...Thank You Julie! Good morning Capt Stancy, Mr. Bevington, Capt Goyet, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to this celebration of the Hispanic Heritage Month. It is my distinct honor to speak to you today. Hispanic culture is deeply intertwined with the history of this Nation. We live on the same side of the world with the largest Spanish speaking population due to our proximity to Mexico, Central, South America and the Caribbean. So it is important to recognize the contributions of the Hispanic culture as well as other cultures to celebrate and acknowledge how the history, culture, values and traditions of the United States were and continue to be shaped by the make-up of its ever changing population profile. When I started to think about what I would say, it occurred to me that perhaps I should do a little research and review history instead of presuming I know everything about my heritage. I am glad I did because I learned many facts that challenged my own understanding of history. I want to share some of these facts with you today. On September 1968, Congress authorized President Lyndon B. Johnson to proclaim National Hispanic Heritage Week, observed during the week that included Sept. 15 and Sept. 16. The observance was expanded in 1989 by Congress to a month long celebration (Sept. 15 – Oct. 15), America celebrates the culture and traditions of those who trace their roots to Spain, Mexico and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America and...
Words: 1488 - Pages: 6
...Many heritages from around the world have their own ethnicity, which makes them unique. However, coming from Hispanic heritage is a sentiment which can’t be described, I being able to justify it. My family, the school I attend has been able to shape the world I live today and it has affected how the Hispanic heritage has critically changed my life. My family has being the most important figures in my life growing into adulthood. My mother significantly has taught me to value the world and has enriched me with her love, which I can’t thank her enough for. My dad, which I look up to profoundly, has provided me with the best education, even more, with the characteristic of true man. Although my family has faced arduous moments, with our Hispanic...
Words: 380 - Pages: 2
...The definition of Hispanic heritage can be defined as generations of cultures intertwined with the lessons of the past. My Hispanic heritage provides me with an understanding of my culture and background, but most importantly, my identity. I must conjure my own individual and unique identity to stand on my own. For example, with my mother’s experiences, I have learned the importance’s of creating my own identity. She came to the United States when she was 14 years old. With nothing more than the clothes on her back, my mother came with the goal of supporting her family in Mexico, but with hopes of achieving her American dream. Her American dream, as she defines it, is the dream of coming from absolutely nothing and with hard work and dedication,...
Words: 865 - Pages: 4
...Imagine a town in the United States of America where the population of Hispanics very well exceeds three fourths of the total population. A place where a visit to your roots and culture is but a few minutes away. What you have imagined is my lovely border town- Laredo, Texas. What is outstanding here is the culture. It is unlike that of many cities in the U.S. This is because most of the residents are tied to a Hispanic heritage on way or another. I lived most of my life crossing the border often. I lived at my grandmother’s house with my parents in Nuevo Laredo, our “sister city”, when I was baby. When my sister was born we moved to Laredo. My grandmother retired from being a principal, she became our babysitter as both my parents worked long hours to pay for our newly acquired trailer home in the then outskirts of town. My grandmother had already taught me to read and write Spanish, aside from me already speaking English, before I even went to pre-kindergarten. In language is how I believe my Hispanic heritage has helped shape me the most because it was through the fact that I grew up knowing both English and Spanish that allowed me to learn to connect the two different worlds I knew and thrived in. My education was in English but as I...
Words: 500 - Pages: 2
...Tsandi Royal homestead which is a Cultaral heritage museum. The region share a border with the Etosha National park , the governemrnt in 1996 passed a legislation that enabled the Uukwaluudhi people to form a conversacy to manage wildlife and tourism. The region has so many animals such as kudu, zebra, black rinho and so many bird species. There is the Baobab Tree heritage centre and campsite in Outapi town. This tree is over a 1000 years old abd it has been used for so many puposses such a chapel,fotess, landmark and a kindergarten. In the present day there is a kiosk which rents braai stands and sells wood, there are also campsites in the area. There is the Omugulugwombashe monument, which was constructed by the government a place of commemoration of the liberation struggle for independence. This is the place that were the war started in 1966. The region ids home to the Mighty Ruacana Falls. There is the Hippo Pool, this is located next to the falls. There are 10 camps which are lacated under Mopane trees(http://www.omusatirc.gov.na). As a councilor ro win back the respect of the people I shall use the ethical concept of respect.Resoct is defined as a feel or understanding that some one is important, serious and sould be trated in a certain way (http://www.merriam-webster.com). Under this principle I shall get some people and to observe respect at the cultural museum and to have infomaation on the people that book at the heritage centre so that we preserve our culture...
