Hispanic Heritage – Brings us double the money!

Being Latina in the U.S. to me is the best of both worlds. Our culture and speaking two languages are the greatest gifts we were given, and the secret to our success. As I say: “Two languages, double the money!” Hispanic Heritage Month is when we remind ourselves and let our kids know what it means to be Latino. It also means sometimes we have to speak up and remind ourselves and others of our importance to the success of this country. Latinos, our buying power, our numbers, and our voting block – speak for themselves.

This Thursday, one of our treasured artists, my friend and Adelante supporter from day one, and brilliant writer, Sandra Cisneros, will receive a 2015 National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama at the White House. Sandra earns this incredible honor for enriching the American narrative. Through her novels, short stories, and poetry, she explores issues of race, class, and gender through the lives of ordinary people straddling multiple cultures; and as an educator, she has deepened our understanding of American identity. To which I say: GO SANDRA!

The ceremony will stream live Thursday, September 22nd at 11 AM EDT from the White House.

I want to thank People En Español for their incredible Mujeres Más Poderosas events that helped launch my Spanish language book, ¡Adelante!, and meet so many of you in Miami last week. I also want to take a moment to congratulate Alex Reyes, who was chosen as one of the 2016 People En Español 25 Mujeres Más Poderosas. This year, we chose to support Alex because at age 64, she has never given up. I often hear so many of you complain that you missed the boat, or that you’re too old. I invite you to take your cues from Alex, a woman who started her own business later in life, instead of buying shoes, she bought the building for her hair salon building, and unapologetically became SELF MADE.

Finally, I have to give a shout-out to the Latino press, who have shown us so much love in the last few weeks! Have a look:

La Nota Latina
Go Latinos
LinkedIn
Mogul
Medium
El Nuevo Herald

What a powerful example of Latinos supporting and celebrating one another for the common goal of collective growth!