This week we welcome the celebration and acknowledgment of our Latinx communities even though the proclamation made by our government is a missed opportunity for true inclusion and representation. "In recognition of the achievements of Hispanics, the Congress, by Public Law 100-402, as amended, has authorized and requested the President to issue annually a proclamation designating September 15 through October 15 as “National Hispanic Heritage Month.”" A Proclamation on National Hispanic Heritage Month, 2021 As you can read above, the language used in the proclamation made by the White House, suggests that we should celebrate the contributions made by the Hispanic community in the United States. But, because they chose to use the word Hispanics instead of Latinx, they are excluding many communities whose heritage does not includes the Spanish language, even though many of these diasporas descend from countries geographically located in Latin America. Countries and territ
As a culturally responsive, relevant, and ABAR (Anti-Biased Anti-Racist) teacher, my praxis is always evolving. One of my goals is to guide my students through the discovery of their cultural identity. This guided process is aligned with the two SEL Standards of Self-Awareness and Social Awareness, as well as our 2014 Musical Standard of Connecting specifically. I find that some of my students mistakenly suggest that they “do not have a culture." This misconception is due to their limited view of what culture entails. To them, culture is colorful dresses, beautiful songs, energetic dances, yummy foods, and interesting celebrations. However, this is what we consider to be Surface Culture. As I consider implementing culturally responsive strategies in my teaching, one of the challenges that I typically encounter is how limiting the musical curriculums available to us can be. To address this, I am always asking questions and consulting cultural bearers, community stakeholders, and s