We have just celebrated a whole month of activities related to the Hispanic heritage from September 15 to October 15. Throughout the United States, businesses hold entertaining chats, presentations, and fun as well as educational events for their employees and the general public. This is the moment that the country’s attention is directed to the positive roles and achievements of Latin Americans.
Apart from this month, the media and the general public seem to be set in the opposite direction. Whether border protection or undocumented immigrants, we rarely hear or read a story dealing with our successes.
During this month, we are bombarded with Hollywood stars “who arrived to the top” of the big screen or on television over the years, but we have not contributed to the arts alone. Miami, Florida has become the banking capital of the Latin American continent thanks to the increase of the Spanish-speaking population there.
All this success is not by chance or luck. The truth is that during the past 50 years, we have achieved an advance never seen before and, in our opinion, it is because this country has opened the doors for us to the opportunities for that progress.
Our colleges and universities continue to graduate Spanish-speaking students every year, who then move up to the head of large corporations and occupy high-level places in commerce and industry while serving as examples for our young people.
Let’s keep that image of success in mind while dealing with negativity. Our contributions should not be marked only one month in the whole year.
