Honoring Hispanic Heritage: Eli Guajardo
From Sunday, September 15 to October 15, our nation celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month, which honors the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The observation was started in 1968 under President Lyndon Johnson as Hispanic Heritage Week and expanded under President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period. The September 15 start day is especially notable as it marks the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence on September 16 and September 18, respectively. Toward the end of the 30-day celebration, October 12 is Columbus Day or Día de la Raza or Indigenous Peoples Day, a controversial date to some.
The theme for 2024’s National Hispanic Heritage Month is “Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together”, and in honor of the month, we asked All Souls Fellowship congregants of descent from three different Hispanic countries their thoughts on the holiday, their heritage, and commemorating their culture in their respective lives.
Interview with Eli Guajardo:
Eli and his parents in 1988.
Please tell us which country you or your family descend from.
“Mexico.”
When did you or your family come to the United States and why?
“My grandparents immigrated to Texas in the 1970s to give my parents better educational opportunities. They knew that their children's English speaking abilities would only improve by being immersed among native speakers. My grandmother on my father's side had to convince my grandfather to immigrate. Perhaps her intuition told her that life along the southern border would only become more precarious in the coming decades.”
Living in Decatur, what reminds you of that country?
“Atlanta as a whole has a varied Latino population. If one wants to see the variety of cultures and regions that reside in Mexico, you can get a glimpse of it by visiting Plaza Fiesta in eastern Brookhaven.”
Food is so essential to all of us and our experiences and upbringing. Do you have a favorite dish or local restaurant that you can share?
“I recommend La Hacienda's Tlalpeño soup. The restaurant is across the street from the Trader Joe’s in Midtown. Sopa Tlapeño is a roasted chicken and veggie blend in a chipotle pepper broth. “
Language is also vital to our experiences. How important is it to you for your children to be bilingual?
“Extremely important. I hope that by making them bilingual it will facilitate their ability to learn additional languages. Linguistic relativity hypothesizes that language influences how we perceive the world. If there is validity in that, what better way is there to help one see the world through another's eyes and foster understanding.”
With the theme for this year being ‘Shaping the Future’, how would you like to see your heritage honored into the future?
“When I became a dad, I needed a way to supplement and reinforce the Spanish skills I was teaching my kids beyond using the everyday phrases that dealt with routine tasks. To accomplish this, I began to listen to many Latin American musicians with repertories of Spanish language kid’s music. I'd like to pay homage to my heritage and the Latin community more broadly by hosting a Spanish-language children's music concert at the performing arts venue I manage. The idea is still in its infancy, but it would probably be some sort of collaboration between the music department and the Spanish and Portuguese department at Emory University.”
Anything else you’d like to share (books, Bible verses, music, art recommendations)?
“Also known as La Luna de America, Ana Gabriel is a Mexican singer and songwriter whose music I very much enjoy.”