Hispanic Heritage Month in 2020

Lupita Vallejo

While I don´t have to wait for any special event to take pride in my ethnic background, I cannot think of a better moment to honor my culture and all the history behind it than during this National Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, taking place September 15 to October 15. This is a time to recognize and celebrate the positive impact Hispanic Americans have had on the United States, as well as to educate ourselves about the struggles many countries have endured to establish themselves as independent and separate from the oppressive regimes of the past.

I am a proud Mexican; I have been working at F5 networks for 2 years and I am a proud member of the F5’s Latinx e Hispanos Unidos Employee Inclusion Group (EIG) and one of the leaders of the Women´s EIG Guadalajara chapter. I live in Guadalajara, Mexico, where Mariachi music and tequila were born. So, you can imagine what a good life mine has been!

However, I´d like to mention that, since I was a kid, I always knew that I wanted to know more about the world. Many years have passed since I started traveling to different places around the globe, and let me tell you, witnessing so much beauty and uniqueness on each of my travels makes me feel very blessed.

Though, I must admit that despite all the fun, all the amazement, and all the learning, there is something inside me that always takes me back home to my Mexico lindo y querido.

This photo is from last year´s Independence Day Celebration with my beloved team at F5 Guadalajara. If we were to do the same this year, all of us would not fit in the photo—the Silverline team has grown so much in recent months. I am looking forward to celebrating this way again in the future!

During this month of September, in my country, people are getting ready to commemorate something I would call a celebration of the insurgency. The possibility and hope for something better. Also known as, “The Independence Day.” Traditionally, families and friends would gather for huge parties, parades, rodeos, and much more while waiting until midnight to shout amidst the crowds “Viva la Independencia,” “Viva Dolores,” and “Viva Mexico”—followed by a spectacle of fireworks, dancing, singing, and lots of tequila until sunrise.

The beginning of this season is why I have always wanted to come back to my homeland. I mean, why wouldn’t I!? Here any celebration is a reason to party, there is no milestone that does not deserve a fiesta and all we need is food, drink, and music.

Mexico is a country rich in culture, language, music, artifacts, and far more. We are more than our world-renowned food, historic landmarks, and perfect weather. What really defines my Mexico is something far more important: the people.

Define us by our unbeatable resilience when we face hardship and obstacles, by the sense of community regardless of the color of our skin, by the diversity of people from all walks of life, and most importantly by the genuine love we can have for one another.

Blood is truly a thicker than water in a Hispanic household, we all are a Gran Familia, we wear our pride every single day. Hispanic culture is much more than the food and the fun. It has a rich history; our people have faced adversity and, best of all, Hispanic culture is love, family, beauty, and hard work.

For this year´s Independence Day celebration, I will keep the tradition and I will celebrate with a small group of close friends and loved ones to eat delicious tacos of different “guisos,” drink some tequila, sing Mariachi songs, and share some stories about the good old days and the bright future ahead. At F5, we’re hosting a virtual Tequila-Thursday, we’re taking over sections of F5.com with a Latinx theme—go there learn more and check out the Latinx theme Zoom virtual background.

Internally, we’re looking forward to additional cultural immersion activities with virtual Cafecitos, education through our Latinx curated LinkedIn Learning Path, recommended podcasts and movies, a reading list, and many more. Then we are closing the month with a keynote speaker from the Latinx community.

We are proud. We are humble. We are amazing. We are Hispanic. We are proud to #BeF5.

Follow along as we share stories and highlight the voices of our Latinx Employee Inclusion Group on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. #HispanicHeritageMonth

Learn more about this monthlong celebration by visiting: https://hispanicheritagemonth.gov/

Happy Hispanic Heritage month!

About the Author

Lupita Vallejo

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