Proud to be Hispanic
By Angel L. Pomales, [email protected]
I remember my grandma telling me to eat all my food at dinnertime, because when I did so, I would get a treat. Usually a handmade sweet, maybe made with coconut and brown sugar, or a real homemade caramel candy, or maybe just maybe, a real sugar cane stick.
I love those days growing up in Puerto Rico, back in the 70’s and 80’s. I remember watching “El Chavo del ocho,” a Mexican family comedy show that I watched every single day of my life when I was a kid. They made around 270 episodes that are still re-running now a day on television channels across the United States, Latin America, and around the world. Or what about soap operas… you get stuck like glue in front of the television, and can’t wait until the next episode airs because the last chapter always ends in suspense.
Our history as Latinos or Hispanics has been like a soap opera throughout the years. Ever since Christopher Columbus landed in the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America, I have always said, what would have happened if Christopher Columbus had never landed in our shores? What if another great nation at that time, like Russia or the Chinese Empire, had landed first? What would our ancestry have been like then? History would have been a lot different for sure. I have always believed all the stars lined up correctly for us to be called Hispanic and Latinos. Every day I feel so proud of my heritage and my history and the history that got me here.
See, we have one of the most diverse cultures in the world, our blood basically comes from all parts of the world, and that makes us unique. When we gather for family events, it is a bond like no other. We can feel the love for each other; we can feel the true family love. Our music unites us all, no matter if you are from Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Cuba, it just doesn’t matter. Our sports lift our spirits so high that we breathe and sweat as if we were the players on the field of a championship match. We live our sports, our food. We even live our heritage every day. It doesn’t even matter if we move from our motherland to go live somewhere else in the world. We always find our roots and bring our heritage to teach others about our cultures and ways of life. It’s like farming around the world… we bring our love, peace, and happiness to everyone around us!