National Hispanic, Latinx and Chicana/o American Heritage Month 2021

New Mexico MainStreet is proud to celebrate National Hispanic, Latinx and Chicana/o American Heritage Month Sept. 15-Oct. 15, 2021!

We honor the significant contributions Hispanic, Latinx and Chicana/o communities have made to New Mexico’s arts & culture, businesses, economic vitality and more. NMMS staff, revitalization specialists and district executive directors are committed to investing in historically underserved communities, and promoting opportunities for diverse entrepreneurs and networks.

While there is still much to be done to serve New Mexico’s communities, NMMS is committed to building equity so ALL New Mexicans can thrive and prosper.

New Mexico MainStreet Profiles

MainStreeters were asked how their heritage & experiences informs their work with NMMS, how they celebrate their heritage, and what their future hopes/goals are for NM’s communities of color.

Mara Salcido

Executive Director, Lovington MainStreet

I spent my summers, and every holiday for that matter, in Mexico with my grandparents. My buela was a Historian for the state of Chiuhuaha. I’d help her clean the local one-room museum and she’d tell me stories on our ancestors, her life, and our history.

As I got older, we traveled together, still sharing our passion of history. She taught me to value and learn from the past. She would always point out the materials that buildings were made from and how they pertained to a particular era. She cultivated my love for revitalization, even before I knew what MainStreet was.

Because of these memories and this love, MainStreet not only made sense but was a way to continue her legacy. Today, it reminds me of the thin line between gentrification and revitalization. When making decisions or developing programs, they are based on the community, what they need, and always being respectful of them.

As a Mexican American, I struggled with my identity as a whole. During school I never spoke Spanish, and I would unbraid my hair the first chance I got. Then I’d go to Mexico and get mad at my cousins for calling me gringa and laughing at my broken Spanish.

Abraham Quintanilla said it best when he said, “We have to be more American than the Americans and more Mexican than the Mexicans.” For years growing up, I felt confused and embarrassed. I loved our traditions, and the stories my buela told me were inspiring and uplifting. But in my community, there was this unspoken rule that those things stay at home.

The discrimination and prejudice wasn’t presented in slurs and violence. Instead it was a passive aggressive hand that strangled the pride out and brought shame. It wasn’t until my college years that I realized the power of being Mexican American and the value of my heritage. For the first time, I was given a safe space to share my concerns and express my feelings. My experiences were not only validated but I was also educated. This opportunity allowed me to grow my identity, realizing that there are not two Maras but one.

To me, this month is about growing and providing a safe space for others to grow. I want to be an asset for my community; a door, a helping hand, a familiar face, and a seat at the table.

Daniel Gutierrez

*Photo Credit: Roberto E. Rosales/ABQ Journal*

Director, New Mexico MainStreet

My Chicano and Latino heritage are very important to me because it helps me understand a community’s diversity. Especially working in a place like New Mexico, having a better grasp on cultures and group identifiers help me connect with people in the community. I’m from Northern California, and that’s where my Chicano identity was formed. I also lived in Illinois, which was my first interaction with Puerto Rican and Cuban cultures. In Illinois, people thought more pan-ethnically about education and community work. But even though we were all different, we had the same desires for community revitalization work. This is how I approach work at NMMS.

I don’t celebrate Hispanic American Heritage Month per say. I do celebrate my heritage and identity every day. In everything I do, it’s important to recognize that different groups have pride and significant history – identifying and seeing that is important. Highlighting what makes us different, and our contributions to society as a whole is an opportunity to highlight ALL people and their contributions.

I hope to expand the NMMS model and approach to touch more communities of color. I want everyone to have an opportunity to engage in the community economic development process. Access and equal participation is very important to having everyone’s voice heard. I did not have that opportunity growing up; that drives me to make sure others have that avenue so they can have the capacity to engage in the betterment of their own community.

Mariah Romero

Executive Director, Mora MainStreet and Arts and Cultural Compound

My Hispanic heritage is an important part of my work with New Mexico MainStreet and Mora MainStreet and Arts and Cultural Compound. I believe that a fundamental part of working with a population is understanding their culture and history, and I am so fortunate to work in the community where I was raised.

Mora has a largely Hispanic population, which informs everything from the art that is created here, to the events that are held, to how we communicate with business owners in our district and with the community at large. From our Arts and Cultural Plan to our Economic Transformation Strategies, a respect and understanding of Hispanic culture is baked into everything we do.

