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What a great a month to be Hispanic

Por Mariel Fiori
October 2016
Where to begin? Well, from the start. Firstly, as we know, in this country during the month of October we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, a concept invented by congress and president Reagan, whom in 1988 decided to recognize the cultural contributions of Latin Americans and Spaniards to the United States with a month that begins every 15th of September and ends every 15th of October (using the dates of Mexican independence and Central American countries, and that of the ‘‘discovery of America’’ as start and end of the celebrations). And despite it being an idea that mashes together the peoples of twenty-two different countries, we do have many things in common, for example, the joy and desire to celebrate. So when the going gets easy, the easy get going, or as they say, with those lemons we can make ourselves a good lemonade.

Lemonade? Yes, for example this month of October we can go around from event to event, celebrating and learning more each day about our heritage and passing it on to our children, friends and neighbors. Besides, after all, seeing how they treat us as if we were one, let us be one, in terms of civic participation and engagement. Force lies in unity, right?

Oh yes of course, the presidential elections are held November 8 , where we will choose, through the indirect path of the electoral college, the president and vice president of the United States. But that’s not all, the lower chamber is renewed in its totality, which means that we will be electing the 435 members of congress. In the high chamber, 34 out of the 100 seats for the senate are up for voting, and there is also plenty to do at the local level.

‘‘All politics is local’’ was the name of a Bard college professor’s class, Jonathan Becker  ̶ whom, by the way, will participate in a panel organized by La Voz and CCE regarding Hispanics and the Elections this October 5th at Bard, and you are more than welcome to join! And yes, whether we want it or not, decisions made at the local level affect us on our daily life. The good thing is that in our democracy our voices can be heard and change can happen. Do you remember the shooting range proposal in Kingston or the proclamation of the city of Hudson in favor of driving licenses for all? These small big changes were possible in thanks to popular participation, including that of Hispanics.

I watched the first presidential debate between the two candidates from the main political parties, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Without going into much detail, it was evident whom prepared and studied for the debate, read and practiced for the occasion, and whom was out to improvise, --or to ‘‘pluck the guitar strings’’ as they say in Argentina.  Just to be clear: it must be our priority to be prepared and informed at every moment, specially for next elections. To help you in this process of getting informed, this month La Voz presents a mini guide to the platforms of the different political parties in our region. To begin, you’ll notice that the party options we have are more than simply two. 

Every month, La Voz tries to inform, educate and entertain our readers with useful information that makes you think. This month it’s a total Latino pride to present to you with this issue, filled with positive resources of all kinds, from finance to language, from emotional intelligence to film, art and health festivals in our region. What a great month to be hispanic and to be able to read La Voz!

I invite you to read, comment (lavoz.bard.edu) and share.

Mariel Fiori
Managing Editor

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La Voz, Cultura y noticias hispanas del Valle de Hudson

 

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