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Hispanic Heritage Month: Keeping Culture Alive

Hispanic Heritage Month: Keeping Culture Alive

We live in a country that thrives on diversity. Where a mixture of backgrounds supports our development as a nation, whether our ancestors have been here for generations or if we are the first generation of Americans, we integrate our roots into our daily lives and share our culture with those around us so that we may learn from others and others may learn from us. [caption id="attachment_7069" align="alignleft" width="199"]Pianist Pablo Ziegler visited our Villa Victoria this past April 2016. Pianist Pablo Ziegler visited our Villa Victoria on April 20, 2016.[/caption] National Hispanic Heritage Month serves as a reminder of the histories and cultures of Latin-American backgrounds. Starting on September 15th and lasting for a full 30 days until October 15th, this month puts a spotlight on how our Latin ancestors have impacted the America we live in today - where more than 55 million Americans are of Hispanic or Latino origin. Our organization thinks it is important that as Latinos we stand up to break the stereotypes and educate others about our strong, diverse, and culturally rich community. This month is more than ‘LatinoPianist Pablo Ziegler visited our Villa Victoria on April 20, 2016.playlists,’ parades, and parties, it’s about culture and at IBA we honor it all year long. We put Latino culture at the forefront through programs such as our bilingual preschool and our arts program. Our arts program highlights the diversity of Latino and Hispanic art forms including an array of musical genres and visual art styles. Just this fall season we have musical artists with origins in a variety of Latin American countries, including Puerto Rico, Mexico, Uruguay, Perú, Panamá, and Argentina; each artist bringing a different sound to our Villa Victoria neighborhood. These talented musicians areArtist Sebastian Leal smiles during the opening of his exhibit, Faroleando, at Villa Victoria Center for the Arts.fusing genres from their roots with contemporary music of today and redefining hispanic-latino culture in the United States. [caption id="attachment_7070" align="alignright" width="300"]Artist Sebastian Leal smiles during the opening of his exhibit, Faroleando, at Villa Victoria Center for the Arts. Artist Sebastian Leal smiles during the opening of his exhibit, Faroleando, at Villa Victoria Center for the Arts.[/caption] Our fall featured visual artists, Pablo Bordon and Sebastian Leal, are changing the way people see the world in their Faroleando exhibit. Bordon, depicts the modern Cuba, zooming in the urban architecture and as one viewer, Darryl Robinson said, “[his] black and white medium beautifies all of these ordinary scenes.” The GN Crew of Boston encourages social change while giving new meaning to the question, “What is art?” with their street art exhibit that will be coming to our Villa Victoria Center for the Arts on October 17th. We also teamed up with the Theater Offensive to bring Boston the first ever Latinx Film Festival in efforts to expand the colorfulness of our community through the arts. [caption id="attachment_7074" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] A GN Crew mural.[/caption] In addition to our strong arts program, we are proud to preserve the history and culture of Latinos by starting with early education. Our bilingual and multicultural preschool emphasizes the importance of culture in a child’s life beginning as young as age two. By infusing our heritage into these early lessons, we provide children with tools for success in a society where diversity is a key element. [caption id="attachment_7065" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Preschoolers perform during our spring concert.[/caption] “The origins of our preschool are founded in our community,” said Rafael Medina, IBA’s Senior Programs Director. [caption id="attachment_6888" align="alignright" width="200"] Janayra and Giovanni Santiago after our 2016 preschool graduation.[/caption] The preschool curriculum has a strong foundation in linguistic and cultural development and this past August we had 35 graduates - our largest graduating class yet. According to parents like Janayra Santiago, a Puerto Rican native and parent of recent preschool graduate, Giovanni, “I believe as a Spanish speaker myself, that it’s a part of their identity. Even though they’re born here, they should know Spanish is a huge part of who they are and where they come from. To have our children be bilingual is the best gift that we can give them as parents.” According to President Obama, “this month honors the contributions Hispanics have made throughout American history.” So let us reflect this month - and for many months to come - on the importance of keeping our culture alive by continuing to educate and enrich others about our heritage. To make a contribution and help further our efforts to impact the community, click here - remember, no amount is too small....