Reflections on Filipino-American Identity

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The month of October in the U.S. is recognized as Filipino-American History Month and commemorates the arrival of the first Filipinos to North America. The following blog post was contributed by Keanu Gaite, Program Associate for International Visitor Leadership Program Collaborative Services at the Meridian Center for Global Leadership.  For most of my life, I have identified as Filipino. No hyphen. No Filipino-“American.” I would wear hats with “Pinoy” across the brim and shirts embossed with the Philippine flag, presents from titos and titas (also known as uncles and aunts) when they returned from trips to the islands.   But at some point, this cultural pride started to dim. I came to question how connected to...

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A Personal Reflection on the Complexity of Hispanic Heritage Month

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The following blog post was contributed by Kezia McKeague, Director of Latin America Practice at McLarty Associates. As the daughter of a Latin American immigrant to the United States, I applaud the intent of “Hispanic Heritage Month,” even as I often tire of the platitudes so frequently associated with it.  The goal of the annual celebration, as originally conceived in 1968, was to honor the long history of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. These are worthy objectives, to be sure, but we need more than clichés about Hispanic culture to recognize the contributions and needs of the largest minority group in the...

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Improving Partnerships and Collaboration in Cybersecurity

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Cybersecurity experts from Africa celebrate the completion of their IVLP project

In May of this year, for the first time ever the GasBuddy mobile app earned the achievement of most downloaded on the U.S. App Store. Overall, total downloads increased almost 20 fold compared to an average day earlier in the year. This was not simply a huge influx of people who wanted to see if they could save an extra three cents a gallon. Rather, a cyber attack on the Colonial Pipeline, the largest fuel pipeline in the U.S., caused a surge of panic buying amidst fears of an impending gas shortage. In early September, Howard University in Washington,...

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Rethinking Hispanic Heritage Month

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Rethinking Hispanic/Latino/a Heritage Month

The United States is home to 60 million Latino residents who play a crucial role in strengthening ties across the Americas. This month, we are amplifying Latino voices and the many contributions this diverse community has made to diplomacy, sustainability, and beyond. Origin of the “Hispanic” Narrative In 1976, the U.S. Congress passed the only law in this country’s history that mandated the collection and analysis of data for a specific ethnic group: Americans of Spanish origin or descent. The Nixon administration coined the term “Hispanic” to gather data about the Latino community, which reduced about 15 regions in...

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