mavillanueva@STCLOUDSTATE.EDU
Now That Fiesta Month Is Over,
Can We Talk About Heritage?
By Miguel Perez
(October 16, 2014)
It's
an awkward month, covering the second half of September and the first half of
October. But it's not as awkward as the way we celebrate it. We call it
Hispanic Heritage Month, but it has little to do with heritage.
"Hispanic Fiesta Month" would be a better name.
To many Latinos, this is mostly a time to party like there is no mañana.
From Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, you hear little talk about the role Latinos have played in making this nation great; you see little recognition of nearly 500 years of Hispanic presence in North America.
Instead, we go to concerts, parades, cocktail parties, banquets,
street festivals and a variety of other fiestas where we wave flags and tell
each other we are very proud of being Latinos.
And there is nothing wrong with that, as long as we know
what we are celebrating.
Unfortunately, because our American education has
deprived us access to our own heritage, because American history so often fails
to recognize the accomplishments of our Latino American ancestors, because our
role models were hidden, many of us don't have a clue of what the fiestas are
really about.
We were never told why so many U.S. cities, states,
rivers and other landmarks have Spanish names, or that Spanish was spoken and
taught in North America long before a word of English was uttered here. We
learned more about Lewis and Clark than about Ponce de Leon, De Soto, Cabeza de
Vaca, De Onate, Coronado and hundreds of other Spanish explorers who trekked
across the North American wilderness a couple of centuries earlier.
We were led to believe that Ponce de Leon discovered only
the current state of Florida, when in fact he discovered North America. We were
told that the Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving in Plymouth Rock in
1621, instead of Spanish conquistadors in St. Augustine, Fla. in 1565; that
"America's Birthplace" was Jamestown, Va. instead of St. Augustine,
Fla., and that this country was explored, settled and colonized from East to
West, instead of South to North.
Perhaps that's why, at our Hispanic Heritage Month events, sometimes we have too many good times and not enough substance, and why our rich Hispanic American history remains hidden, even during the month when we are expected to promote it.
Hispanic Heritage Month was designated by Congress in 1988 to replace the Hispanic Heritage Week, which had been observed starting on Sept. 15 since 1968. The month - from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 - has its awkward calendar designation because it was designed to coincide with the September independence days of several Latin American countries and the Oct. 12 anniversary of the discovery of America. It was designed that way because it was supposed to be about history, and because historical events were expected at this time every year.
So now that all the fiestas are over, can we take a
minute to dig out the roots of our heritage? Can we take some time to recognize
that Latinos have been here since before this country was a nation, and that
our Hispanic ancestors played a major role in shaping the course of North
American history?
Since Hispanic American history has been left out of the
textbooks and the classrooms in this country, isn't Hispanic Heritage Month the
right time fill the gaps in the history books and to talk about our
contributions throughout American history? If not now, when?
Of course, this is the time to celebrate the beauty of
our Spanish and Latin American music, language and culture, a month for wearing
ethnic costumes, waving flags, marching in parades and attending cocktail
parties. That's all great. But it should be much more than that.
This is the time when Latinos should be arming ourselves
with historical ammunition, to defend ourselves from those who would attack us
with stereotypes and misconceptions. This is the time when we should be
teaching our fellow Americans a little Hispanic American history.
Yet, sometimes we Latinos can be our own worst enemies.
Instead of promoting lectures and other educational programs to share our
history and culture with other Americans, to dispel those myth and stereotypes
that are often used against us and to instill historical pride among young
Latinos, event organizers often settle for feel-good fiestas and worthless
proclamations from politicians.
Unlike Black History Month in February, which is devoted
to seminars, exhibits and lectures to recognize the achievements and
contributions of African-American historical figures who also have been
unfairly left out of the history books, there are very few opportunities to
discuss Hispanics in U.S. history during Hispanic Heritage Month.
Occasionally, you see some community activists and
educators making an effort to put the heritage back into Hispanic Heritage
Month by sponsoring events with less salsa and more substance. In fact, some
progress has been made in schools offering multicultural education programs.
But generally, teaching of the role of Hispanics in history is very limited.
That's because American history has always been written
as if this country began when the British arrived, as if the prior century of
Spanish exploration and settlement in North America was irrelevant, as if we
could pretend it never happened.
Before the British settled in Jamestown in 1607, the
Spanish had explored territory that now covers more than a dozen states. They
had established the first settlement - St. Augustine - in 1565. They had
discovered the Mississippi River, the Grand Canyon and many other North
American landmarks.
Since Ponce de Leon discovered North America in 1513 almost 500 years ago, Hispanics have been making huge contributions to what is now the United States of America.
Their achievements have been mostly ignored by American
historians, but they should not be forsaken by Latinos on Hispanic Heritage
Month.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________Post Script: With this column, I'm announcing the creation of a new web site designed to keep the real spirit of Hispanic Heritage Month alive the rest of the year. HiddenHispanicHeritage.com (http://www.hiddenhispanicheritage.com) features my ongoing series - this one is No. 27! - on America's Hidden Hispanic Heritage. You may have read some of these columns when they were distributed by the Creators Syndicate and published in web sites and newspapers, but you didn't see them as you will now, alongside the many photographs I've taken during my travels to many historic landmarks.
My pilgrimage in search for our hidden Hispanic heritage
has turned into "a bucket list of places, ideas and historical evidence to
help reconnect Americans with their Hispanic roots."
And this is a web book in progress. I'm just getting started!
My bucket list is much longer and there are many more
places for me to visit, photograph and write about. Stay tuned!
Miguel Perez, a veteran journalist, is a professor in the
Department of Journalism, Communications and Theatre at Lehman College of the
City University of New York. He is also
a columnist for Creators Syndicate and a political analyst for Telemundo 47 New
York. He can be reached at
To find out more about Miguel Perez and read features by
other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate
Web page at
Margaret A. Villanueva, Ph.D.
ProfessorDept of Ethnic & Women's Studies
St. Cloud State University, 51B, Office 201
720 Fourth Ave South
St. Cloud, MN 56301
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