As Hispanic Heritage Month enters its 55th year, a 2022 study by researchers from Johns Hopkins University and the national Latino advocacy organization UnidosUS serves as a reminder of just how important the celebration remains. The study examined high school textbooks in seven states, five with the largest Latino student population and two with the smallest —and found that just 12 percent covered important Latino history topics.
Such visibility can pave the way for awareness, inclusivity and shared celebration.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH
Hispanic Heritage Month was inaugurated in 1968 by President Lyndon Johnson as a week-long celebration and took its modern form in 1988 when President Ronald Reagan extended it to a full month. Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15th to October 15th because the week-long event was originally designed to coincide with the national independence days of Mexico and a handful of Central and South American countries, including Guatemala, Costa Rica and Chile.
This makes the work of Fivetran’s Unidos employee resource group all the more important. The data movement platform’s ERG for Hispanic and Latinx employees and allies is preparing a tech-forward history-focused event for Hispanic Heritage Month, one that includes both its employees in the United States and those across the globe. Zeke Becerra, a customer business representative and member of the Unidos ERG board, spoke with Built In San Francisco about the celebration and how Fivetran’s international team is getting involved.
Fivetran’s data movement platform is designed to automate the most time-consuming aspects of the extract, transform and load process.
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, what is Fivetran doing this year to celebrate and honor the cultures and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans throughout history?
We are fortunate at Fivetran to have a leadership team that supports various employee resource groups, including the Unidos ERG. The Unidos ERG’s mission is to unite the Hispanic and Latinx community and allies at Fivetran and promote cultural awareness, foster professional development and create a safe space for the community.
This year for Hispanic Heritage Month, we have partnered with a vendor who provides virtual tours of the experiences of some Hispanic and Latinx immigrants who came to America, highlighting historic places and points of interest as well as their lasting impact in those locations. It’s not just a sit-back-and-watch tour — there will be trivia throughout. We are very excited to provide this experience and are counting on a fun time.
We have partnered with a vendor who provides virtual tours of the experiences of some Hispanic and Latinx immigrants who came to America.”
What other activities or charitable initiatives do you have planned for Hispanic Heritage Month?
I am on the board of the Unidos ERG, and as we are a global company, one of our key considerations is inclusivity. To that end, we’ve made it a point to reach out to our colleagues in other regions of the world who identify as Hispanic or Latinx, or who consider themselves allies, and include them both on our board and as members. One of our newest additions to the board is our lead for the EMEA region, Lydia. In short, Lydia is amazing and she brings so much positive energy and enthusiasm to our ERG. It has been such a joy getting to know her and working with her. This is further proof that every effort at inclusivity matters and that the results are positive!
Lydia has been instrumental in engaging employees in our EMEA region, and as a result we’ve gained members and allies internationally. She will be organizing the viewing party for HHM in EMEA at our Dublin office, and early next year she will guide our ERG’s initiative to educate folks on — and celebrate — Carnival. We will also feature profiles of some members of our ERG in our social channels during HHM, so keep your eyes peeled.
