Tag Archives: Hispanic Heritage Month 2021

by Agueda Pacheco Flores

Silvia Giannattasio-Lugo remembers when the young girls would come into the office she works at to participate in leadership programs. She loved to see how they genuinely connected with each other. She especially loved open-mic nights, when young girls came together to celebrate with each other.

“I didn’t get to see a lot of that growing up,” she says. “It was lonely for me growing up not always having a community there to celebrate with me.”

Today, Giannattasio-Lugo is the director of development and communication at Young Women Empowered (Y-WE), a nonprofit based in Beacon Hill. Y-WE connects young women with leadership and skills programs, such as their community garden or summer camps. She’s a pillar in the organization’s fundraising operations, where she helps sustain relationships between sponsors and Y-WE.

“It’s hard for anyone to understand policy or big words and everything that’s being thrown at you, so I liked communications because it bridged that, it made things accessible,” she says in an interview with the Emerald.

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Voices

OPINION: Education, Mentorship Key Part of Getting Latinx Youth Excited About STEM

October 15, 2021 Editor

by Rafa Díaz

My story is one that isn’t often heard in the tech world. I grew up in Huayacocotla, a small Indigenous town in the mountains in Mexico. When I was 5, my mother — who was an elementary school teacher — moved me and my three sisters to La Guerrero, one of the most underprivileged neighborhoods in Mexico City. Resources were scarce, and kids were easy targets for violence and many other social problems.

Thankfully, education was a force that shielded me from violence and, eventually, allowed me to flourish. Growing up, I was always interested in math, and my passion led me to multiple gold medals in Mathematical Olympiads in school.

Despite the barriers facing me, I was able to overcome challenges like racism, lack of knowledge about the opportunities available to me, and my own imposter syndrome. But I didn’t overcome these challenges alone. There are many factors that led me to where I am today — a software engineer at Google working on products like Google Meet — including mentors, access to a good education, and my love of math and problem-solving. I’m here today thanks to mi comunidad.

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Arts & Culture

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at the Seattle Latino Film Festival

October 13, 2021 Editor

by Kathya Alexander

The Seattle Latino Film Festival (SLFF) opened for in-person viewing on Friday, Oct. 8, and continues through Sunday, Oct. 17.

The festivities began last Friday at the Seattle Asian Art Museum with an opening night gala and after party reception. Dennis Mencia, a Honduran American actor known for playing Mateo Villanueva on CW’s Jane the Virgin, was MC for the event. The gala showcased the Uruguayan comedy, The Broken Glass Theory, one of the festival’s 106 in-person and online films supporting the magic of filmmaking as part of Hispanic culture globally.

The in-person showcase continued at The Beacon Cinema in Columbia City on Saturday with an American film called Coast, directed by Jessica Hester and Derek Schweickart. Also shown was the Venezuelan film, Opposite Direction, and an LGBTQ film called Liz In September. The director, Fina Torres, known for Fox Searchlight’s Woman on Top with Penélope Cruz, was present for the Q&A after the screening.

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Community

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month and Uplifting Latino Businesses

October 12, 2021 Editor

by Caroline Guzman

Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 marks Hispanic Heritage Month in the U.S. To celebrate, the Emerald spoke to Latino community members in Seattle about highlighting Latino businesses, what it means to be Latino in the U.S., and a little about their own journeys. Some of the words they used to describe Latino people were “hardworking,” “passionate,” and “go-getters.”

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Community

Intentionalist: Celebrating Latino-Owned Eateries

September 18, 2021 Editor

by Jax Kiel

Intentionalist is built on one simple idea: where we spend our money matters. We make it easy to find, learn about, and support small businesses and the diverse people behind them through everyday decisions about where we eat, drink, and shop. #SpendLikeItMatters

Latino Heritage Month is underway, and we are celebrating the best way we know how: by visiting small businesses owned by members of the diverse Latino and Hispanic communities throughout Seattle.

Wondering why Latino Heritage Month begins in the middle of the month? Sept. 15 marks the anniversary of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Additionally, Mexican Independence Day is Sept. 16 and Independence Day in Chile is Sept. 18.

Check out these three eateries — Cuban, Mexican, and Salvadoran — to start off your Latino Heritage Month celebration and be sure to visit Intentionalist’s Latinx Heritage Month landing page to check out a variety of fun promotions that include prizes from Seattle Sounders FC and Seattle Seahawks.

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Community

South Park’s Multicultural Latino Market Celebrates Mexican Independence Day Saturday

September 17, 2021 Editor

by Mark Van Streefkerk

The South Park Multicultural Latino Market, a recurring weekend pop-up hosted by the South Park Merchants Association (SPMA), will host a special celebration of Mexican Independence Day and Hispanic American Heritage Month on Saturday, Sept. 18, at the South Park Plaza. Fiestas Patrias will feature DJs spinning salsa, cumbia, merengue, banda, and quebradita sonidero music, and vendors will sell authentic Mexican and Latino foods like tacos, empanadas, elotes, specialty non-alcoholic drinks, as well as clothing, jewelry, and collectibles. The celebration starts at 1 p.m. and goes until 5 p.m. or later. RSVP and find out more at the Fiesta Patrias Facebook event page.

Mexican Independence Day took place on Sept. 16, but other Central and South American countries celebrate their independence days around the same time, kicking off Hispanic American Heritage Month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. Fiestas Patrias is an inclusive Independence Day celebration for South Park’s diverse Latino community and everyone is welcome.

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