It Takes a Village: Interview with Alex Garcia
Each year, the United States observes National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15. You can learn more and access our engagement guide here. As part of an effort to celebrate and highlight the voices and stories of our congregation, Vinna Clavo interviewed All Souls member Alex Garcia on his Puerto Rican heritage.
(Questions taken from the LifeGuide Bible Study called "Ethnic Identity: Bringing Your Full Self to God" by Steve Tamayo of Intervarsity's Latino Fellowship.)
What was it like growing up in your multiethnic/multicultural home? Any favorite memories?
“My mother raised me as a single mom away from her family in Puerto Rico and Ohio. Many of my favorite memories of my mom take place in the kitchen either cooking, eating, entertaining, laughing, etc… Always done in the kitchen.
We were a household that was not rich in finances, but rich in love. Whenever my friends walked into our home, my mom usually greeted them with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. A lot of my friends considered my mom a second mother because of how much she loved and cared for them.”
What do you admire about the Puerto Rican community and culture? What gifts does the Puerto Rican community bring to the body of Christ/the world?
“What I admire most about the Puerto Rican community is the eagerness to thrive in new places. I find this trait amongst most first generation immigrants in America. The gratitude shared amongst us for all the blessings we have is something I admire and frequently lean on when I'm going through personal struggles.”
What do you wish other people knew about the Puerto Rican community and culture?
“In the Puerto Rican community and Latin communities as a whole, the value on family and community is very different than in American culture. The motto that "it takes a village" is true in all aspects of life (i.e., raising kids, navigating careers, and aging family members). I wish that people knew how seriously we take leaning on each other to help achieve our collective happiness/success.”
What has been your personal experience when people acknowledge ethnic differences?
“For me, when people acknowledge that we have a different heritage, it means they are going to try and relate to the struggles/challenges that I have gone through in the past. This doesn't necessarily have to be my ethnic difference so much as recognizing that we come from different backgrounds and have had different experiences.”
How do you celebrate your heritage with your family and kids?
"Mostly with food. Since my mom passed in 2015, I find that cooking her and our family's recipes brings me a lot of joy and brings back a lot of great memories of being in the kitchen with my mom.”
Pictured: Alex and his wife, Choyce