October 15 marked the conclusion of National Hispanic Heritage Month 2020, celebrated annually in recognition of the great influence and achievements of Spanish-speakers in our country, dating back to its very inception. This fall, the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute has uplifted the narratives of Spanish speakers by focusing on the cultural area of History, looking deeply into the Hispanic contribution to the United States from many angles.
To conclude NHHM, the QSSI heard from the next generation of Spanish-speakers, five students from universities across New York City. Creatives, academics, and innovators, the participants included Casilda García López from Madrid, a film and tv student at NYU Tisch; Gabriela Saker from Cuba, an MFA Drama candidate at Juilliard and founder of Puerto theater company Teatro Público; Jorge Márquez Gaspar from Venezuela, an MPA-DP Candidate at Columbia; Yelissa López from the Dominican Republic, an engineering student at Columbia; and Alana Pons from New York City; an economics student of Puerto Rican descent at Manhattan College. Each speaker brought his or her unique perspective to questions of identity, heritage, community, and inclusion. Together, they represent the bright future of the Spanish-speaking world and the next chapter in our shared history.
At the QSSI, we believe it is our responsibility to furnish English and Spanish speakers of all backgrounds a forum for cultural exchange. Through the events we host, activities we sponsor, partnerships we build, and prizes we bestow, we seek to elevate the voices of those we represent so that they may be heard equally and create a space in which we all belong.
By developing multi-focused educational programs across many disciplines, such as the arts, language, literature, science, gastronomy, and history, the QSSI celebrates the Hispanic legacy in the United States, past and present. We take pride in our shared identity, harnessing its power to foster inclusion, advance allyship, and spark change. Our diverse cultural heritage is a tool to unite us, not drive us apart.
Our mission today extends far beyond this month alone. We recognize that there are more walls than bridges standing between Spanish-speaking communities in the United States, impeding cultural awareness both nationally and globally. In consequence, the QSSI’s role as a cultural and educational organization must continue to evolve. In 2020, we recommit ourselves to finding common ground.
By Olivia Muro
