Hispanic Heritage Month spans from September 15th to October 15th. The celebration became a monthlong event in 1988 (it was originally a week long event authorized by Lyndon B. Johnson in September 1968). The focus of the month is to celebrate the cultures and traditions of US residents who trace their roots to Spain, Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Spanish speaking countries of the Caribbean. September 15th was chosen as the kickoff date to the celebration because it is independence day in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico celebrates its independence day on September 16th and Chile celebrates its on September 18th.
August 31, 2007
What I love about being Latina: Our culture, history, and our strenghth
What I love about being Americana: The options to be able to be and do what ever we set our minds to. Freedom.
My biggest challenge in growing up Latina in America: People not knowing I’m Mexican and when they find out - they some how look at me like I’m less of a person.
(more…)
August 30, 2007
Here are three ideas to help you on the road to becoming your own biggest cheerleader and champion. I’ll post even more ideas in the coming weeks.
1. Educate Yourself. Read books that deal with esteem, women’s issues, and the media. Dive into memoirs written by women. They will help you to see the complexities that exist in everyone’s life and give you perspective and insight into your own life. Visit web-sites that offer resources and education. Keep learning. The more you know, the more you are able to handle what life hands you. The more prepared you are for life, the more confident you feel.
2. Talk it out. If something is really pressing into you, talk to a trusted friend or family member or go to a counselor. Counseling is often one of the best investments you can make in yourself. Once you talk to someone, the anxiety and fear that you were feeling often dissipates, leaving you with the energy to proactively address the issue. (more…)
August 29, 2007
So, I have to admit that I am totally not used to people asking me to sign their books. In fact, I am a bit embarrassed by both the attention (what if I totally dork out when I am signing and sign something unintelligible or ineligible for that matter? As Ryan, the cute husband to one of my dearest friends will tell you, my messy script caused me to misspell my name when I signed off as the witness on his and Julie’s wedding license) and my own inadequacy. But, nonetheless, I’ve been asked by a few people to send them signed postcards, etc so I thought I’d come up with something better to offer when folks who I won’t be crossing paths with anytime soon at a signing ask for a memento. So, here it is: if you are interested in an autographed book plate, reading guide for Hijas Americanas: Beauty, Body Image, and Growing Up Latina, and a bookmark, please mail a SASE to Rosie Molinary PO Box 695 Davidson NC 28035 with a note containing signing instructions inside (who do you want me to dedicate the bookplate to and is it for a special occasion that you want me to make note of in my message? For example, do you want me to write Happy Birthday to the person, etc.), and I’ll hook you up. I am on the road a good bit in September and October, but I’ll get the bookplate and other items out to you as soon as I get your mailing. Thanks so much for your interest and support!
August 28, 2007
This week I’ll be in Raleigh, North Carolina and Chicago, Illinois for Hijas Americanas events. Catch me at the Central Raleigh Borders (400-100 East Six Forks Road) at 4 pm on Tuesday, August 28th for a signing. On Thursday, August 30th, I’ll be doing a workshop at the University of Illinois in Chicago with the Gamma Phi Omega Sorority. On Friday, you can find me at Women and Children First (5233 N. Clark Street) for a reading and signing at 7:30 pm. I look forward to seeing you at an event!
August 27, 2007
Here is a number that can almost undo you when you really think about its implications: 51 percent of Latina women are pregnant at least once by age 20.
And here’s an article that gives you more insight behind that number:
| Latina Teen Pregnancies Spur Push for Family Talks |
| Run Date: 08/21/07 |
By Alison Bowen
WeNews correspondent |
| Latina teens have a pregnancy rate that’s twice the national average. Advocates working to lower the numbers point to inadequate sex education–including family conversations that don’t happen–as a primary barrier. |
| NEW YORK (WOMENSENEWS)–At 25, pushing her 22-month-old son Diego through Brooklyn’s sweltering summer streets, Maricela Estrada says she is not planning on any more children.Along with Diego, peeking out from the stroller, the soft-spoken woman, who became a mother at 20, has two other children, ages 4 and 5, at home with her husband of seven years.”For me, it’s not bad to have children as a young person,” Estrada said in Spanish near her Brooklyn home.
Estrada’s story is part of the eye-catching fertility statistics among Hispanic American women, who, on average, begin families earlier, have fewer abortions and, in their younger years, produce almost twice as many babies as other groups: 82 births per 1,000 among females aged 15 to 19, compared with the national average of 42 per 1,000. |
Here’s the rest of the article.
August 24, 2007
What I love about being Latina: My dark eyes, black hair, pale olive skin, and my ability to break into Spanish in a split second or overhear something in Spanish I shouldn’t have. There’s also something about being Latina that makes me feel incredibly sexy. I also love the great food: rice and beans, tostones, Dominican cakes, Tres Leches, Flan, etc.
What I love about being Americana: I used to think that Americans didn’t have culture, especially in comparison to Latinos. But as I got older, it became clear to me that I am an American because I’m forever optimistic, ambitious, a big time coffee drinker (the bucket-sized kind that you can only get in the US), a gym rat, a reality-TV junkie, among many other wonderful things.
My biggest challenge in growing up Latina in America: Growing up in Queens, one of the most diverse places in the world, I always struggled with which part of my ethnicity to align myself with. Ironic, isn’t it? (more…)
August 23, 2007
In the fight for a positive body image, parents might easily feel as if their role in championing their daughters’ self-confidence is negated by the rush of media presented to them on television, in the movies, and in magazines. But the truth is that parents are a daughter’s front line of defense in the body image war. And it’s never too late to learn the best ways to champion your child. These ideas show just some of what we must do to place our girls on the right course. And if you are a woman struggling with these very things yourself, you can champion yourself by translating these ideas for your own needs.
v Help your sister, mentee, child, or friend loosen the grip that their appearance has on them by encouraging them to diversify their interests. Having multiple sources of self-esteem—a job you enjoy, a family you love, friends who care about you, a cause you champion, a hobby that absorbs you, a community you invest in—ultimately leads to a healthier, happier, more confident person.
v Be a positive role model. Show a young woman what a strong, successful, passionate woman looks like, and she can picture that possibility for herself.
v Encourage your daughters and the girls in your life to find a passion at a young age. Encourage their interests, give them the option of exploring those interests and then let them pick something that they can embrace. Developing proficiency boosts a girl’s self confidence and gives her something that she will value in her life far more than the negative choices she might be presented later. Love a sport so much that you want to try out for the Junior Olympics? Well, then, there’s just no time to start drinking, drugging, and doing other things that will drag you down. (more…)
August 22, 2007
