Minnesota Celebrates Cultural Diversity with Hispanic Heritage Month

Transcript

[sound element: NSS intro theme]

HOST: This is North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live. Today in Minnesota…

ANCHOR: …A police officer from Southeastern Minnesota strikes it rich. Then, Minnesota celebrates its cultural diversity with the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month. And, a much-needed animal shelter in North Central Minnesota is much closer to reality.

I'm Gracie J.

A police officer from southeastern Minnesota is a hundred thousand dollars richer. The officer, who lives in Caledonia, matched four numbers in the Powerball earlier this month. Anyone who wins 10-thousand dollars or more can remain anonymous. But the officer agreed to let the lottery share some of his information with the public. He says he's planning to buy a new car, go on a nice vacation, see the ocean for the first time, and buy himself a nice set of golf clubs.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, free help is available at 1-800-GAMBLER.

In today's main story, the middle of September marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month. A time to recognize the contributions of immigrants from the different countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Reporter Frankie Felegy talks to community members and leaders about how they are celebrating this year.

Frankie Felegy: Melissa Gomez Romo and Pablo Romo gather at a picnic bench with cervezas and new friends. A DJ spills upbeat Latino music into the evening sky, kicking off National Hispanic Heritage Month in this authentic taqueria in Duluth, now officially two years old. Nestled along the North Shore of Lake Superior, Oasis Del Norte has become a gathering spot of sorts, and not just on its business anniversaries or on National Hispanic Heritage Month. Here's Pablo, who is from Mexico, praising the owner of this place.

Pablo Romo: Had it not been for Ed, Oasis Del Norte putting on these like cultural events like, you know, we wouldn't feel as home as we do now.

Frankie Felegy: Folks dance to the DJ's mix, laughing among friends. They enjoy carne asada, tortas, authentic tacos, food that tastes a lot like home. People catch up in Spanish in front of Pablo and Melissa's teenage kids.

Melissa Romo: I think it's really important for my kids to experience this. Duluth isn't a big cultural hub, and our heritage is Mexican and Salvadoran. And I think it's just important for them to get to know their culture and to actually hear Spanish.

Frankie Felegy: Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated every year from September 15 to October 15. Those dates align with many Hispanic Independence Days across the world.

Ruby Azurdia Lee: That is celebrated to honor our cultures, honor our traditions, and honor the Latino community.

Frankie Felegy: That's Ruby Azurdia Lee, president of CLUES: Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio. Latino Communities United in Service.

Ruby Azurdia Lee: We use cultural celebrations as a tool for building community resilience and strength. Cultural celebrations also help us build a sense of belonging, where community can come together and really feel that civic engagement to Minnesota.

Frankie Felegy: Azurdia Lee says this month re-emphasizes how important celebrating Latino culture is for our hearts and for our health. “La cultura cura,” she says. Culture heals you. Doris Waletzko knows this well. She moved to the area from Peru over two decades ago. She wants to see more acceptance from Midwesterners,

Doris Waletzko: Different customs, different things that we can learn from each other, and that's something that should never stop.

Frankie Felegy: She keeps her family's culture alive here in the Midwest as best she can.

Doris Waletzko: The music, the food, the connections that you keep alive. It's being me. Culture is being me.

Frankie Felegy: Culture is being you. La cultura es ser tú. For North Star Stories, I'm Frankie Felegy.

ANCHOR: You are listening to North Star Stories.

Great Tails Animal Rescue in North Central Minnesota says it will open its doors to an animal shelter in February of next year. Right now, animals in the area up for adoption have to stay with foster families. Once completed, it will be the only permanent physical animal shelter in Itasca County. Residents recently recognized Great Tails as the best place to volunteer and the best non-profit organization in the county. The shelter is currently looking for volunteers to serve on its board. Anyone interested in volunteering or adopting an animal can find more information online at GreatTailsAnimalRescue.com.

[sound element: NSS outro theme]

HOST: North Star Stories is produced by AMPERS, diverse radio for Minnesota's communities, with support from the McKnight Foundation and the State of Minnesota. Online at ampers dot org.