Latino Heritage Month is September 15 through October 15 and NPR Extra is celebrating the diversity in Latino communities. Members of “Mi Gente,” NPR’s Latin Employee Resource Group, shared what home means to them. Whether that be the country you claim or the way your grandmother's hug feels— we all have a different meaning and this blog post shares the sacred journey that their families took to create home where they are.
Nina Fill, Project Coordinator, Training:
Which countries do you call home?
The US and Paraguay
How would you describe your journey or your family’s journey to the U.S.?
My Mimi (grandmother) emigrated from Paraguay to the US in 1949 at 18 years old to attend college. She intended to go back to Paraguay when she graduated but she had met and married my grandpa by then so she stayed in the US and had 5 children, 4 grandchildren, and (so far) 2 great-grandchildren.
What does home (feel like) mean to you?
Home is comfort, familiarity, celebration, and love.
What do you wish people knew about your culture or heritage?
That Paraguay exists! We have a beautiful culture and history, largely told through song in Spanish or Guarani featuring the Paraguayan Harp.
Mandalit Del Barco, Arts & Culture Correspondent
Which countries do you call home?
U.S. ( since I was 1 1/2 years old ) and birth country Peru... Since My dad was Peruvian and Mom Mexican-American, my brother and I used to say we are "PeMex" (better than the oil company).
How would you describe your journey or your family’s journey to the U.S.?
A beautiful international love story between an adventurous Mexican-American Fulbright scholar from Kansas (mom) and a movie-star handsome, dashing journalist and actor in Peru (dad). They met at the University of Huamanga, in the Peruvian highlands, when mom traveled to Ayacucho to collect folklore of the region. They fell in love, married, had me, then migrated to Kansas in time for my brother to be born. We stayed in the U.S. and continue to celebrate our Peruvian-Mexican-American heritage.
What does home (feel like) mean to you?
Home is international, a wonderful blend of cultures and races. As a single mom of an Afro-Latina daughter, living in Los Angeles, we celebrate our lives as Californians, Latinas, Black women, Peruanas, Chicanas. Home is also The Bay Area, where I grew up, and New York City, where I lived many years, and also Los Angeles, where I've lived for decades and where my daughter was born. Our ancestral homes are Pratt Kansas, Las Vegas, New Mexico, Chihuahua Mexico, and Lima and Ayacucho in Peru.
What do you wish people knew about your culture or heritage?
Being Latina doesn't just mean one thing. We are multicultural, multilingual, multi-everything. We code switch; we speak English, we speak Spanish, we may speak an Indigenous language, or languages from around the world too. Our families include many races, heights, accents, lifestyles. Many of us are highly educated and have great senses of humor. We do not appreciate the stereotypes, or make fun of them to amuse ourselves.
Isabel Lara, Chief Communications Officer
Which countries do you call home? What does home (feel like) mean to you?
I am not sure where home is anymore; so many of my friends and relatives are spread around the world. The country I grew up in has changed so much that even when I could visit it no longer felt like “home.”
Certain tastes and smells feel like home, just yesterday I was walking near a farmers’ market while talking loudly in Spanish on the phone and a man with a strong Venezuelan accent said “quieres limón con panela?” (do you want cane sugar lemonade?) and as soon as I tasted it, I felt home. I visited India last year, seeing the trinitarias (bougainvillea) in the bright sunshine made me feel home. Hearing people speak Spanish with a Venezuelan accent feels like home. The smell of aji dulce (a certain type of sweet chili pepper) while cooking, makes me feel home.
How would you describe your journey or your family’s journey to the U.S.?
I was born in Boston while my Venezuelan parents were graduate students. Growing up in Caracas, I knew I had dual citizenship but never really thought about it except at the airport when we traveled and I used my American passport to come into the U.S. My family has very deep roots in Venezuela — some ancestors fought in the Independence war alongside Bolivar.
When I moved to New York in 2001 to go to graduate school, I expected to spend three or four years there and then go back to Caracas where my “real life” was. But as the political situation in Venezuela grew grimmer and more violent after the recall referendum of 2004, I realized that I would probably spend the rest of my life in the U.S. Can’t believe that was TWENTY years ago. That was also when I knew that I needed to petition for my mother — who is a university professor, a writer, and a political activist — to come, not right away, but just as a Plan B in case things over there got even more violent, so she could come here and be safe. That eventually happened about ten years ago. I am very happy that I was able to give her the option to a peaceful and safe life here. She had always said she wanted to retire on the beach in Naiguata on Venezuela’s Caribbean coast. Well Miami Beach is the next best thing, and the vegetation is exactly the same. I am grateful for that and for the opportunities I have had here.