Hispanic American Heritage Month is something that is important to me and close to my heart. It wasn’t too long ago that my mother wasn’t allowed to speak Spanish in school, and while I was growing up there wasn’t a lot of Hispanic representation in popular media. I am so grateful to be living in a time where my culture isn’t viewed as a hindrance or an obstacle to my work, but rather an important piece of the puzzle.

I like to celebrate Hispanic American Heritage Month by reading works by various Latinx authors. This month’s reading list includes Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya, Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor.

My family and I have also been growing and harvesting calabasas, beans, and New Mexico green chile and using them to prepare traditional meals.

l hope to continue my work supporting Hispanic communities by working with Mora Main Street and New Mexico MainStreet for many years. When I graduated from Mora High in 2014, we didn’t even have a grocery store within 20 miles, much less a growing downtown district. The progress that has been made in the past seven years is incredible, and I want nothing more than to continue to help my community develop and thrive. I also hope to become more involved with organizations like United Farm Workers and the National Council of La Raza.

New Mexico MainStreet’s community asset-based approach and emphasis on cultural and historic preservation makes it easy to honor our Hispanic roots in Mora. I am so grateful to be a part of this progressive and productive organization.

Thank you New Mexico MainStreet and Mora Creative Council!

Eduardo Martinez

Organization & Leadership Development Revitalization Specialist, New Mexico MainStreet

I grew up in a Mexican-American family, and in a community where people and relationships mattered most – not commerce, money, or possessions. When I visit a MainStreet community, I see the historic buildings through that lens, that relationships matter most.

Whether it’s the Victorian Italianate architecture of Las Vegas, the sandstone block structures of Zuni Pueblo, or the Spanish Colonial structures of Taos, I tend to focus on the people who created and inhabited these historic structures, the stories of the lives they led, their cultural activities and the sense of community that they created in these spaces. These are the things I’m compelled to preserve, and I move through my work trying to do all I can to keep, honor, respect and maintain the diversity of people and cultures found in New Mexico.

Engaging the work of the MainStreet Organization Point can often be challenging, especially when competing priorities of different people come to the fore. But it’s also extremely rewarding. I try to find the best in people even under the most challenging conditions and strive to focus my work to ensure that people are at the core of our revitalization efforts.

I don’t celebrate in any special way, but I do use Hispanic American Heritage Month to reflect and consider what I can do for New Mexico’s communities, especially those on tribal lands. For me, being Hispanic is to be of multi-national origin – Mexican, Spanish and Portuguese. It means recognizing the Mestizo/Indigenous components in my genetic code and cultural history. It’s honoring and preserving the multicultural fabric of my own heritage, as well as that of New Mexico.

There is too much to lose if we force people to assimilate into a monocultural way of life, so reflecting on my heritage is essential for me to support others in building communities that ensure people remain the core, regardless of their background or history.

After more than 40 years in different professional settings, I feel blessed to have established a network of relationships with funders, civic leaders, and institutions that care about New Mexico. It’s important for me to extend those connections, relationships and resources to others around the State – to hold the “doors” open for others who need access to those resources (and not just in Hispanic communities). I was fortunate to recently work with a dedicated group of individuals who hope to launch a cultural institute in a neighboring state; it was a great opportunity for me to learn from them and recognize the importance cultural preservation, which is among the goals of New Mexico’s Arts & Cultural Districts.

I see how Native American communities are sustaining their cultural assets and practices, and their own efforts are also extremely important to me. I hope to elevate my role as a connector in supporting their efforts alongside those of Hispanic, Black and growing Asian communities as well.

I wish to recognize, acknowledge and thank the community leaders that have influenced my MainStreet perspectives. There are way too mention to mention them all by name, but the likes of Rich Williams, Elmo Baca, Everette Hill, Henry Rael, Wendy Lewis, Jenice Gharib and Hakim Bellamy are at the fore. My former and current colleagues at New Mexico MainStreet and at the NM Cultural Affairs Department have taught me so much since I joined MainStreet in 2012.

And finally I have to thank the staff and board members of MainStreet programs throughout the State – all of them working to better their own communities. I owe you all a debt of gratitude. You’ve been as important to helping me become the person I am as my own parents and family members have been.
Thank you.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham

“Today, I join New Mexicans in recognizing the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month, which celebrates the myriad contributions of Hispanic people to every aspect of American life. Whether it be in the sciences, healthcare, technology, business, activism, culture, art, agriculture or sports, this state and this nation are better places to live because of our proud multicultural heritage. I am beyond proud to lead a state where Hispanic culture, families and ways of life contribute to such a strong foundation.” READ MORE…

Learn

Learn about the impact Hispanic entrepreneurs have had on the U.S. economy, and the many ways Hispanics have influenced and contributed to American society from the SBA…