Words: 602 - Pages: 3
...“Everyday Use” Alice Walker clearly depicts two contrasting meanings of heritage through characterization and symbolism of her two daughters, walker highlights the difference between two interpretations of African American culture and heritage. The gist of the story in “Everyday Use” is how mama bit by bit rejects the superficial beliefs of Dee, her older and extraordinary daughter in admiration of the values about heritage from her less fortunate daughter Maggie. With a more profound thought walker is going into the contrasting culture and heritage of African Americans and superficial African Americans. Mama narrates the story, Ms. Johnson or “Mama” is a woman whose everyday life is part of her culture and heritage. Mama describes herself as, “a large, big-boned woman with rough, man working hands. In the winter I wear flannel nightgowns to bed and overalls during the day. I can kill a hog as mercilessly as a man”(155). With knowing that only has a second grade education we can say that she has no choice but to follow tradition and heritage, and stay in the home like she grew up in and work the field as other before her did. Even as mama is more or less forced to do so, still she has a great understanding and value of the concept of heritage and culture. In knowing Mama’s love and compassion for her heritage she gives the quilts to Maggie, because Dee wants the quilts to preserve and display her heritage of her ancestors. Mama gives the quilts to Maggie because Mama knows that...
Words: 895 - Pages: 4
...Conflict Essay “Everyday Use”-Alice Walker Alice Walker authored the short story entitled “Everyday use”. In this story we get a set of characters, round (Mama) and flat (quilt) and several supporting characters, like Hakim-a-barber. Walkers “Everyday Use” is set somewhere between 1960’s America right around the time the civil rights movement was taking place. The setting takes place at Mama’s house primarily with the exception of a flashback to their old house that burned down. The plot of the story reveals the characters cultural pride and ignorance towards the changing times. The themes in “Everyday Use” are, the meaning of heritage and the power of education. Additionally, the author creates different conflicts that arise throughout the story in which they are: man vs. man, man vs. society, and man vs. himself. Man vs. Man is first seen between Dee and Mama due to the fact that Mama doesn’t meet up to Dee’s standards. This coincides with the theme, power of education. Mama struggled to send Dee to a good school, which could have ended up doing more harm than good in regards to their relationship. Mama herself was denied an education and her youngest daughter Maggie lacks in that department. Therefor, giving Dee the advantage of being the only one educated which makes her arrogant and condescending. The education that Mama generously gave to Dee only created a bigger wedge between them and the family. Dee with her knowledge and way of the world becomes a...
Words: 1043 - Pages: 5
...African indigenous education A major shortcoming of African traditional education is that it focused almost exclusively on the clan or tribe and hardly prepared its recipients for outside contact. Practically, this meant that the skills and knowledge possessed by a given ethnic group could not he easily transmitted to another tribe (Tiberondwa, 1978). Moreover, the absence of literacy implied that the accumulated knowledge and skills could not be preserved in a written form. This prevented the transfer of the same from one locality to another and from one generation to the next. Many wise Africans have died with their own wisdom. A close examination of traditional methods of teaching further reveals that customary education was wanting or deficient in this area. Tiberondwa (1978) has rightly observed that among sorne tribes in pre-colonial Uganda, for example, there was too much reliance on inculcation of fear and punishment as a means of teaching. Among the Ankole, "slow learners and offenders were killed to discourage slow learning and scare young people from committing similar offences" (Tiberondwa, 1978, p. 10). This means of teaching could only produce learners who, out of fear, were obedient and submissive. They committed to memory ideas that they did not understand and the values they had no right to question. Indigenous education thus tended to kill the spirit of initiative, innovation and enterprise, that of which are (or should be) promoted by modem education...