I know how incredibly lucky I am that my process was seamless, I never had to worry about a green card or a work visa. It was a stroke of luck and a privilege to be born with two nationalities and I feel deeply responsible about exercising my right to vote. I vote in every election that I can and I get upset with those who don’t, because there are places where you just can’t anymore.
What do you wish people knew about your culture or heritage?
I wish people knew what a welcoming country Venezuela was for immigrants during the period it was a democracy. From the late 1950s until the late 1980s, it was a country where people from all over the world came seeking opportunities and freedom. We welcomed so many writers, thinkers and activists from Europe and other Latin American countries who came running away from war and dictatorships. It was a rich country, where people were generous and open.
Estefania Mitre, Visuals Producer
Which countries do you call home?
I say 'lived' in the U.S. since summer of 2017, since I lived in a border city and continued to commute to México on a regular basis. If you'd have asked me in 2018 when I was being traumatized from surviving college in another language I'd have immediately said México. Now, after years here México feels like the beautiful memory, recuerdo, and the U.S. is something I've learned to love for the experiences I've gained here.
How would you describe your journey or your family’s journey to the U.S.?
Tumultuous and ongoing, as I continue to navigate life in the U.S. I began my career here in the U.S., and have spent my professional years here. That's something I can't relate with anyone in my family – my mom, my brother and my dad spent most of their lives in México, and careers. It is ongoing because I learn something new daily, which can be overwhelming. I find joy knowing that my dream of México, my recuerdo, still lives on in my family who remains there. When I feel overwhelmed by not understanding things in the U.S. or from U.S. culture I just like to facetime my mom to hear from some family chisme (gossip) or read through my family's Whatsapp group, it makes me feel less lonely.
What does home (feel like) mean to you?
Home is anywhere where I can still be myself, manifest and express my traditions, like sharing stories, music, and food – and where these are respected. Or anywhere where I could have good café con pan or a tamal.
What do you wish people knew about your culture or heritage
As a Mexican Folklorico dancer, that we are not only mariachis and partiers. We are known for party and energy because we love to honor and celebrate every cycle in our life and be present. Magical realism, where the line between the ordinary and the extraordinary blurs, is central to our traditions and that's thanks to all the existing Indigenous communities.
There is so much beauty in the Indigenous communities from México, like here what Fani Rosas shared about her community in Oaxaca. How they have continued to exist and created new/mixed traditions after colonization. For such a long time the beauty, tradition and authenticity from Indigenous and Afro-Indigenous communities in southern Méx have been ignored. The music, the dance, fashion, art and blend of all of them through rituals, festivals is magical realism. Like this composition, the lyrics combine magical elements and nature. And while we can admire all of this, it’s crucial that people appreciate our culture with respect, without appropriating or displacing local communities when visiting México.
Valentina Rodríguez Sánchez Audio Engineer
Which countries do you call home?
Colombia /USA
How would you describe your journey or your family’s journey to the U.S.?
We moved to the states in 2000 when my dad was offered a job in the US. It was a huge change but also such a great opportunity that my parents felt we couldn't pass up. Colombia had been coming out of a rough time and they felt it would be better and safer to raise a child in the United States. It was equal parts emotional and exciting. (I was three)
What does home (feel like) mean to you?
Home is where you can be entirely yourself and feel comfortable and safe. More so than the location, its the people in each location that truly make a place feel like home.
What do you wish people knew about your culture or heritage?
Colombia has so much culture to share with the world. It is the world's most Biodiverse country, with multiple different Climate Regions. The people! It's such a rich mixture of cultures and each region is as unique and special as the last. The music, the food, the art, the Native communities, the jungle, the Amazon, I could go on and on.
Finally- Colombia suffered so much during the height of the drug cartels. Colombia and its people are so much more than the dark mark Pablo Escobar painted on our history. Our nation and its people deserve more than to be the punch line of a joke.
Yanius Alvarado Matos, Music Publicist
Which countries do you call home?
Puerto Rico, I think of it as the mainland, nesting ground, and ultimately home.
How would you describe your journey or your family’s journey to the U.S.?
I have many family members scattered across the US. Some have lived here their whole lives, born and raised, others moved recently like me. My journey started in 2017 when I moved to the states to pursue a higher degree of education. I’ve moved twice to different states and my journey has been one of hard work, perseverance and understanding that I will never be a part of this country and that it’s ok.
What does home (feel like) mean to you?
Home is far away from my physical location. I do love when my family and friends come visit me because they bring “home” with them whether that’s via food, language or even simply their presence.
What do you wish people knew about your culture or heritage
To me culture and heritage have different meanings. Heritage is the groundwork others have made for you and culture is being made every day. That said about my heritage, I wish people knew that even after years of colonization and hardship my country’s heritage has prevailed alongside others (Latin and Hispanic) from around the world and that it is not a monolith. Heritage can be inherited! About culture, I wish people would learn to embrace it and most of all respect it.
