Hispanic Heritage Month: No right answer, just a personal meaning

In celebration of this, we asked local Hispanics, both in the public eye and not, as well as some celebrities Conexión has talked to in the past few months, for their opinion on what being Latino means to them.

Here’s some of what they had to say:
 
‘It’s a big puffy quinceañera dress. It’s loving sushi, but giving it up for a big bowl of menudo. It’s Selena and Ritchie Valens — YES! They made it! It’s realizing for the first time where barbacoa comes from and eating it anyway. It’s tamales on Christmas Eve. It’s speaking only English or only Spanish but most of the time it’s just speaking Spanglish. It’s making my family proud. For me, it’s being so amazingly proud of where I come from.’
 — Kristina Guerrero,
E! News reporter and host
 
‘Pride in knowing we persevere better than most anyone!’
— Gustavo Arrellano,
author and creator of syndicated column ‘Ask A Mexican!’

‘Being Latina means I am part of a culture whose members share a language, some of us share a history, but each member offers a story only they can tell. The term Latino is so broad, but being Mexican-American, specifically, means I’m living in one culture but am still rooted in another.’
— Sylvia Carrizales,
Our Lady of the Lake University public relations officer

‘To me, being Latino means being proud to be specific about where I’m from, so it really means I’m proud to be a Chicano artist. Being Chicano these days to me means that my artwork, my comedy, comes from a certain perspective and finally reaches to Latinos of all nationalities and Americans of all backgrounds.’
— Lalo Alcaraz,
nationally syndicated cartoonist and author

‘When I think of what it means to be Latino the first thing that enters my mind is family, going back to the generations before us that struggled and persevered to provide the best opportunities for their loved ones to hopefully achieve the American Dream.’
— Michael Druck,
San Antonio-based filmmaker and producer

‘We’re a proud group of people whose ancestors are survivors. We are believers, who are filled with the strength and hope of those who came before for us and paved the way for our dreams.’
— Rita Moreno,
Oscar-winning actress and award-winning entertainer

‘To me, being Latino means making new friends and talking to old ones in one of our unique languages: Spanglish or Tex-Mex. Coolest thing, no translator required.’
— Thomas David,
Brackenridge High School math teacher

‘For me, it’s greatly about family... when I boil down to who I really am, it has a lot to do with west San Antonio and the family ties there... The influence of the Latino reality for me has shaped my outlook on my public service and business in the sense that it’s a big part of my persona.’
— Henry Cisneros,
former mayor of San Antonio

‘Being a Latino means having pride, honor and respect for my family, its heritage and my culture.’
— Ron Hernandez,
local hip hop producer and promoter