Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month As A Family @FordEspanol @PBS #LatinosPBS #LatinosFord

*This is part of a compensated campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and Ford.  However, all opinions expressed are my own.

My husband, his paternal Cuban grandparents, my son, and my husband’s uncle at my son’s Baptism.

    Family is very important in the Latino culture.  We pride ourselves on always being there for one another and passing down our customs and heritage from one generation to the next.  In our home, our sons are blessed to be mixed with Spaniard, Cuban, and Puerto Rican.  My husband and I think it is important for both of them to know about their roots so we work very hard to instill these cultural values in them throughout the whole year but especially during Hispanic Heritage Month.

    All of our grandparents migrated to the United States with the hopes of creating better opportunities for their children and for future generations.  My grandparents actually moved to Venezuela from Spain and lived there for many years working and saving money to come to America.  They struggled with very little money and two children but managed to persevere due to the promise of a new life in the United States of America.

My son and both his maternal and paternal great-grandmothers on his first birthday.

    My husband’s maternal grandparents came here from Puerto Rico as teenagers and were basically left to fend for themselves.  They learned early on what it meant to have a lot of responsibility.  His paternal grandparents left Cuba to escape Castro’s regime and came to this country with just the clothes on their back and one duffel bag each.  They left everything behind in Cuba in the hopes of finding a better life.

    Spending time together as a family is extremely important to us.  It allows us to love and appreciate one another and to pass down, through oral traditions, the stories of our families.  Ford Motor Company is a proud member of the Hispanic community and is honored to be involved in the Latino Americans series on PBS.  This three-part, six-hour series is aimed at preserving the history and experiences of Latinos and their contributions in North America over the last 500 years.

    The series resonates with our family because it documents how Hispanics overcame obstacles in order to achieve better lives for their families through immigration and renovation.  Latino Americans will feature interviews with Puerto Rican star of West Side Story, Rita Moreno who is a living legend in the Latino community.  Additionally, Mexican-American author and commentator Linda Chavez, who also became the highest ranking woman in the Reagan White House, will be sharing her stories of heritage and triumph in the face of adversity along with Cuban singer and entrepreneur Gloria Estefan.

LATINO AMERICANS will air on PBS on September 17th, September 24th, and October 1st from 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. (EST).

LATINO AMERICANS will premiere in Spanish on Vme TV with a new chapter every Friday at 10 pm EST, beginning September 20 through October 25. For local listings, please visit www.vmetv.com.

To learn more about Ford and their support of the Hispanic community like Ford en Español on Facebook or follow Ford en Español on Twitter @fordespanol.

Let’s Discuss:  How do you preserve cultural traditions in your family?

Disclosure:  This is part of a compensated campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and Ford.  However, all opinions expressed are my own.  I only recommend products or services I use personally and I believe will be “family friendly.” I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

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