Honoring Our Heritage: Strength, Resilience, and Standing Together

Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to celebrate our culture, honor our ancestors, and

reflect on the strength that has carried our communities through generations. Our

heritage is complex. It holds the beauty of our traditions, the challenges we face, and

the resilience that allows us to keep moving forward.

Right now, our communities are experiencing real pain. Immigration raids, profiling, and

violence affect many of us directly or through our loved ones. These injustices are not

okay. It is important to acknowledge this and honor the courage it takes to navigate fear,

uncertainty, and systemic barriers. Your experiences are valid. Your feelings are valid.

Your resilience is part of the collective strength of our community.

Throughout our history, our people have passed down not only trauma but also

resilience, wisdom, and tools for survival. The lessons we carry from our families and

ancestors, sometimes through hardship, sometimes through love and guidance, give us

strength today. Together, we are stronger. We carry their spirit into our work, our

communities, and our lives, creating opportunities and spaces for growth and healing.

We are here today pursuing careers, speaking a different language, building networks,

and making space for ourselves and for others because of those who came before us.

Our ancestors are watching, and their sacrifices remind us to stand up for one another,

lift each other up, and honor the paths they paved.

Every struggle we face now is connected to the legacy we carry. By supporting each

other, sharing resources, and creating opportunities, we honor that legacy. Our heritage

is not just history. It is a foundation of resilience, wisdom, and strength that guides us

forward.

This Hispanic Heritage Month, let us honor our roots, validate our experiences, and

commit to standing together. Let us move forward knowing that we are stronger

together, that we are seen, and that the work we do today creates a path of possibility

for all who will come after us.