Words: 640 - Pages: 3
...and sister" (par. 3). She makes her feelings clear when she attempts to "take" the quilts Mama had promised to Maggie: "Maggie can't appreciate these quilts... she'd probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use" (Walker, 103). By using the quilts for purposes other than their original intent she believes that she is respecting her heritage, but this is not the case: her desire to put them on display is "really not quite so different from the white capitalist cashing in on ethnic artworks" (Sexton, par. 4) Not only is she conforming to the worst of American ideals, but she is rejecting and disrespecting her own cultural heritage-- all under the pretenses of preserving it. It is in this sense that she is the "embodiment of the struggle for a unifying identity," because she has not yet come to understand her place in society as both an African and an American. In great contrast with Dee, Maggie is a simplistic and good-hearted person. These characteristics add dimension to the story, and make her a "more likely bearer of sacredness, tradition, and true value than her "brighter" sister". She understands the true meaning of heritage. Just as her sister asserts, Maggie is "backward...
Words: 1207 - Pages: 5
...DIVERSITIES ACKNOWLEDGE THRU HERITAGE Cultural Diversities Acknowledge Thru Heritage Assessment Tool Denise Streater GCU Family-Centered Health Promotion NRS-429V Hortense Turner March 23, 2012 Cultural Diversities Acknowledge Thru Heritage Assessment Tool Cultural diversities have facilitated challenges with in health care. To educate our clients there must be recognition of traditional heritage practices. The Heritage Assessment Tool has been devised to discover cultural characteristics of individuals, families along with communities. This tool allows one to understand and respect the role of cultural awareness in health and illness. There is a framework for evaluation of physical, mental and spiritual values and beliefs in which outlines health maintenance, protection, and restoration. The difference in values and beliefs grants an impact on wellness, disease and death in selected cultures. Upon assessing heritages there has been an overview of religion, ethnic background, language and an identification of support systems. Information has been gathered to present cultural lifestyles, traditions and health practices in a nonsterotypical manner. Utilizing the Heritage assessment tool this paper will reflect the cultural heritage of three different cultural practices .The three cultural diverse backgrounds, which will be discussed, are Hispanics, Filipinos (Asians) and Southern Afro Americans in which the later describes the writer’s heritage. There will be an acknowledged...
Words: 1190 - Pages: 5
...Heritage Assessment Culture is a pattern of behavior and values shared by an ethnic group. Cultural heritage is a set of traditions within the culture that is hand down from the older generation to the younger generation within the family. These traditions influence the family’s decisions in relation to their diet, education, daily living activities, religious beliefs and practices and also health and illness beliefs. In this paper, the author will focus on the usefulness of applying a heritage assessment in evaluating the needs of a person as a whole. Three different cultures including authors will be discussed about the health maintenance, health promotion, and health restoration. The author will also evaluate health traditions which are based on her own other two families. The evaluation of different culture will reveal similarities and differences in traditions, which can help nurses to provide holistic approach towards care delivery to gain optimal health outcomes. Heritage assessment tool is a very good way in finding out patients’ cultural values and beliefs towards health maintenance, protection, and restoration for a nurse to take a holistic approach towards providing care and education to the patient. In summarizing what the author has learned from the Heritage Assessment Tool (HAT) is that, the author and her husband both were born in a Muslim country and lived there for the best part of their childhood. Her husband migrated to US when he was fifteen and the author...
Words: 1203 - Pages: 5
...Johnson to help point out the struggle between the preservation of her heritage and the living of it. This limited omniscient point of view not only showcases Walker's ability to subliminally influence us to take sides for Mama and her youngest daughter Maggie, but to also show the inherent struggle between the families everyday perception of objects that Mama's oldest daughter Dee sees as something to be maintained and cherished for as along as possible. The point of view through Mama's eyes accentuates the innocent eye point of view by showing her naivety and simplicity to the outside world that Dee has always so thrived in and her lack of ability to understand old heirlooms that she would see preserved to keep the heritage alive she lives everyday. Mama Johnson is first presented immediately as someone who can be trusted through her knowledge of things presented to her firstly by describing her misfortunate youngest daughter Maggie by saying “She is not bright. Like good looks and money, quickness passed her by,” as well as stating she “was never a good singer” and “never could carry a tune” (Alice 163). These blunt observations helps the reader trust what Mama Johnson says because they are things personally significant to her and personal within her life and about her family. She does not sugar coat the truth or try to mask what is in front of her because she has no reason to hide what is her heritage because it is the life she lives everyday. When Dee finally arrives...
