This is part of a compensated campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and Ford. However, all opinions expressed are my own.
Did you happen to watch Part 2 of the amazing series Latino Americans on PBS last week? My family did. My daughter furiously took notes in her little notepad, while my son curled up next to me as I typed away on my little laptop tweeting remarkable facts from the show and sharing my opinion and pieces of my own family's history. My daughter asked me questions like, "How many of our family members were in the military?"
She watched it again via the PBS website, fine-tuning her notes and then putting together her "article" titled, Me and Mexico (Ouch! The grammar hurts my eyes, but she uses the proper "Mexico and I" phrase in the body of the article. She just likes the way the title looks.) In it, she talks about her connection to Mexico and then goes on to share some of the stories of the Latinos featured in the film. She researched Marcario García on wikipedia and watched the video over again on the PBS website.
I really love her desire for learning about our culture and her passionate pride in being a Latina. I've had a family member accuse me of turning my back on our culture because I married a "gringo" and moved away from family. But when I look at my children and see how they enjoy learning about my childhood and our heritage, I know that isn't true.
I know, though, that their knowledge of our heritage rests on my shoulders, which is why I'm so thankful to find resources like this show that help me nurture and educate my children.
Tonight is the final episode of the 3-part series. Latino Americans airs on PBS at 8 pm ET. Will you be watching? If so, I hope you'll join me on Twitter and share your thoughts about the show. I'll be live tweeting my own thoughts and passing on information from the show for those who aren't able to watch themselves.
We'll learn about more Latinos who have overcome obstacles in order to live the American dream and make a better life for themselves and their families. We'll continue to be amazed by the stories of our ancestors and wonder why we haven't heard their stories before. As in the previous episodes, the show will feature interviews with some of the most accomplished and famous Latino Americans today.
Once again, I have to say how grateful I am to PBS, Ford, and all the other companies who have made this series available to the entire nation. Isn't it about time we see our role in U.S. history acknowledged and shared? Isn't it time for the contributions of our ancestors to be recognized and honored? And isn't it a shame that it has taken so long for this series to be written and produced when such a significant percentage of the population is of Latino heritage?
I was reading the information sheet that comes with this campaign on Latino Americans and one of the lines that caught my eye was this one: Ford Motor Company is a proud member of the Hispanic community and as such is honored to be involved in the Latino Americans series on PBS.
And I had to wonder: How many companies are willing to make such a statement given the current controversial immigration and bilingual education issues? Bravo, Ford. I'm happy to support you back by liking your Ford en Español Facebook page and following you on Twitter. Maybe more companies across the country will follow your lead and continue to fund educational programming that gives our community a voice.
