(upbeat music)
(speaking in foreign language)
- I am proud to be Latino
and happy to be celebrating Latinx Heritage Month
at Long Beach City College.
- I am Mexican American and I'm proud.
- I am Chicana and I am proud.
I'm Mexican American and I'm proud.
- My family and I are proud to be Mexican American.
- Latinx Heritage Month is a time when as Americans
we recognize the positive impacts and influence
of the Latinx community to the history, culture
and achievements of United States.
For me personally,
it's not only a time to celebrate our history
and achievements, but is also about bringing awareness
to our community and highlight the people
and struggles that oftentimes don't get highlighted.
I celebrate Latinx Heritage Month
through service to my community
and reconnecting to the arts.
Each year I make it a priority
to attend a celebration a play
or an art exhibit that highlight the incredibly rich
diversity and perspectives of the Latinx culture.
I also find a service activity that uplifts
and celebrates the Latinx community.
Whether that's getting involved in a campaign
for a local candidate
who's going to prioritize Latinx issues
or volunteering to help high school students
with their college applications and personal statements.
I make it a point to pay tribute to my ancestors
and culture through service to others.
My Latin next role model is Dolores Huerta.
Dolores Huerta is an icon
and the Chicano civil rights and labor movements.
She is the co-founder of the United farm workers.
Along with Cesar Chavez.
She has led a life of activism
that fights for the advancement of the working poor,
women and children.
At 90 years old, she's still fighting for us.
She inspires me to lead a life of care
and activism for others.
And I bring those teachings with me
into my role as vice president of student services.
- Hello, this is Dolores Huerta.
I like to celebrate Latino Heritage Month
by just telling everyone
about all the contributions
that Latinos have made
to help build the United States of America.
And also asking them to Google
the map of the United States before 1848.
And guess what, a third of the United States was Mexico.
So this is a good way to celebrate, to educate
and inform and let people know how great we Hispanics are
because we are really a different nation.
Thank you.
(speaking in foreign language)
- I was born in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
That's a small little tiny city
in a small little tiny country in central America.
I came to the United States when I was seven years old
and I spoke zero english.
There are several things that my family
and I do to celebrate our Honduran background.
But, the thing that we tend to do the most,
is by enjoying delicious Honduran food.
Our favorite Honduran dish to eat is Baleadas.
Baleadas are these yummy warm homemade flour tortillas.
Inside you'll find re fried beans
queso and mantequilla
which is cheese and a delicious buttery sauce.
You can eat them plain like that
or you can embellish them with eggs or meat.
(upbeat music)
Thank you all
and I hope you're all enjoying this Latinx month celebration
that we have virtually, stay safe
and we will be together again very soon.
- It's very important for LBCC
to celebrate Latinx Heritage Month.
Long Beach City College is proud
to be a Hispanic serving institution.
A designation given to colleges
with a large population of Latinx students.
More than half of our students identify as Latinx.
But that's not the only reason why
we celebrate Latinx Heritage Month.
Long Beach City College believes that our rich diversity
within our campus community is our strength.
We want to provide a thriving, equitable
and inclusive campus community for all.
Do take time to celebrate Latinx Heritage at LBCC
is our chance to help empower our students
and to encourage them to take pride
and who they are and where they come from.
And for those of us who are not Latinx,
it's an opportunity to learn and understand.
We can appreciate another person's background
and also find the similarities that connects us all.
And that really is one of the reasons
why we are here as an institution of higher learning,
educating our community
and providing a supportive learning environment
for our students.
- I am from Costa Rica and I identify as Latino.
(speaking foreign language)
- I am Mexicana and proud.
- My name is James Habib Martinez,
and I am proud to be Latino.
- I'm Latina and proud.
- Hi, my name is Charlie Yu
and I'm a student here at Long Beach City College.
My role model will be Gina Rodriguez.
She's an actress with Puerto Rican parents,
but she was born and raised in Chicago.
I admire her because throughout her acting career,
she has not cared about the fame or the money.
She has only accepted the roles
of celebrating her culture background.
She's proud up being a Latina
no matter where she was born or raised.
In my experience, many people have commented my Chinese
and Latin background.
I was born and raised in Ecuador.
The Chinese parents that immigrated there
in the early 80s.
People have stated that because both of my parents
are Chinese, I shouldn't consider myself a Latino
but I strongly disagree.
