What do you love about being Latina?
Querida Amiga,
I love us!
I spent the past week with my family enjoying time sheltered together while logged off from work. We ate, watched movies, played games, ate some more... you know how we do.
Since we could not hang out with other people this year, there was a lot of talking on the phone. At one point my mom was in the living room chatting away on her phone, my dad was in the kitchen laughing and catching up, and I was in my room checking in on friends and chatting with Thriving Chingonas interested in The Chingona’s Sabbatical (if you haven’t heard yet, check out the P.S. below).
As I was driving home at the end of the weekend, I was reflecting on how much I love us. Our Latinx culture, our values, and our ways of being. I’m not saying we are perfect and there are not values and mindsets within Latinidad that need to be interrogated. I can hold a need for change while also appreciating the beauty and what I want to hold onto.
During my drive home, I was running through the past week and what I love about us. So here is what I love about being Latina, inspired by this past week:
I love speaking Spanish and English. Though I primarily speak in English, there are times when I get caught up in a conversation and the Spanish starts flowing without me even thinking about it. Back in the day when we were out and about more, it’s also how my mom and I pop into chisme conversations among mixed company (I know you know what I am talking about). I must add that as a former bilingual teacher, I am aware that being bilingual also improves my cognitive skills.
We ride hard for our family and friends. Whether it is sharing resources, cheering each other on, or rolling in a pack to show support, our bonds are deep and we know that we thrive in community. I have a large extended family of blood relatives, and I also have a large extended community of Tías and Ninos who are connected to us as though we were blood relatives.
We have a rich history of culture and traditions that we revive each year and pass on to future generations. We see power in honoring the practices of our ancestors and want future generations to connect to what has held us together and bonded us. From the foods we eat to the songs we sing to playing lotería after dinner, there are pieces of our history that we stay connected to and share to stay bonded.
There is a deep love for our homelands. For a variety of reasons our ancestors were drawn to leave their birth countries. However, the connection to a larger community that transcends borders is forever engrained in the souls of those who came first. My dad periodically sends me short videos and articles about parts of Venezuela I did not have a chance to see, and at this point, likely never will. He came to the USA following a dream and yet still dreams of a life he wants to return to in his birth country. He feels an immediate connection to every Venezolanx he meets and also can easily bond with any immigrant who has a similar journey of leaving and feeling torn to return to a place that is no longer the country he once knew.
You know I was not going to write this list and not mention food. I can make a list for days of the Mexican, Venezuelan, and Americanized “fusion” foods we enjoy and crave. Our food holds reminders of those who lovingly introduced them to use and helps us to reconnect with memories. When I eat mole I always think of my Grandma Flora. She knew it was my favorite dish and made it for me every year on my birthday. No matter what time of year I eat it now, it is a moment to be with her and remember her love.
This past week had many moments of full joy. Laughing, dancing, reminiscing while looking at old photos, listening to music...we are a people who have been resisting social injustices for generations. Though we carry traumas from those experiences, we also carry numerous outlets to find joy regardless of our circumstances.
I am grateful for an abundance of ancestors who are role models for resourcefulness. We spent some time looking at old black and white photos of our family. My mom was reminding us of names and stories of the past. As I look at photos of my great grandparents, I see their resiliency and their hustle to ensure their children would have new possibilities for the future. I wonder what resourcefulness looks like now from my generation to the next. Where are the places I can now lean into creativity to dig into the struggles that I grapple with?
Quiero saber de ti. What do you love about being Latina? What do you hope to pass to the next generation about Latinidad?
Un Abrazo,
Michelle
P.S. The next group coaching program for the Thriving Chingonas community will be kicking off on January 6, 2021!
The Chingona’s Sabbatical: 10 weeks to reconnect with your purpose is a 10-week journey with dedicated time and space for us to reconnect with our passions, gain clarity of purpose, and move forward in our lives with intention guided by values. The beautiful part is that this will all happen in a community of Latinas on a similar journey.
Are you interested in kicking off 2021 together with a sabbatical? Shoot me an email and let’s talk!
