Now what? Many don’t stop and think about how Latinos are represented the rest of the year. Or better yet, the lack of representation and promotion. We attended 2 events on the last day of Hispanic Heritage month, and couldn’t attend another event, and this was just in NYC. We all know that it’s impossible to be in multiple places at once, but numerous events back-to-back are unnecessary when there’s another 11 months to highlight the amazing things we’re doing.
Preparing to speak at an event takes time and consumes emotional energy while networking, aside from that knot in your stomach due to nerves and anxiety. Multiply that for those showcasing products needing physical energy to take things from point a to point b. And good luck with the cellular/Wi-Fi service trying to complete a transaction. The list does go on, but this is to really stop and think about how taxing it is to attend multiple events in a short amount of time.
While the Latino community is very appreciative of all the opportunities, it’s overwhelming to schedule everything in one month and many times, with short notice. Nothing is worse than being rushed into a last-minute highlight of a Latino ______ fill in the blank. And as a consumer, you want to be supportive, but can’t financially support everyone during the one month that some products and services are available and discounted.
How can companies celebrate Hispanic heritage?
The answer to this is actually very simple. Include Hispanic/ Latinx heritage all year round so that you don’t feel pressured to do something grand. And no, going to happy hour for Cinco de Mayo does not cut it.
Reach out to your Latino employees at least six months prior to Latinx heritage month and involve them with enough time to participate. No Latino employees?! I’ve got questions. . .
- Create a plan on including Latinos in other events. For example, breast cancer awareness month coincides with Hispanic/Latinx heritage so one of the stories could feature a Latina survivor or a Latinx brand that features a product relating to breast cancer. Another example is Women’s History Month, which includes International Women’s Day. You see where we’re going with this.
- Think about the holidays Latinos celebrate.
What holidays do Latinos celebrate
When it comes to the holidays, the major ones Latinos celebrate are Día de Los Muertos and Three Kings’ Day. There are Independence days and religious observances too, but those vary by country.
A huge part of the culture are celebrations such as baby showers, baptisms, birthdays, and of course, Quinceañeras.
And now the plug for our brand…
Here at Decorate for the Culture ®️ we are all about celebrating all year long. We have several downloadable party designs available which include dolls that come in different skin shades. We refer to these skin shades as flavors because the Latino culture has so many rich flavors seen in our language, music, and the obvious, food. It’s also important to us that our designs are available in English, Spanish and Spanglish. The party themes are available for download. Look:
This post is about highlighting the need to showcase how Latinos celebrate all year round with examples of how companies can take initiative. The bonus is seeing our Latina party supplies and accessories brand.