month to Honor the Diversity of Los Angeles
In 1968, Congress granted President Lyndon B. Johnson the authority to proclaim September 15 as National Hispanic Heritage Week. In 1989, its duration was extended to be a month-long event (Sept. 15- and lasting through Oct. 15) to commemorate the independence of five Latin American nations: Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Guatemala.
Los Angeles County is home to 4.9 million Hispanics (nearly half the total residents). It represents 9% of the nation’s Hispanic population. In light of this, celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month holds special significance for our community, and we at Global Shapers wanted to recognize it and be part of it.
LA’s Global Shapers community is made up of ~30 young Angelinos who inspire dialogue, change, and action and represent the diverse culture of our city. We recently welcomed our newest cohort of three inspiring members to our community: Carolina from Costa Rica, Macielle, whose heritage is French-Peruvian, and Carmine, with Italian roots.
In addition to working on projects that benefit the communities we live in, our hub has a structure for ensuring the wellbeing of its members. The Culture Committee led by yours truly (another Latina from Colombia), in particular, strives to build relationships, maintain a welcoming atmosphere, and highlight cultural elements that make us unique and strong as an organization. Interestingly, Macielle and Carolina joined our culture committee, and now it is overrun with Latinos — not a surprise, Latinx are known for making everyone feel welcome, and fostering a sense of connection and belonging. We figured our first item on the agenda was to host a party to celebrate diversity and what better time than Hispanic Heritage Month to do that.
We started our event celebration on the rooftop of Carolina’s house with a breathtaking view of the skyline of Los Angeles (picture above). We gathered in a circle, and Carolina led us through a reflection, asking us to share our perception of the Latino communities’ impact on LA and our lives. We filled the air with beautiful personal stories about Latinos’ contributions to Los Angeles and the culture of California and America. It was wonderful to hear stories about people’s personal experiences, such as Carmine’s Colombian friend who invited him to a trip to his country and described the warm welcome he received. Carmine’s +1 to the event (his “Polola” — Chilean slang for girlfriend, which we later learned during a game), Michelle, shared her story next: when Michelle first arrived in Los Angeles, she found a job in a Cuban bakery and she recalled the owner’s mission to create a family-like atmosphere for all the employees. Carolina and her husband who is a Russian American shared hilarious stories of how he met his Latino in-laws and the cross-cultural immersion they enjoyed together. Anna, Solomon’s wife, shared the story of how finding numerous varieties of Panettone (a Christmas cake) in a Latino store in the Christmas season made her feel connected with her grandpa miles away, reminiscent of the Christmas mood in Italy, which she missed during the pandemic. Our reflections culminated with a gorgeous sunset, and we returned indoors.
Our hosts then introduced us to the next event of the night, a Latino metaphor-to-phrase matching game, while enjoying traditional dishes and drinks from Spain, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Peru! Laughter erupted when hearing Spanish sayings such as “you are the milk” or “Eres la leche,” which means you are awesome, or “he/she is throwing you the dogs” (Te están tirando los perros), a metaphor that implies someone is flirting with you, apparently popular across Latin America. We treated ourselves to a buffet with tacos (obviously), paella, Mexican popsicles, and we had a margarita contest!
Thus, the event concluded with laughter and the sweet taste of Tres Leches and Chiricaya (a Costa Rican dessert). Our celebration of Hispanic Heritage proved to be more than just remembering the past. It was a tangible demonstration of our hub commitment to represent the diversity of our city.
