#LatinoHeritage Road Trip – The Final Frontier

El ultimo dia…. And we’re back in the good ol’ big apple! We did something in our hometown that we seldom ever do, and that’s play tourist!

Visiting around The Bronx, we  passed by Lincoln Hospital, a site which became infamous after being occupied by the Young Lords Party for 24hrs on July 17 1970. They conducted TB & Lead Poisoning Screenings, and opened a daycare center both of which were later integrated into the hospital’s community outreach after the new hospital was built. Later on we passed the mural of educator & human rights activist Evelina Lopez Antonetty.

We then went into Manhattan, going through El Barrio and

Washington Heights to check out a few more murals, with a pit stop at a local Piraguero to refresh on a hot summer day.

Overall this experience has definitely been something that each of us will remember forever. Driving through parts of the country we always knew existed, but never really experienced, nor thought about, and Latinos being represented within them. All the people we met, the connections we made, fellow walkers of the walk all doing their parts to better our local, national, and global community. From Maine to DC and the 530 miles in between, Latinos are doing their thing, and have been for centuries. We still have a long way to go to get where we need to be as a fairly represented ethnic group within the U.S., but each step ahead contributes to the giant leap forward that’s needed. Civil rights are not just a black and white issue, we have always been here in this country, and our roots are just as tied to its foundation as anyone else’s. I’ve said it many times before, we’re all human beings, and we all experience the same fundamental emotions, life lessons and desires to thrive and succeed in this world. Each of the people with whom we spoke all shared that same sentiment, we all want to show how beautiful our rich culture is.

This monumental initiative, into which the American Latino Heritage Fund has welcomed us,  is something that will resonate for generations to come. Not only have they used social media to bridge the gaps between the generations, flags, and geographic locations they have started giant waves in the diversity current. With the numerous projects which they are implementing, the times ahead are definitely intriguing. We were given a sneak peek into what else they have in store for this year, and exciting is to say the least of what is brewing. Along with the National Park Service, they have reached out to many cultural institutions across the country to redefine the “history” that is on display to incorporate the Latino influence within it. They have put together a series of trading cards depicting historic Latino  figures that vibrantly tell the stories that have been left out of the history books. Initiatives to create new text books, which accurately depict Latin American History in the classrooms, have begun in Pennsylvania. Also in the works along with PBS is a film entitled “Rebel,” about an amazing Cubanita woman by the name of, Loreta Janeta Velázquez, who during the Civil War, went under the alias Lt. Harry T. Buford, and fought on behalf of the Confederacy, most notably in the battle of Bull Run.

Suffice to say, as we inch closer to 2040, in the approaching times of the “Minority Majority,” the continuing rise of Latinos is more than set to redefine the view of the U.S. and its diverse culture and origins.

We would like to thank all of our sponsors ALHF, NPS, Chevrolet and Verizon; our partners Hispanicize, PapiBlogger.com, LatinaMomBloggers.com; and everyone who participated that we met along this unforgettable trip of a lifetime. Muchisimas gracias a todos, can’t wait to do it again!