Reflections on this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month Assembly in October.
Hispanic Heritage Month is from September 15th to October 15th, and those dates celebrate independence from Spain anniversaries for a majority of Latin American countries. The Fieldston community celebrates annually with a captivating Latinx and Hispanic Heritage Assembly. After a year and a half of the community being apart, the assembly was a kick-start back into semi-normal Fieldston campus life. The beautiful traditional music and enchanting dance of the Jarabe performed by Mr. Botella and Señora Rodas-Ramírez were beautiful representations of Hispanic culture, and a warm welcome back to campus.
The band Cuarteto Guataca brought the auditorium to life by playing “Plástico” and “Échate pa cá.” Both songs were windows into the vibrations of Hispanic music, which is a crucial aspect of Hispanic culture. “Échate pa cá” honored each country in Latin America by shouting their names. One’s country is one’s pride in Latin culture, and the assembly paid homage to just that.
“There is so much to be proud of,” said Mr. Botella. “I try to bring who I am into the classroom. I try to create rapport with students by presenting myself as who I am, and that means talking about my experiences in life, which include all the wonderful and amazing experiences I have had as a Mexican in this world,” Botella said.
A video of Melania Luisa Marte, reciting her powerful poem “Afro-Latina,” sent chills throughout the audience. The video was played to honor ALL types of Hispanics, and spark an important conversation about what a Latinx “should” look like. She spoke on the neglect that Afro-Latinx face from the Latinx and Black communities; they are swept aside so often that Merriam-Webster Dictionary does not even recognize the term “Afro-Latino.” While calling out misconceptions about Hispanics, the assembly also paid tribute to students’ identities by inviting them to walk on stage and proudly hold up the flags of their countries.
Maribel Mendoza (VI) said, “Even when our community, like almost every identifier, may have differing beliefs, many of us are paving a path towards inclusivity, reclamation of power and taking control of our own identities.”
When asked about planning the assemblies, Señora Rodas-Ramírez said, “We start thinking what kind of assembly do we want. Do we just want to celebrate or do we want to announce something?” Whatever conclusion they come to, she said they try to balance portraying Latinx as victims and as fighters.
Despite the importance of these difficult conversations, Señora Rodas-Ramírez said that the assembly planners chose to focus their attention on creating an assembly full of life in light of the hardships the community has faced with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The performance of the Jarabe, a traditional Mexican dance, perfectly conveyed the bright, colorful and electric Latinx culture. The dance is such an important part of Mexican heritage, and as a Mexican myself, the performance filled me with such pride for my country.
The significance of the dance evolved for Mr. Botella throughout his life. His “everyday life once had nothing to do with el Jarabe,” he said. “Time passed and I saw myself living in another country. All of a sudden, the things that I took for granted, like tacos al pastor and suadero, were gone. I began looking toward México with the lense of nostalgia and heartache. Traditional and popular music resonated within me in different and unexpected ways,” he said.
Despite Señora Rodas-Ramírez being from Guatemala, she has a deep connection with Mexico itself: “My history with el Jarabe really goes back to my love of Mexican culture.” She remembered how most of her family vacations were spent in Mexico, so she “inherited that love.” The dances are mesmerizing, and as a child, she was “in awe of the steps, these beautiful dresses, so I was always dreaming about learning those dances.”
Hispanic Heritage month only amplifies the celebration of Hispanic culture that happens year-round.
Mr. Botella feels similarly. He does not celebrate this month in particular: “I don’t do anything special because I feel that with my cooking, music I hear and all the umbilical cords that keep me connected with México throughout the year, I don’t need to stop a month to celebrate what I already celebrate constantly.”
Outside of the celebratory month, however, Mendoza added that she feels “most of the representation for my identity comes from either language classes or multicultural electives.”
La Causa planned a beautiful, moving and honorable assembly. ¡Que viva América Latina!
