Hispanic Heritage Month is the time to reclaim our culture

Kailey Krantz | Staff Writer 

To anyone who grew up as the “no sabo” kid, you don’t have to miss out on Hispanic Heritage Month. No matter what others might say, you deserve to embrace this identity.

Hispanic Heritage Month gives us the chance to recognize and celebrate the contributions Hispanic/Latin Americans have made in the United States. It’s a celebration of what makes the Hispanic community special and it makes us proud of who we are. 

Miami is filled with different Hispanic communities that make the city what it is today. Growing up, I didn’t learn a lot of Spanish, despite the fact my parents were born in the Dominican Republic and Cuba. 

In a community where everyone knew Spanish like the back of their hand, it made me feel left out. I couldn’t connect with that part of my cultural identity because I didn’t understand the language.

All I had were the Dominican dishes my mom made my siblings and I and the Spanish songs they played at every party I’ve been to but didn’t understand the cultural significance of it all. 

There was even a time when I hated sitting in Spanish classes in grade school because it reminded me of the shame of not knowing something that came so easily to everyone else.

It felt like my experiences as a Latina woman were invalidated, that I wasn’t Latina enough because I didn’t understand the language and I didn’t share the experiences my parents, nor the rest of my community had when talking about their old lives before coming to the United States. 

I’ve been called a ‘gringa’ by a classmate after trying to speak a sentence and while that insult brushes off me easily, that’s not the only insult in their exclusionary arsenal. 

The “no sabo kid” term is an even bigger smack in the face as the insult treats us with this experience like idiots who can’t understand the difference between sabo and sé. 

It’s discouraging for Hispanic students because it excludes us from something that we’re a part of. Our culture isn’t a monolith and treating it like that isn’t going to help those who have fallen through the cracks. 

We deserve to claim our culture because it’s a part of who we are. Our experiences still tell a story of what it’s like to be Hispanic in the United States. 

As more second and third-generation students go to college, we have to acknowledge the diaspora within the Hispanic community and give them the inclusive spaces they deserve.

Despite all of the unnecessary gatekeeping, there are ways to reclaim and connect with it. 

I’m currently learning Spanish through the app Duolingo and started working towards the Professional Certificate in Spanish Language. Not only that, but I have also listened to more Latin songs from various genres like Salsa, Bachata, Merengue and more. 

Other ways include watching movies you’ve seen before in Spanish and watching TV shows that have good Hispanic representation through their casting and production crew. 

Doing these things helped me to feel more connected to my Hispanic side and I have a greater appreciation for these countries’ history, culture, food, art, music and social conventions.

Hispanic Heritage Month should be a time to celebrate our shared history and culture – whether or not we speak Spanish. We shouldn’t be crying about the FOMO we feel when we’re excluded, instead, we should feel invigorated to engulf ourselves into our culture.

DISCLAIMER:

The opinions presented on this page do not represent the views of the PantherNOW Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.