PBS Series Latino Americans: Celebrating the Latinos Who Have Helped Shape America

This is part of a compensated campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and Ford.  However, all opinions expressed are my own.

I am very excited about the new LATINO AMERICANS series airing in PBS and I encourage everyone to watch this eye opening documentary that tells the story of Latinos in America for the last 500 years.

In our home we are celebrating Hispanic Heritage by making sure that our family stays connected to our cultural roots and by keeping the Spanish language alive.  We do this all the time but during this month we are really focusing on reminding our kids that they are not only American but also Guatemalan and Latinos.  America is the country they live in and now call home, Guatemala is the country they where born in and where most of their extended family still lives and as Hispanic immigrants they have joined the Latino community made up of people coming to America from different lands and different countries but who all share the same pride for their Hispanic roots and traditions and sometimes the same language too.

For me it’s very important that my children get to see that Latinos have been part of American history from it’s beginnings.  Although they are too young now to understand or sit through a two hour documentary we always look for ways to share with them how Latinos have been part of American history and how they continue making history with their accomplishments.

5 Ways We Teach Our Children About Their Latino Roots

At home we do many things to celebrate our Hispanic Heritage every day, here are some of them:

–       Read books in Spanish that are rich with cultural elements.  We have a few books from Guatemala including a books about traditions and a books about Mayan mythology.

–       We eat traditional Guatemalan dishes as often as possible and the kids also help with preparing them.

–       When we travel we try to learn about the Latino history of the place and also make it a point to eat at Latino restaurants so that the kids can experience different types of Latino foods.

–      We listen to music in Spanish and I also like to play traditional songs and music for the kids like Luna de Xelaju on the marimba, el son and the Guatemalan national anthem.

–       More recently I have started teaching them about Guatemala. I asked a friend to bring me information about my home country’s traditions, foods, national symbols, geography and archeology and we are learning a little about Guatemala every day.

About The Latino Americans Documentary Series

LATINO AMERICANS is a three-part, six-hour documentary series that tells the history of America through the eyes of Latinos and highlights Latinos who have helped to shape this country for the last 500 years.  The series will air on PBS on September 17th, September 24th, and October 1st from 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. (EST).

LATINO AMERICANS is also a story of immigration and renovation, and how Latinos have fought, worked, sweat and bled to make a better life for themselves and their families.  This is something that many of us can relate to because it’s not only part of the history of America but also part of our own family history. Recently I shared my own immigration story as a way to bring awareness about the importance of immigration reform but also to document my story so that my children will always remember where they come from and why we are here.

Featuring interviews with stars, world renowned authors, entrepreneurs and activists LATINO AMERICANS is also a great tool to show Latino children that there are many positive Latino role models to follow.

I find it sad to see that there are so many Latinos who have played such an important part of American history but their brown eyes, dark hair and caramel skins have in many cases not been part of those historic accounts.  My kids didn’t know that Florida was originally a Spanish colony, they don’t talk about that in school. I didn’t know one of the first American casualties in Pearl Harbor during WWII was a pilot named Ensign Manuel Gonzalez or that the soldier who in 1836 shouted, “Remember the Alamo!” and led a regiment of the Texas Army to victory over Santa Anna’s Mexican forces was named Juan Seguín.  This is why the LATINO AMERICANS documentary has so much significance, because it chronicles American history from the viewpoint of Latinos who have often been left in the shadows.

Part two of the LATINO AMERICAN documentary series will be showing on PBS on September 24th from 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. (EST). Don’t miss it!

Ford Is There for Latinos

I am thankful that there are companies like Ford that understand and value the importance of the Latino community, their traditions and their values.  The Ford Motor Company is providing corporate funding for this series and without them the LATINO AMERICANS series might not have been possible.  For me it is very important to support brands who support the Latino community and Ford has been one of the longest standing partners of the Hispanic community.

You can learn more about how Ford support Latino communities by visiting the Ford en Español Facebook page and by following Ford on twitter @FordEspanol.

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Paula Bendfeldt-Diaz

Paula moved from her native Guatemala to SW Florida with her husband and two children and together they are discovering what it means to live life between two languages.

Paula studied architecture and now makes a living as a freelance writer,traveler and amateur photographer.She started her writing & publishing career as the editor of Bebé y Mamá, the first parenting magazine in Guatemala.She is the founder of www.GrowingUpBilingual.com and www.365thingsswfl.com and writes articles in Spanish and English for both magazines and the web on travel,food and bicultural and bilingual parenting .

When she is not on a plane or road trip she likes to create recipes inspired in the flavors of her native Guatemala.

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