They say ignorance is bliss. But I think that whoever they are should wake up and smell the roses of wisdom because quite frankly, this statement couldn’t be further from the truth. Blinded by our culture, we as a society fail to see what substances we lack compared to other societies and cultures. Did you know that Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month?
On behalf of Kohl Hall Council, (as I am the secretary) we wanted to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in a unique and authentic way. What’s a better way than to go to the source?
I conducted two interviews. One was with fourth year student Kohl Hall Council member, Camila Piñero, and the other was Diana Lee, M.D., who practices in Daytona Beach, Florida, for Bethune-Cookman University.
Piñero, English major with a minor in ethnic studies, is active in the Musical Students Organization and the Latino Student Union. She is bold and vibrant, lives unapologetically and dreams of being in theatre after college.
We sat on the second floor of the Student Union and discussed the basics and then dove into her culture. Piñero’s family originates from Puerto Rico’s capital, San Juan. She, however, is from the Cleveland area in Northeast Ohio.
Piñero, lets her personality do the talking. If you meet her, you will know that her heritage is a significant part of her. She is not afraid of educating others on her culture because there are many that still don’t know. Everything down to the very pronunciation of her name is a part of who she is.
She also knows she doesn’t have to explain herself to anyone. I don’t know about you, but there are many things I can learn from her in these assertions alone.
About a week later, I had the privilege of meeting Lee. Director of the Odessa Chambliss Center, Lee’s day consists of creating non-profit programs that promote health in the community. Her work is based off of the three main areas of health equity defined by the World Health Organization: social determinants of health, health disparities and social justice.
Social determinants of health means where one lives influences their health. Health disparities means people are born with health problems. Lastly, social justice means all other factors in life could influence one’s health. She trains student leaders to help direct the programs she implements, and she also has conducted a weight loss program.
Amidst her long list of important contributions to her community, Lee still finds time to celebrate her culture. Her office is decorated with Mexican style crosses — which are different in the fact that their design is the Catholic traditional way mixed with the pagan’s design — and Catrinas, which are the decorated skulls in honor of El Dia De Los Muertos (The Day of the Dead).
One of the most remarkable things that both Lee and Piñero said they wish they could see in American culture was the importance and concept of family. Both of their cultures incorporate family, whether it’s everyone going to la casa de abuelas por la cena (grandmother’s house for dinner, it’s mainly on sundays); taking care of family, as in Mexico there are almost no nursing homes; or learning Salsa and Merengue at young ages as in Puerto Rico (dance is a vital social staple in Puerto Rico; if you want status you learn how to dance). The simple fact is family matters. Family is something we lack as a culture. Whether it is through blood relation, adoption or friends, we have a family.
I conclude with this: do not mock and appropriate, but do learn and appreciate. We should celebrate our differences in a way that makes room for others. We should learn that there are many things we can learn from other cultures. Our way is not the only way but a way.
Stereotypes divide. Let’s end the division and find what we can learn from each other. Imagine a world where everyone was quicker to listen than to debate, everyone respected each others differences and treated each other as people. Perhaps it takes a conversation to get us in the right direction.
Thoughts?
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