Words: 756 - Pages: 4
...predominant Hispanic races were of Mexican and Central American origin, I was constantly compared to those Hispanic backgrounds. This was frustrating because I am Colombian and the Colombian Culture is very different from the Central American culture. My mind could not understand why people would compare me to them if I am South American. The traditions, food, music, slang, and even accents were different. American non-Hispanic people would call me, among many other things, a “dirty Mexican” or “wet back.” This was extremely frustrating because neither one of my parents hopped the border nor were they dirty. My young mind did not know how that these people were just ignorant so my frustration turned into anger and total repulsion of races of those other backgrounds and countries. A sense of insecurity and even self-hate would overcome me. I did not want to be Hispanic, I wanted to be white, and I wanted to be accepted. My way of seeing things changed in 2006 when the Immigration Equality Movements became popular. Latino activists would speak at events and in a sense give the people a sense of empowerment and hope. Attending these events made me feel proud of my Hispanic heritage and a love for the Hispanic population as a whole started to grow. I embraced them all as my people regardless of their culture or countries of origin. I marched alongside them in protests, volunteered at events, and helped raise awareness. Instead of allowing the oppression and injustice of Hispanics to continue...
Words: 1021 - Pages: 5
..."Everyday Use” - Literary Analysis Alice walker writes about the importance of inheriting family heritage and how it passes on to generations. This story is based on conflicts of two generations; on the bonds of a mother and daughter and their legacy which is symbolized as two hand stitched quilts. The narrator, Mama introduces us to her two daughters who have conflicting minds. Mama is disappointed on the behavior and the tension that takes place when Dee forces her to make a difficult decision about who gets the quilts. The story unfolds when Mama’s eldest daughter Dee, returns home for the first time after finishing college and starts claiming for possessions. The younger Maggie has never left home and is shown to be of quiet character, who was severely burned in a house fire when she was a child due to which her sympathetic and generous nature is over shadowed by her ugly scarred face. Dee, being stylish and blessed with good looks is the centre of agitation between the family and invokes jealously. Her feet appear "as if God himself had shaped them with a certain style." (385). Around Dee, the younger sister is a coward and since the fire she walks with "chin on her chest, eyes on the ground." (384) . The narrator is protective around her daughters hoping that Maggie becomes self confident and stands up for her right. The narrator fantasizes about reuniting with Dee on a television talk show and day dreams about Dee expressing gratitude to Mama acknowledging what all...
Words: 825 - Pages: 4
...Themes of the story:Identity, heritage, racism and prejudice are the main themes of the story. Billy/William is strugglingbetween two identities as the names show. William Jacob is the white boy doing well in school,being a great football player and an talented artist. Billy is the aboriginal boy who left his pastwithout looking back, being hated in the eyes of his own people for trying to be somebody else.Even though no matter how he acts, his skin will always be black and his eyes brown.He is raised by aborigines, so he will always be affected by the black heritage. He is raised in thiscertain way, and even though he tries escaping it, he will not succeed. While the heritage affectshim, the people around him will also judge him because of his looks. The story proves that peoplewill always be prejudice towards him, even though he tries his hardest to become white. He will bereminded of his past every time a black aboriginal looks him in his eyes.The racism towards aboriginals is very extreme in this society. All the aboriginals look like drunkenbastards, and it’s almost impossible to escape the stereotypes. That’s why the government andpolice are trying to stop the aboriginals committing crimes - ALL of them, even the innocent ones.The Past:The Past is a poem about a man sitting in suburbia, in a home with an electric heater. He falls intodream about his past, where he was sitting in the nature in front of a campfire. He is probably alsoan aboriginal who has moved away from his...
Words: 351 - Pages: 2