GREENSBORO, N.C. — Every year Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15th to October 15th. It is a way to recognize the achievements and contributions of Hispanics. Here are a few facts about Hispanics that you may not know.
Many people believe that Hispanics speak Spanish, and yes, many do. However, not all Hispanics speak Spanish, and it doesn’t make them any less Hispanic. There are different generations of a family who can live in the US. For example, I’m a first-generation American in my family. My family is from Colombia and Venezuela. I speak Spanish, but others in my family who were also born in the US don’t speak Spanish. And yet, we’re all 100% Hispanic. So, speaking Spanish doesn’t determine if someone is Hispanic.
Some people don’t realize that Hispanics represent many different Spanish-speaking countries. Many tend to think of Mexico, which is one country of many. There are numerous countries in both Latin America and South America. There’s Colombia, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Cuba, Panama, Argentina, Peru. With each country, there are unique customs, traditions, accents, dialects, foods, and history, which add to the richness and diversity of the culture.
When you visit a foreign country and can’t speak the language of the country you’re visiting, it doesn’t mean that you’re uneducated. It just means that you do not speak the language. When Hispanics in the U.S. don’t speak English, it doesn’t mean that they’re uneducated. It means they can’t speak English.
Many years ago, there was someone in my family who was a physician in his country but couldn’t pass the U.S. medical board exam because of a language barrier. So, he couldn’t practice medicine in the US and went into a different profession. My point in telling you this is that not speaking English for whatever reasons isn’t correlated with intelligence or ability to succeed.
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