As we commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month, let everyone who needs to be reminded that we are all Americans, that Latinos are here to stay, and we'll never go away. We've been an integral part of the American melting pot and added to the mixed salad our spicy Salsa. https://youtu.be/L07Vp2crq_o
Let's keep in mind that many great cities are Spanish and our history goes back to the beginning and we'll be here in the future.
San Francisco, Los Angeles, SanAntonio, and Galveston, Texas Bernardo de Gálvez https://study.com/academy/lesson/bernardo-de-g-lvez-biography-role-in-t… He was a Spanish Governor of Louisiana from 1777 to 1785 and played a key role in blocking British advances against the American armed forces during the Revolutionary War.
Cesar Chavez https://www.britannica.com/biography/Cesar-Chavez He was tireless with farmworker rights, including many fasts that damaged his health and probably shortened his life, has garnered bipartisan honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and induction into the California Hall of Fame by the Governor.
Hispanic astronauts Franklin Chang-Diaz and Ellen Ochoa flew 11 space shuttle missions between them. There have been many Latino athletes to mention here. Perhaps we at EEOC have a special affection for star NFL quarterback Jim Plunkett along with Anthony Quinn, Mexican-Americans with Anglo surnames. https://www.facebook.com/groups/HispanosUnidosDeAmerica/
And where would American popular music have been without Richie Valens Valenzuela https://youtu.be/Jp6j5HJ-Cok This is the song which I sang at every school event. Joan Baez https://youtu.be/1ST9TZBb9v8 Jerry Garcia https://youtu.be/mf1dNTexCL4
Master guitarist Carlos Santana https://youtu.be/6Whgn_iE5uc The best trumpet Arturo Sandoval, who sought asylum and was welcomed with open arms? https://youtu.be/KRBapxrFxu0 and do not forget Luis Fonsi and American citizens in Puerto Rico
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We are 58 million strong living the American Dream and working hard every day in every imaginable field of endeavor, enriching our nation from coast to coast.
As another who left communist Cuba, I became a Hispanic media pioneer serving as a link to the earliest days of TV news. When I joined Washington Post-owned WPLG following an unpaid internship I was thinner and much younger. I went on to serve as a reporter and producer from Florida to California and throughout Latin America. Later as a media executive, and most recently as a media consultant and educator, I continually raise issues of concern to improve services for underrepresented communities. I was the producer of Willy Chirino's first TV program LOVE VAN at TV 23 in Miami. In Cuba, the show may have given birth to Los VaVan https://youtu.be/WsM69uvdOaY I'm writing this just in case I don't return to my homeland, like Celia https://youtu.be/tsdPqw-ZJxw
Latinos have lived the #USA more than four hundred years. Whether criollo or mestizo Hispanics became the first American citizens after the Mexican–American War. And so, especially this year, Hispanic Heritage Month truly hits home. Our takeaway is to keep on honoring our heritage by fighting all we can for rights to live discrimination-free in the land of the free and the home of the brave.