by the El Reportero editorial board
There is something beautiful about being Hispanic in the United States.
We live surrounded by people whose families came from Mexico, Central America, South America, the Caribbean and Spain. Our countries are different, our accents are different and our customs can sometimes seem worlds apart. Yet when we meet, there is an unmistakable connection. We share a language, centuries of history and cultural traditions that have traveled from one generation to another.
For many of us, even religion became more than religious practice. The traditions inherited from our parents and grandparents became part of the culture itself. Some practice their faith deeply; others do not. Yet its influence remains visible in family celebrations, holidays, music, art and customs that have accompanied Hispanic families for generations.
Hispanic Heritage Month, observed from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, arrives at an especially meaningful time. Several Latin American nations commemorate their independence during this period. Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua celebrate independence on Sept. 15, Mexico on Sept. 16 and Chile on Sept. 18.
Those dates remind us of the complicated history that connects much of Hispanic America with Spain. Vast territories of the Americas were governed for centuries under the Spanish Crown through viceroyalties and other jurisdictions. From that history emerged societies shaped by Indigenous peoples, Europeans, Africans and generations of mixture and migration.
The result is not one uniform Hispanic culture. It is an extraordinary collection of cultures united by important historical and linguistic bonds.
Just listen to our music.
Travel from Mexico to Cuba, from Nicaragua to Colombia, from Puerto Rico to Argentina or Peru, and the rhythms change. So does the food. So do expressions, traditions and even the Spanish language itself. With enough exposure, we begin recognizing where someone might be from simply by hearing an accent — Argentine, Mexican, Colombian, Venezuelan, Central American or Caribbean.
And yet we understand one another.
That diversity is particularly visible here in the Bay Area. In San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento and communities throughout Northern California, schools, governments, businesses and community organizations are recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month. Recently, passing San Francisco City Hall during one such gathering, I saw government officials and Hispanic community and political leaders celebrating together. I was in a hurry and could not stop.
But even walking past, I felt part of it.
Perhaps that is one of the greatest gifts of living in the United States. We do not have to stop being who we are in order to become Americans.
We can be Hispanic and American.
Many of us arrived as immigrants. Others were born here to immigrant parents or belong to families whose roots in what is now the United States extend back generations. We have worked, established businesses, raised families, paid taxes, created newspapers, music and art, served our communities and contributed to the growth of this country.
At the same time, America has given generations of Hispanics opportunities to build new lives and help families both here and in the countries they left behind.
That exchange has enriched both sides.
The United States has always been transformed by the people who arrive on its shores and borders. Hispanic Americans are now an inseparable part of that continuing story.
So during Hispanic Heritage Month, let us celebrate without forgetting either part of our identity. Let us enjoy our music, our food, our language, our different accents and the histories of the countries from which we came.
We can honor our Hispanic heritage while proudly embracing the country we now call home.
That is the beauty of America.
And that is something worth celebrating.
Happy Hispanic Heritage Month to all.
