The Importance Of Latino Culture

Several course learning objectives have been met through research that relates to my service learning activity. For example, the article concerning the cultural festival in San Francisco describes the growing pressure in the United States for Latino groups to have a single “Latino identity” versus preserving cultural distinctiveness (Sommers, 1991). This idea relates to the learning objective that concerns analyzing contemporary issues that pertain to Latinos in the United States. In the United States, many people view Latinos as being solely from Mexico without acknowledging the many Latino groups that come from Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. Although there are similarities between groups, through a shared language for

I was able to learn about Latino culture through the interactions that I had with the other people at the festival. For instance, when I was given a break in between shifts, I was able to watch the performance by the Native American group. One of the performers introduced himself as having a mixed background of the indigenous Quichua people of Ecuador as well as the Taínos of Puerto Rico. I was immediately intrigued by this as I have a mixed Ecuadorian and Puerto Rican background. He explained the meanings behind the tribal dances they performed, such as a dance for women to call upon their strength, as they are important members of the tribe. He also described the importance of passing down traditions from one generation to the next as a child of the group was displaying a dance he learned from his grandfather. From this experience, I was able to learn how Latino culture is influenced by the indigenous people of those countries. I also learned how music and dance are mechanisms to pass down beliefs of one’s culture. In addition, I was viewed as a Latino expert by the people that I interacted with at the festival. One of the members of the Latin American Alliance asked the group from Millersville if we were able to speak Spanish. The ability to communicate in Spanish proved to be very useful when I helped the public locate the bathrooms, answered questions about the events, and when ordering food from the vendors. Furthermore, my understanding of Latinos has been reinforced as result from this experience. From volunteering at the festival, I was able to see the diversity of the Latino community in Lancaster, though music, food, and dance. I was able to witness a coming together of people to celebrate their own culture and share their traditions. At the same time, I was able to reinforce the idea that despite differences among the Latino community, there is a