October 15th was the last day of Hispanic Heritage Month, but not the last day we should celebrate Hispanic culture. As we enter 11 months that technically aren’t Hispanic Heritage Months, I want to share a speech I gave my entire student body at our Hispanic Heritage Month assembly this year and to students at my previous school last year. More than anything, I was excited to get in front of my students and openly say how valuable and important their backgrounds are.
“What I want to talk to everybody today is being proud of who you are. I’m not just talking about being proud of being Hispanic or Latino, but being proud of your specific culture and identity, whatever that maybe. In particular I am going to talk about some customs, sayings, food, and other experiences that I feel are unique to my own culture and background. Although I will particularly be talking about my own experiences as a Latino, I want you to think about your own backgrounds as I share my own.
First – “Sana, sana, colita de rana, si no te sana hoy, te sana mañana.” In English, it’s heal, heal, Little frog’s tail, if it doesn’t heal today, it will heal tomorrow. (sounds much better in Spanish, doesn’t it?) Now, how many of you have heard that throughout your life? How many of you still say it when you or someone around you gets hurt in some way? That’s an example of a saying or custom that’s unique to our culture and something that connects us to one another.
Next, how many of you have had Vicks vapor rub on you at some point when you’ve been sick? I know that I have had it on my throughout my life. If I had a cough, my mom would put it all over my chest, if I was sneezing, it would go on my nose, if I had a headache it would go on my forehead, if I had an earache it would go on my ears. Honestly, it wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized it happens in Latino households all over the country. That’s something it’s a quirk that we can be proud of and laugh about.
Next, pupusas, enchiladas, tacos, arepas. These foods and more are examples of some of the greatest meals I have had in my life. These foods also have the power to make us feel at home as soon as we start eating them. When I was in college, my friends and I would flock to any Latin cuisine we could find. This is something else that is unique to who we are.
Lastly, I want to share an experience that I had all throughout my life. My parents are both immigrants from El Salvador and I was raised speaking Spanish as my first language. All throughout school, I was responsible for translating everything: whether it was paperwork or parent teacher conferences. That is something that I felt a little weird about before and maybe a little embarrassed or ashamed about at the time. I don’t feel ashamed at all anymore though, and feel pride more than anything else. Regardless of all the challenges they encountered, my parents worked hard to help me get to this point. It’s because of them that I was able to push through and become the first person in my family to go to college. It’s because of them that I got into and graduated from Harvard University. It’s because of them that I began to see value in who I really was.
I know that many of you can resonate with different things that I’ve talked about today. And I am here to tell you that they are all things to be proud of. They make us unique. They bring value to us, our lives, and the people around us. This doesn’t apply just to Latinos, however, as everybody has unique cultural experiences that make them valuable. That’s what I want to leave you with today, is the knowledge that each one of you is priceless because of what you bring to the table. Each one of you brings something valuable to class every single day. Once you get to the point where you realize the value you have, that’s when you’ll start achieving success in everything you do. This will help you with overcoming obstacles in college and your career. We want you to be proud of who you are and the value you add to our community.”