Tio Felix Contreras, Alt. Latino Co Host
What countries do you call home?
The U.S.
I am a second-generation Mexican American (I self-identify as Chicano).
Mexico is a place of cultural heritage for me but the U.S. is where I call Home.
How would you describe your family's journey to the U.S.?
My mom’s side of the family is from New Mexico and basically the border moved on them in 1848 when Mexico 'ceded' the northernmost part of their country to the U.S. after another U.S. act of imperialism and genocidal violence.
My dad's mother and father came separately from Guanajuato, Mexico around 1910, to escape the violence of the Mexican Revolution.
My dad and all 8 of his siblings were born on this side of the border, but they were raised in a very Mexican tradition and environment.
What does home feel like (mean) to you?
As I approach my 66th birthday in September, home has meant many things to me over the years. Before I had my two sons, home meant wherever my mom and dad were (Sacramento, California). After my kids were born, wherever we are all together (Silver Spring, MD). Now that my boys are out on their own, and now every time I go back to visit California, it feels like my favorite pair of jeans. It feels like it's calling me back.
What do you wish people knew about your culture or heritage?
I wish more people were aware of the history of Mexicans in the southwest. Especially people out here in the east. It feels like most folks have a vague idea that the southwest used to be Mexico but are not clear on the history.
I especially wish more people knew about the history of how Mexicans and Mexican Americans also struggled for civil rights while that struggle was taking place for African Americans. We have our own leaders who fought the system against racism, economic servitude and genocidal violence (those f****** Texas Rangers as one example).
I sincerely wish more people would believe in the bottom line: your struggle has been my struggle. Your victories have been my victories.
Sergio Martínez-Beltrán, Immigration Correspondent
Which countries do you call home?
Puerto Rico
How would you describe your journey or your family’s journey to the U.S.?
This is a complicated question because Puerto Rico is part of the U.S. But it's such a different place —culturally and geographically — than the continental U.S. So, my journey to the continental U.S. has been challenging but worth it. I moved to Michigan when I was 18 to go to college, and I had to find ways to create a community in order to survive. I have done it, and I have lived in a few states since, but nothing compares to Puerto Rico.
What does home (feel like) mean to you?
Puerto Rico means everything to me. It's where my family still lives. It's the place where I grew up and where I learned to love the truth, history, and journalism. I think of my relationship with Puerto Rico a bit like my relationship with my mom: they are part of my heart, my biggest loves, and although I don't see them often, there's no place I go where I don't think of how proud I am of being part of them.
What do you wish people knew about your culture or heritage?
Of course, Latinos are not a monolith, but we do share many similarities that make us great. I think of how being part of the Caribbean — or caribeño — shaped my life and that of my friends and loved ones. We love nature, we fight back, we are proud, we are resilient, and no matter what, we try to carry on with our days with a big smile on our faces.
A Martinez, Morning Edition & Up First Co Host
Which countries do you call home?
The U.S. is the country I call home but I can't help but feel a connection to Ecuador, which is where my mom, aunts, uncles and grandparents are from and where I still have some family.
How would you describe your journey or your family’s journey to the U.S.?
I came to the U.S. tucked away in my mother's belly. She came here after things did not work out between her and my birth father. Once in a while I wonder how my life might have turned out if it had and I was born and raised in Ecuador.
What does home (feel like) mean to you?
Bolón feels like home...green plantains fried up into chips then mashed up into a ball mixed with chicharrón and egg. It's what I grew up eating for breakfast and it's what my family grew up eating in Ecuador so it's a cross-continent connection.
What do you wish people knew about your culture or heritage?
I wish people knew that even though their flags are similar, Ecuador is not Colombia.
Regina Barber, Short Wave Co Host
Which countries do you call home?
My father's family is from Mexico but for the last 5 generations, Southern California is home. He and both of his parents were born in East LA but their parents have history from various parts of Mexico, Chihuahua and Guanajuato specifically. My mother is from Taiwan which I see as another home.
How would you describe your journey or your family’s journey to the U.S.?
My great grandparents crossed the border at San Ysidro and El Paso in 1918-1920 for work. It was easier to cross then because California had just become a state in 1850. My mother flew over in the 70s.
What does home (feel like) mean to you?
Growing up I really felt like Southern California was my home. Me, my dad, my grandparents and one of my great grandparents all were born and lived there. I started visiting my mother's birthplace, Taipei, in my adulthood and that really shook up my view of who I was and where home is.
What do you wish people knew about your culture or heritage?
I really hate the view that Mexican and Chinese women don't have power in their cultures. I think that's viewed from a colonial lens. We are strong and the matriarchal leadership is very much a part of why families look out for each other and get together regularly. I also think these cultures are pretty similar when it comes to a lot of things including being very direct. (edited)
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