Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Hispanic Heritage Year?



Hispanic Heritage Month covers the month between September 15 and October 15. It is meant to commemorate the many contributions of Latino and Hispanic peoples in both the United States of America and more generally in North America. 

I wonder if we really need the federal government to tell Southern California to celebrate Latin American culture. I feel like a lot of our lives our spent under the influence of this cultural vibrancy, whether in our architecture, our food or our history. 

While Hispanic as an ethnicity projects an image of minority-status, the growing prevalence of Latino peoples in Southern California and more broadly the Southwestern United States is unmistakably significant. It is all around us. So do we really need to celebrate something that is so common and accessible? 

If the goal is greater understanding, then maybe there is purpose in celebration. But that should be made clear. Celebrating for the sake of celebrating doesn't make much sense. 



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