In the last decades, the Latin Americans we have grown not only in number but also in political influence.

I have good memories of my childhood growing in Los Angeles in a bilingual and bicultural ambience. In the Day of Thanksgiving my family enjoyed a dinner consisted of turkey, purée of pope, sweet potatoes, and also rice and beans with omelettes. We were celebrating the independence holiday on fourth of July seeing the pyrotechnic fires and listening to mariachi musics music. We were waking up early to go to the parade of the independence of Mexico in September and to the Parade of the Roses the New Year's Day. And up to today I continue putting piquant sauce to the pizza and jalapeños to my hot dogs.

This moment of nostalgia is not a coincidence. We are in the middle of the celebration of the Month of the Hispanic Heredity and I have the memories everywhere. It is the epoch when our country recognizes the contribution of the Hispanics after our society and honors those Latin Americans who have influenced and enriched our nation.

Another day in the school of my daughters I was one of five Hispanic mothers who spoke with the children about the role that our ethnic group plays in our careers. In addition to my exhibition there were two doctors, a lawyer of immigration and a bank executive. We all have had different life experiences, but a common denominator exists between us: We come from families that inculcated the pride of our cultural heritage to us and taught us the values inherent in our culture. These include honesty, fortitude, compassion, prudence, respect and enormous labor ethics.

Although I was born in this country, I spoke Spanish rather than English and made sure that my daughters should do it also. Although not all the Latin Americans speak it, for most of the Hispanic families the use of the Spanish language is a very important way of transmitting our cultural heritage. It is something that joins all of us like Latin Americans. Spanish was really the mother tongue spoken in this country by the European settlers in 1513 and the first Hispanic establishment in the continental area of the United States was San Agustín, Fla., founded by the Spanish in 1565.

At the beginning of this month when I was present at a reception owing to the Month of the Hispanic Heredity at Vice-president Joe Biden's, also I remembered that how far we have come like ethnic minority.

One be imagined what one means to be walked along the residence in the Naval Observatory surrounded with music of mariachi musics and savouring cheesecakes and pies.

In the reception there were dozens of Hispanic leaders, members of congress and of the office, between them the Secretary of the Work, Hilda Solís. I know it for several years. In fact she was one of the first persons that I interviewed when I began my journalism career in Los Angeles at the beginning of the years ‘80 and she had just begun to take part in political activities. Now she is Missis secretary
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I do not imagine that neither in that epoch or the Secretary Solís or me we had been invited to the hearth of the Vice-president of the United States. But the times have changed. Then we were 14 million Hispanics in the United States and now we go on from 47 millions, according to the last numbers of the Office of the Census. The Latin Americans we have grown not only in number but also in political influence.

There are more Latin Americans in important positions in the government that never earlier. Ten per cent of the persons named in the administration of Barack Obama who need ratification of the Senate are Hispanic, close to the double that named in the past administrations of George W. Bush or Bill Clinton in the first year of government. Also, there are more than 30 Hispanics who are employed at the White House in all the levels.

In my stage of growth, like Hispanic young woman, I could enjoy the sounds, the flavors and the smells of two very different worlds that were mixed to become one. I was feeling privileged of being able to have two cultures, communicate in two languages and to continue two traditions.

Nowadays I feel proud to be part of a community that the face of the United States is changed. We celebrate it this month, but we live through it every day.


(c) 2009 by Maria Helen Salinas.