Today marks the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month! 🎉A month to celebrate our beautiful people, art, music and more ✨ Every year, I love to honor our culture by photographing hispanics in the community to celebrate and elevate their voices. Thank you to the amazing women who took a part of this year’s #HispanicHeritageMonth project. Let’s continue to uplift and challenge one another!
“Cooking, cleaning, and serving my family doesn't make me a "good" Hispanic woman. When people look at Latinas that is what they expect. When that isn't what your good at it is frowned upon in society. That isn't who I want to be, nor do I want to see Hispanic women's value placed like that. I want to be the Hispanic women that creates on my own, that encourages others to start their own business, or simply create. The one who inspires others into believing in themselves, for themselves and not for others.” - Priscilla Araujo | Owner of Cilla’s Glossin (@cillasglossin) a lip product line made of all natural ingredients.
“Soy mexicana viviendo en Estados Unidos de América por 19 años.
El amor, el matrimonio y el trabajo de mi esposo me trajeron a este país de grandes oportunidades.
Felices hemos formado nuestro hogar latino con cuatro hijos, orgullosos de nuestras raíces, los hemos educado preservando los valores y la cultura de nuestro país de origen. Desde el idioma español, gusto por nuestra comida hasta las celebraciones tradicionales; todos son elementos que les hemos inculcado en su formación.
Amo mi país, mi gente y su característica alegría, el folklor mexicano, sus colores vivos, sus festividades únicas, su calor humano.
Pero, especialmente, amo su exquisita comida, su diversidad de platillos, costumbres y técnicas culinarias, todo ello forma gran parte de mi identidad y lo llevo en mi corazón. Asimismo, me sirve de inspiración para poder manifestar mi creatividad a través de mi gusto y dedicación por la cocina; misma que se ha convertido en un pilar importante en la convivencia diaria en nuestro hogar. Me apasiona compartir y dar a conocer la gran riqueza cultural de mi país a través de su arte culinario, mismo que considero un gran legado para nuestro mundo hispano. Todo ello haciendo énfasis en la salud, nutrición y bienestar de mi gente bonita.” - Karina Alvarez | Karina is a Holistic Family Nutritionist (@cookingforachange)
"Hispanic heritage month to me means a celebration of where the roots of who I am came from. My name is Daniela Gutierrez and I am a student, baker, friend, daughter, but before that I am a first generation Mexican-American. The sacrifices my parents made in order for my sisters and I to have the future we could achieve is something I am so incredibly grateful for. I never paid much attention when I was younger what the title “first generation” meant or how important it is. But now as a twenty year old adult I wear that title very high and with pride. I am currently a college student at SDSU and the second to be at this level of education in my family. Although it’s a lot of pressure because I never want to disappoint my parents they both constantly remind me to keep going which is my biggest motivation. In addition to my schooling I’m also a baker and started my at home business at the age of fifteen. I do so much because both my mom and dad have taught me there is no limit to what I want to do. If I could put into three words what my hispanic heritage means to me I would say resilient, inspiring, and beautiful." -Daniela Gutierrez | Daniela is the owner of D.theBaker (@d.thebaker)
Eden Fernández is part of The Peculiar People, a Grammy Nominated, 6 Time Stellar Award Winning, Platinum Selling Multi-Cultural Group founded by B.Slade. (@edenfernandez)
“Where you come from is a story that deserves to be embraced and shared. Being Latina means that I carry the beautiful stories of my parents, grandparents, and other relatives before me. I take pride in where I come from because I am proud of all the sacrifices and struggles my family overcame, which have allowed me to be who I am today. My parents made it a priority to teach me about my culture and to keep me rooted in it. When I was younger, I couldn’t really understand the weight of being a first generation U.S. citizen and what it really meant. I now understand the difference I’m making in my family and for other families like mine. I will continue to raise the bar, reach new heights, and set new standards for us all. I’m proud of who I am, but more importantly of where I come from and what I represent.” - Gabriela Montini