National Hispanic Heritage Month, which is celebrated from September 15 through October 15, honors the cultures and contributions of Hispanic and Latinx Amercians. The start date is significant because it marks the anniversary of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Additionally, Mexico and Chili celebrate their independence on September 16 and 18, respectively.
Throughout this period, Somos Seismic, our Hispanic and Latinx Community of Belonging (CoB), hosted numerous events to bring awareness, education, and excitement to the global Seismic community. Throughout the month, Somos hosted in-office lunches that were catered by local Hispanc/Latinx-owened restaurants. The group also hosted a digital game show with questions about Hispanic and Latin American history and culture.
Additionally, Somos held a fireside chat with author and associate professor Dr. Delia Fernandez-Jones to discuss the contributions of civil rights leaders Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. To learn more about Somos and what they hope their colleagues learned this month, I chatted with two of its members, Jacob Lopez and Sergio Toranzo. Check out what they had to say below!
Tony: Why is it so important to have the Somos Seismic Community?
Jacob: I think Seismic has really tried to prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). We have a diverse employee base, and for those of us who are minorities it’s important for us to have a safe space where we can all feel like we belong. When the opportunity and need came about, it was really important for me to participate. I wanted to give back to my community since I grew up in a diverse and predominantly Black and Hispanic town.
Sergio: In general, achieving diversity in the workplace is an uphill climb. It can be a slow (and sometimes painful) journey to get to the end. Until we get there, it’s important to have spaces where minorities and people of different cultural backgrounds can find and connect with others who are like them, who think like them, and feel like them. I can say from personal experiences, software companies and startups in general are predominantly white and male dominated, so it can be really hard to fit in. Regardless of your cultural background, we all deal a little bit with imposter syndrome, and it’s really hard to just feel like you belong. It helps to know there’s someone there that you can reach out to who has similar shared experiences. It’s refreshing to have a group of people who just understand certain situations or challenges.
Tony: What’s something special that you do to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month?
Jacob: Honestly, I think Hispanic Heritage Month is really more of an Americanized celebration. Because we’re so diverse, we’re finally giving Hispanic and Latinx communities a month of celebration. So, I didn’t really celebrate it growing up. But now, I’m grateful that here at Seismic we’re able to share our emotions and different feelings on being Hispanic and Latinx. I never realized just how important that celebration was. There’s so much culture, diversity, and celebration for Hispanic people. It’s a great time as a collective community to celebrate and shine a light on everyone’s cultures.
Sergio: Growing up, I lived in a large Hispanic community, and the culture was a pretty big deal, especially at school. Hispanic Heritage Month was a time when my Hispanic teachers would teach us about the things that they didn’t have the chance to learn when they were younger. So during Hispanic Heritage Month (and other cultural celebrations) we’d celebrate iconic and historical figures and learn about cultural milestones that really impacted our community.
Now that I’m older, I wear my culture on my sleeve. I highlight Hispanic creators, movies, television, and writers whenever I have the chance. I want to make sure that there is more than one viewpoint out there that highlights the areas where we are being represented because it’s easier to complain about the ways we aren’t represented. In my mind, I’m a micro-influencer who can help build up excitement and shed light on all of the different things that Hispanic people create.
Tony: How does Somos Seismic plan the events that you hosted this month?
Jacob: There was a lot going on for me both personally and professionally when it came time to plan our events. So, this was really a big team collaboration. A lot of leaders stepped up to be that extra pair of hands that I needed, and I’m so thankful for my team. It wouldn’t have been as successful if it wasn’t for everyone who was involved.
Sergio: To echo what Jacob said, I think it all really does stem from collaboration. The biggest thing I’ve learned from being part of Somos and our other CoBs is that there’s power in collaboration. We’ve learned that the most helpful thing to do when planning these events is get together and collaborate with other CoB leaders on what’s worked well for them and what hasn’t.
One thing that I think resonated well early on was something that our former co-chair, Isa, did. She put together these care packages for us that had some swag with candy from different Hispanic cultures and a letter that explained why we were celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. That came directly from a Somos monthly meeting where we discussed different snacks and candy that each culture gravitated towards. We took the idea of exciting people with swag from other CoBs and then put our own spin on it using our group’s direct feedback and conversation. The fact that Isa took the time to hand-make these packages was also huge.
Tony: What do you hope that our colleagues have learned from this past month?
Jacob: I think there’s a lot to learn. Right now, we’re trying to shed light on our culture to the greater Seismic team. We’re a community that wants to feel like we’re no different than everyone else. It’s not only a place for Hispanic and Latinx people, but it’s also a place for allies who want to celebrate the success and cultures within our community. Yes, we talk about some of the nitty gritty topics, and we also want to educate each other and have fun. We also want to have that outreach and attract more amazing and talented people to Seismic.
Sergio: Like Jacob’s said, we want everyone to understand why we demand visibility, representation, and respect. At the end of the day, all of our CoBs are a place to raise awareness, share different ways people can get involved with the community, and shed light on topics that some people might not know much about. For me, it’s all about creating that space for education and making it something that people actively want to participate in.
Happy National Hispanic Heritage Month
As we near the end of Hispanic Heritage Month, we’d especially like to thank our Hispanic and Latinx Community of Belonging for bringing these opportunities to learn, celebrate, and grow to the entire Seismic community. If you’re interested in learning more about Seismic, you’re in luck – we’re hiring. See our latest openings here.
