Post by title1parent on Sept 13, 2009 8:08:16 GMT -5
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/opinions/1767609,2_4_AU13_EMILY_S1-090913.article
Focus of Hispanic month should be 'stay in school'
September 13, 2009
Happy Hispanic Heritage Month. No, that doesn't sound quite right. But telling someone to have a safe and enjoyable Hispanic Heritage Month doesn't really work, either.
The fact is, Hispanic Heritage Month is one of those observances that a few openly celebrate, many intentionally ignore and the rest of us quietly acknowledge in passing. As major events on the calendar go, it's definitely not one of the biggies.
For those who don't know, National Hispanic Heritage Month recognizes the contributions of Hispanic Americans to this country, as well as celebrates Hispanic heritage and culture.
It's been around for quite a while. Lyndon Johnson initiated Hispanic Heritage Week way back in 1968, while Ronald Reagan expanded it in 1988 to encompass a full month. The observance now covers the period from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. Why does it begin in the middle of a month? Sept. 15 was designated as the starting point to acknowledge the anniversary of independence for eight Latin American countries.
I searched around for local events that celebrate -- or at least acknowledge -- Hispanic Heritage Month and turned up two. The annual Fiesta de Luces (Party of Lights) will be held on Saturday, sponsored by the Aurora Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board. It will feature a Spanish-oriented rock band, as well as other Hispanic-related activities and foods.
On the same evening, nearby Fermilab will host Mosaico Hispanico, a Latin music and dance touring company. The nice touch about the Fermilab event is that it will highlight the widely varying styles of Spanish, Mexican, and Puerto Rican music and dance. Too often, non-Hispanics tend to view Hispanic culture as being monolithic, which is very far from the truth.
I'm sure both of these events will be enjoyable for everyone, and perhaps even a little educational for non-Hispanics. But Hispanic Heritage Month needs to be much broader than mere entertainment and food. It should be about the Hispanic presence in our national culture, both past and future.
Each year, a theme is designated for Hispanic Heritage Month. This year's is "Embracing the Fierce Urgency of Now." While I'm sure that means different things to different people, to me, it targets the educational shortcomings of Hispanics in this country. Over the past several decades, there has been a great deal of progress toward improving the educational success rates for Hispanics. However, the raw statistics remain very depressing.
High school dropout rates for Hispanics are still well over twice the national average. Similarly, the number of Hispanics starting a college education is half the national average, while the percentage successfully completing their degree is even lower. If there's one thing Hispanic Heritage Month ought to be focusing on, it's improving the educational success rates of young Hispanics.
If Hispanic Heritage Month is really to be something useful, its efforts should be targeted at getting successful Hispanics into schools to deliver the message about staying the educational course all the way through college.
Last year, I gave a talk at Cowherd Middle School, on the East Side, during Hispanic Heritage Month. Personally, I had a great time; I hope the kids did, too. But I'm a pretty small fish. We need more Hispanics, and ones with more impressive resumes, to get the message out to Hispanic children at risk: Stay in school; do it right. Doing that would give Hispanic Heritage Month the importance it deserves.
emily@saltijeral-demar.org
Focus of Hispanic month should be 'stay in school'
September 13, 2009
Happy Hispanic Heritage Month. No, that doesn't sound quite right. But telling someone to have a safe and enjoyable Hispanic Heritage Month doesn't really work, either.
The fact is, Hispanic Heritage Month is one of those observances that a few openly celebrate, many intentionally ignore and the rest of us quietly acknowledge in passing. As major events on the calendar go, it's definitely not one of the biggies.
For those who don't know, National Hispanic Heritage Month recognizes the contributions of Hispanic Americans to this country, as well as celebrates Hispanic heritage and culture.
It's been around for quite a while. Lyndon Johnson initiated Hispanic Heritage Week way back in 1968, while Ronald Reagan expanded it in 1988 to encompass a full month. The observance now covers the period from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. Why does it begin in the middle of a month? Sept. 15 was designated as the starting point to acknowledge the anniversary of independence for eight Latin American countries.
I searched around for local events that celebrate -- or at least acknowledge -- Hispanic Heritage Month and turned up two. The annual Fiesta de Luces (Party of Lights) will be held on Saturday, sponsored by the Aurora Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board. It will feature a Spanish-oriented rock band, as well as other Hispanic-related activities and foods.
On the same evening, nearby Fermilab will host Mosaico Hispanico, a Latin music and dance touring company. The nice touch about the Fermilab event is that it will highlight the widely varying styles of Spanish, Mexican, and Puerto Rican music and dance. Too often, non-Hispanics tend to view Hispanic culture as being monolithic, which is very far from the truth.
I'm sure both of these events will be enjoyable for everyone, and perhaps even a little educational for non-Hispanics. But Hispanic Heritage Month needs to be much broader than mere entertainment and food. It should be about the Hispanic presence in our national culture, both past and future.
Each year, a theme is designated for Hispanic Heritage Month. This year's is "Embracing the Fierce Urgency of Now." While I'm sure that means different things to different people, to me, it targets the educational shortcomings of Hispanics in this country. Over the past several decades, there has been a great deal of progress toward improving the educational success rates for Hispanics. However, the raw statistics remain very depressing.
High school dropout rates for Hispanics are still well over twice the national average. Similarly, the number of Hispanics starting a college education is half the national average, while the percentage successfully completing their degree is even lower. If there's one thing Hispanic Heritage Month ought to be focusing on, it's improving the educational success rates of young Hispanics.
If Hispanic Heritage Month is really to be something useful, its efforts should be targeted at getting successful Hispanics into schools to deliver the message about staying the educational course all the way through college.
Last year, I gave a talk at Cowherd Middle School, on the East Side, during Hispanic Heritage Month. Personally, I had a great time; I hope the kids did, too. But I'm a pretty small fish. We need more Hispanics, and ones with more impressive resumes, to get the message out to Hispanic children at risk: Stay in school; do it right. Doing that would give Hispanic Heritage Month the importance it deserves.
emily@saltijeral-demar.org