LIFE

National Hispanic Heritage Month, also referred to as Latinx Heritage Month, is celebrated annually from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. The goal of Latinx Heritage Month is to remember and honor the contributions of the Latinx community to the history and culture of the United States.

Image: https://www.instagram.com/theluzcollective/

The problem is that it can be difficult to find appropriate ways to bring attention to, support and celebrate a culture that isn't your own. That's why we asked Professor Marilisa Garcia Jimenez, an interdisciplinary scholar specializing in Latino/a literature and culture currently teaching at Lehigh University, to help us navigate the best ways to participate in Latinx Heritage Month and to support the Latinx community year-round. Here's what she had to say!

Girls' Life: What are some practical ways for Latina tweens to celebrate and embrace their heritage during this month?

Marilisa: I think it is important to make sure our young people know our history and stories should be emphasized for the entire year. However, I think it is important for Latina tweens, if possible, to dialogue with their families about their families and their own family histories. My parents told me so many stories about my own family that beat any fairy tale.

GL: How can girls who are not members of the Latinx community take part in celebrating and appreciating the Latinx culture and history?

Marilisa: This is so important also for dismantling ideas that culture is only about certain ethnicities and for understanding that we have so much to learn from our communities inside and outside our own circles. I think those outside the Latinx communities should attend and support lectures and events during this month and find ways to include those voices in more lectures and activities year-round on women's rights, political activism, health, education (any issue or topic) that comes up throughout the year. 

GL: Do you have any must-read Latinx book recommendations for middle school and high school girls?

Marilisa: Right now, I am still enjoying Elizabeth Acevedo's The Poet X and Clap When You Land. The Poet X in particular has a way of letting our young girls feel like they can also speak and celebrate their art through poetry and storytelling. I also think books like Nicholasa Mohr's Nilda are timeless for how it encourages young Latinas to see their growth as writers and artists. Also anything by Renee Watson including Piecing Me Together.  She is not a Latina author, but her work is so important for our young women of color and how they navigate their lives. 

GL: How can girls continue to support the Latinx community all year round in their schools and communities?

Marilisa: We have learned so much from how parents and students have partnered in the past to organize in their schools to add more Latinx studies curriculum in their local schools. We see in the stories of Los Angeles, Tucson, and New York City schools which have been sites of struggle with student walkouts and parents organizing to support bilingual education and the study of Latinx history in their schools. Similarly, I think inviting Latinx parents to tell their family stories in class, organize an author visit from a current Latinx author to your school, support the teaching and celebrating of Latinx history all year round, and in conversation with other communities of color. I have worked with a wonderful organization called Teaching for Change that provides resources for further learning.

GL: What are some common mistakes girls should avoid making when trying to embrace the Latinx community and culture?

Marilisa: I think we all make mistakes. But, it is important to apologize when we do and take ownership of what we did wrong. For example, there is a big difference between saying, "I am sorry that what I said offended you" versus "I am sorry that you were offended." One tells me you are thinking about why someone was offended versus just making it about someone being "too sensitive." I think also educating yourself and taking the time to do the work of thinking through what is problematic, and how appropriation happens because of exploitation and not emphasizing people as human and rich sources of knowledge. It is important to go beyond seeing people as just outfits, food, and music. Culture is so much more. Culture also shifts. Latinx people are also diverse within themselves—so we are Black Latinxs, we are Asian Latinx, we are Arab Latinx.

Looking for some inspirational Latinas to champion? Check out this list of five women to celebrate this Hispanic Heritage Month and be sure to read Dr. Jimenez's bio below to learn more about the cool things she is doing to encourage pride and progress within the Latinx community.

Image: https://twitter.com/MarilisaJimenez

Marilisa Jiménez García is an interdisciplinary scholar specializing in Latino/a literature and culture. She is an assistant professor of English and Latino Studies at Lehigh University. She is also the founding director and principal investigator of the Taskforce on the Institute of Critical Race and Ethnic Studies a research lab space co-led and co-founded by students and faculty of color at Lehigh. Jiménez García also chairs the institute’s Education Justice Initiative.  She has a Ph.D in English from the University of Florida and a M.A. in English and B.S. in Journalism from the University of Miami. She was born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

by Emma Rose Eggleston | 10/11/2020