Oct 7, 2021
Esperanza: A Literacy-Inspired Celebration of Hispanic Heritage and Hope
At LINC we celebrate culture through reading every day and this year on September 28 we partnered with the SBH Health System WIC to honor Hispanic Heritage Month with a special virtual program centered around hope. Our bilingual program Esperanza: A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage and Hope blended literacy, music and culture into a delightful dish. Featuring the book Food Proud To Be Latino! Comida by Ashley Mireles, we explored foods from different cultures accompanied with the Latin songs Sopa de Caracol and Color Esperanza by Diego Torres. LINC families love to share facts and foods with their communities and were delighted to participate in this literacy program. Opportunities like this expand their reading skills to practical items like recipes and instructions. They reinforce the accomplishments of our Latino ancestors and remind us that no matter what our heritage, we all have a lot in common. Did you know that in 2020, 62.1 million people identified as Hispanic or Latino? That is 18% of the US population and that number has grown 23% since 2010. Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively. As the description for Proud To Be Latino! Food/Comida by Ashley Mireles reads, “Latino cultures span Central and South America as well as the Caribbean. But often when Americans think of Latino food, they think of popular Mexican dishes such as tacos and burritos. This book shows children how diverse Latino cultures have used similar ingredients to make many specialized local dishes.” What better way to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month than reading and cooking? To learn more about our online programs and see what’s cooking at LINC, visit us at: www.lincnyc.org/onlineprograms.