I believe that since i was born and raised in Ecuador
I consider Ecuador as my hometown.
Almost my entire childhood and life
has been around Latino people.
I identify them as my people, in equal to them.
I connect with them really easy
and hearing Spanish out loud,
knowing that we can share the same language
makes me feel like I'm at home.
I always tell myself that no matter how you look like,
what color or ethnicity you are,
if you identified yourself as a Latino,
it's understandable and okay to feel proud
because it's your choice and no one can change
where you were born or identify yourself as.
- Growing up in a predominantly Latino community
I never really thought much about my culture.
Sure I know that there were small differences between us
(speaking foreign language)
and my Mexican friends.
But we were basically the same.
And besides the fact that we spoke Spanish,
we were just like all Americans.
It wasn't until college that I realized
that my experiences weren't the same as everyone's.
As a geology major, I was one of two Latinos
in the entire department.
It wasn't uncommon that we got called by each other's name
by some faculty.
I also experienced the occasional look of disbelief
when I didn't get the apparently obvious reference
to a Monty Python skit or the ultimate coolness of the dude
and the big Lebowski.
It's then that I realized that the culture I grew up in
was not the typical American experience.
I began taking Latin American studies
and literature classes in college.
It's there that I learned about brilliant Mexican writers
like Juan Rulfo and Carlos Fuentes
who resonated with me more than Hemingway Steinbeck
ever did.
I encountered the works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez
and Miguel Angel Asturias
and really began to understand
not only the plight of Latinos in this world,
but also the beauty and how we come together
to support each other like no other one else can.
It's like it's ingrained in our DNA
that no matter how bad things get
we will push through and find a way to make it better.
Latino Heritage Month is it time to celebrate our resilience
and our love of life.
It's a time to think about all that we have contributed
to this country and this world.
It's a time to honor those, like my parents
that risked it all and come here
to give their children a better life.
The dreamers that worked so hard to succeed
even when immense roadblocks are thrown in their way.
And the migrant workers that suffering the fields
to feed a country that hardly ever showed its gratitude.
It's a time to be proud of being Latin American.
- I celebrated Latin Heritage Month
by learning about my culture history
and celebrating fight and spirit of my people.
Panama was invaded by Spanish conquistador,
Rodrigo de Bastidas in the year 1501.
300 years later, declared independence from Spain
and joined the Republic of Grand Columbia, in 1831.
However, the years between 1815 and 1900
with most recent Panama.
During this time there were 40 different administrations
50 riots, five attempted successions and 13 interventions
by the United States.
Panama was finally able to complete independence
on November 3rd, 1903.
And in 1999, we elected our first female president,
Mireya Elisa Moscosco.
Today, to globalization and migration
Panama is a global country with folks from all over.
Ranging from indigenous folks of the Kona
to West Indian folks who came over
to help build the Panama canal.
So today I celebrate the rich history and culture
of my people from Panama (speaking foreign language)
- Hi, my name is Linda Olmos.
I am a staff member at Long Beach City College.
I would like to share with you why I believe it is important
for me to celebrate Latinx Heritage Month.
But first I have to emphasize, that who I am
cannot be captured in 30 days.
I exist, my community exists year round.
What Latinx Heritage Month does provide is a platform.
A platform to highlight the richness of my culture,
my identity and to step into spaces that typically
may not be welcoming.
We define and can we define
what this month means to us as individuals.
Remember, there is no one way to be Latinx
Hispanic, Chicana, Peruana, Afro Latina.
There is no right or wrong way to celebrate who you are.
I am (speaking foreign language)
I am first gen, I speak Spanglish
I love my culture and I honor my roots.
(speaking foreign language)
I use my positionality, my privilege this moment
(speaking foreign language)
- And I am proud.
(speaking foreign language)
- And proud.
- I am Latina.
- I am Latino and proud.
- I'm Mexican American and I'm proud.
- I am Latina or Latinx
and this is my son, say hi.
- Hi. - Okay, now say bye.
- With 56% of our students at LBCC identifying as Latinx
it is important that our students see their culture
and history represented here at Long Beach City College.
It's not only important for Latinx students
but for all students from all backgrounds
to learn about the positive impact
and influence of Latinx Americans.
We are all stronger together.
(speaking foreign language) go Vikings.
(upbeat music)