Leadership message: Hispanic Heritage Month — rooted, resilient and still growing

Dear Familia,

Each year from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month — a time to recognize the histories, cultures, stories and contributions of people whose roots stretch across Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, Spain and generations of communities here in the United States.

There is no one way to look or sound Latinx, and no single story can tell all of ours.

Our skin comes in every shade. Our Spanish sounds different depending on where our families come from — and for some of us, Spanish isn’t spoken at all. The food on our tables is different. Our music, traditions, sayings, celebrations and even what we call the same foods can spark a lively debate!

We are Mexican, Colombian, Salvadoran, Puerto Rican, Guatemalan, Dominican, Cuban, Peruvian, Venezuelan, Chilean, Argentinian and so much more. We are Indigenous, Afro-Latinx, multiracial, immigrants, first generation, fifth generation — and everything in between.

Our differences are beautiful.

Yet across so many of our stories, something feels familiar.

We know how to be rooted. And we know how to be resilient.

I keep thinking about the bougainvillea plant.

It is bright, unapologetically colorful and beautiful — but don’t mistake beauty for delicacy. Bougainvillea thrives in heat, withstands dry conditions and climbs around whatever stands in its way. Given something to hold onto, it doesn’t simply survive — it spreads, climbs and fills the space around it with color.

There is something beautifully familiar about that.

Our communities have known adversity. Our families have crossed borders, started over, worked jobs that asked too much and paid too little, learned new languages and systems, built businesses, raised families, pursued education, cared for neighbors and created opportunities they may never have had themselves.

And still, we grow.

We bend when the storm requires it. We hold tightly to our roots. We reach for one another. Wherever we are planted, we find a way to bring a little more color with us.

That resilience shows up here at UC Davis Health, too.

It is in the colleague who knows familia can mean far more than the people who share your last name. It is in our physicians, nurses, researchers, technicians, analysts, administrative professionals, environmental services teams, food service workers, leaders, students and countless others who bring their experiences and perspectives to work each day.

We bring language and cultural understanding that can help a frightened patient feel less afraid. We bring fresh perspectives to problems and conversations. We bring innovation, humor, hospitality, creativity, determination and a deep understanding that caring for people often begins by making them feel seen.

And our impact extends far beyond the walls of UC Davis Health.

Latinx and Hispanic communities are deeply woven into the Sacramento region. Current estimates put Sacramento County’s Hispanic or Latino population at roughly one-quarter of the county, and organizations throughout the region recognize Hispanic businesses and entrepreneurs as an important part of Greater Sacramento’s economic strength.

We are part of the food, art, music, medicine, education, agriculture, entrepreneurship, neighborhoods and traditions that make Sacramento, well, Sacramento.

Hispanic Heritage Month isn’t only about recognizing what Latinx and Hispanic communities give.

It is also about recognizing who we are. Our joy deserves celebration just as much as our resilience.

This month, we invite everyone across UC Davis Health to celebrate with us. Learn someone’s story. Ask about a tradition. Try the food — and we mean really try the food. Stop by your local panadería, grab the concha you can’t pronounce and absolutely get those tamales from the local vendor whose number somebody’s tía gave you. Trust us, we know food!

Listen to the music. You don’t have to understand every word to know when the beat is telling you to dance. Then take time to learn the differences among our cultures instead of assuming we are all the same. Ask questions with curiosity. Learn why one family’s traditions may look completely different from another’s, even when both proudly identify as Latinx or Hispanic.

Most importantly, recognize the people beside you whose histories, families, sacrifices, traditions and experiences shape who they bring to work each day.

Our strength has never come from being the same. It comes from bringing our different roots, rhythms, flavors, stories and experiences together — and growing something even stronger because of them.

Like the bougainvillea, we are colorful. We are deeply rooted. We have weathered storms and, somehow, familia, we are still growing.

On behalf of the LSFA Executive Board — con mucho cariño, orgullo y gratitud.

Kristina Guzman
IT Business Operations Facility Manager 
Chair, Latinx Staff and Faculty Association (LSFA)