Hispanic Heritage Month: 8 Ways to Celebrate with Your Family!
National Hispanic Heritage Month is honored in the U.S. from September 15 - October 15 this year.
Cedarwood parent Jessica Lagunas and first grade assistant Nathan Smith have eight ideas for how families can learn about and honor Latin American culture & history during this time!
1. Learn about National Hispanic Heritage Month
Visit the National Hispanic Heritage Month website!
Developed to pay tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and history, this website is a wealth of resources for anyone looking to expand their knowledge, check out exhibits & collections, find virtual events to attend, and more.
There are great resources here for adults & children alike!
2. Look for Portland busses featuring Hispanic leaders
Trimet is celebrating Hispanic Heritage and leaders with a new bus wrap!
You can learn about the incredible people featured on the Trimet website — some of them are colleagues of Jessica Lagunas!
3. Enjoy your favorite Latin American dish
Try a traditional recipe at home, or support one of these local LatinX-owned businesses:
Cocino Mexico Lindo, Beaverton
Whabbi, Beaverton
La Chorrasca, Hillsboro
La Bonita, SE Portland
Qué Bacano!, SE Portland
Portland Mercado, SE Portland
Ice Queen, SE Portland
Pupuseria La Migueleña, SE Portland
Café Reina, NE Portland
Santo Domingo Taqueria, NE Portland
Casa Zoraya, North Portland
Mis Tacones, North Portland
Andina, NW Portland
Borikén Restaurant, SW Portland
4. Support a LatinX-owned business
Try a traditional recipe at home, or support one of these local LatinX-owned businesses:
Cocino Mexico Lindo, Beaverton
Arium Botanicals, NE
Orox Leather Co., Downtown
Eloisa Organic Farm, Albany
5. Listen to LatinX artists
Music is a wonderful way to celebrate culture!
Jessica Lagunas suggests listening to this playlist of today’s top Latin hits on Spotify:
6. Read books by Hispanic writers
We’ve compiled a list of books for all kinds of readers in a new collaboration between Cedarwood & Another Read Through!
With book lists recommended by Jessica Lagunas and Nathan Smith, we’ve worked with Elisa Saphier to create an online shop where you can order titles of interest to your family.
Shop here to read about LatinX history, perspectives, and more — we’ve got titles ranging from picture books to poetry! A portion of all purchases of books by Hispanic writers will go to Ideal PDX, a collaborative group of creatives from Latinoamerica, working on new projects in the northwest.
6. Watch films with a focus on Hispanic culture
Drama, documentary, comedy, animation — movies can provide a dynamic way to experience and celebrate LatinX and Hispanic culture!
Jessica shares this list of 22 movies that might engage a range of viewers.
If your family is up for an in-person experience, the Hollywood Theatre is presenting the Portland Latin American Film Festival (PDXLAFF). PDXLAFF showcases perspectives of Latin American culture through an exploration of Latin film and increasing the visibility of Latin American cinema locally.
Jessica is most excited about Los Lobos, which tells the story of two children and their mother, living as undocumented immigrants in the US.
7. Support Hispanic communities
Opportunity to grow and thrive is a key component of healthy communities.
Centro Cultural is an organization that provides programs and services that support people of Latino cultures. You can find ideas for ways to support Hispanic communities on their website!
8. Make your own paletas
Paletas = Mexican-style popsicles, full of fruit!
You can make your own at home using this recipe, or look for them at your local Mexican market.