Happy October! The month of pumpkins, soups, and Hispanic Heritage Month. As educational leaders, in October we feel optimistic, like we can still handle it all 😉, and our very full calendars show this. So, let’s start this letter with a celebration.
Hispanic Heritage celebration in the United States is in its fifty-sixth year. The first Hispanic Heritage recognition started in 1968 when President Lyndon Johnson signed this week-long celebration into law. Later President Ronald Reagan changed it to a month-long celebration from September 15 through October 15 to align with significant historical events involving several Latin American countries. Hispanic Heritage Month is a recognition of the history, culture, language, and contributions of Hispanic and Latinx people representing 21 different countries, including: Mexico, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Honduras, Ecuador, Chile, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Colombia, El Salvador, Panama, Nicaragua, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Uruguay, Paraguay, Equatorial Guinea, and Spain. There is no shortage of history, contributions, and stories of bravery that can be brought into the curriculum!
The Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS) aligns their national conference with Hispanic Heritage Month, and this year they are convening in Portland, Oregon, in my backyard! I am excited to share that I, along with my dear friend Dr. Danna Diaz, former Oregon Superintendent, will be co-leading a session about the decentralization and empowerment work being led by the Puerto Rico Department of Education. As a child in New York City, I was immersed in the history of Puerto Rico, but since my childhood days have been in few spaces that talk about this part of the United States. In fact, up to 40% of Americans do not know that Puerto Ricans on the island are U.S. citizens. Please join our session if you are at the ALAS Conference.
I also invite you to listen in on an Equity Leader Conversation I had recently with Dr. Dani Portillo, Superintendent of the Roosevelt School District in Arizona, this month’s feature. The Roosevelt School District, like many districts in Arizona, is in a part of South Phoenix with a large Hispanic population. Dani shares her perspectives on community engagement and empowerment, systems design, and leading with great love.
I was on a call recently with CEOs of Hispanic-owned businesses and heard some striking updates about both the economic impact and the continued social conditions of Hispanic-owned businesses in the United States. Hispanics currently own 33.2% of small businesses in the U.S., but 37% cannot access adequate funding to stay in business. One in four new businesses today are Hispanic-owned, and overall Hispanic-owned businesses contribute 700 billion dollars to the U.S. economy annually. What these numbers tell us is that there is tremendous economic power among the Hispanic community as a collective, but there is still tremendous systemic bias in the access to business financing for Hispanic-owned businesses, which is also true for all People of Color owned businesses in the U.S. A policy area certainly that still needs attention.
Finally, I want to be sure to invite Superintendents and Board members to attend or to sponsor a woman leader on your Cabinet to attend the upcoming Tech, Power and Equity conference in Phoenix, Arizona from January 23-25, 2025. Take a look at our conference website for the amazing speakers and sessions we have planned that bring together education leaders and technology leaders to talk about the role and work women can lead in the AI in Education space. Join us for a time of learning, sharing, and collaboration! This woman-centered space is meant to encourage and support more women to learn about Artificial Intelligence, especially as non-technologists focused on equity and innovations in public education. Besides, we’ll be in Phoenix, where the food and vistas are spectacular!
With Great Love!
Christina
