Hispanic Heritage Month began in the San Diego Unified School District, Friday, with a first-of-its-kind Latinx/e flag.
The district held a ceremony at the Brucker Administration building in University Heights. The event was run completely by students from several campuses who shared their culture and pride.
Michael Luciano Bernal,13, is a seventh-grade student at the Golden Hill K-8 School.
“When we think of diversity, we think of the characteristics that make us who we are. The characteristics that our parents and grandparents taught us, desde que éramos bebés (since we were babies)," Bernal said.
The new flag is supported by the district's administration and a team of educators who designed it. The design features the palm of a hand representing the cultures of several Latin American countries that won their independence on dates in both September and October.
Hispanic Heritage Month runs from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15.
The Latinx flag includes the Spanish word "orgullo," which means pride.
“We wanted to find an image that represents all of that. There’s not necessarily a Latinx flag out there. (The design) includes the flags of several countries in the shape of a hand to show unity," said Haydee Zavala, an instructional coordinator for Equity and Belonging Programs at all campuses.
The flag-raising event included music performed by the mariachi band from Hoover High School. Several other students of Hispanic heritage represented Madison High School and Taft Middle School as well as Golden Hill K-8.
Some students shared personal stories of their family's sacrifices in order for them to attend school and go on to higher education.
The students talked about their challenging history, too.
“They may have tried to erase our culture. They may have tried to erase our traditions and our language. They tried to bury our cultura (culture), our gente (people), and our voices. But we are a pride-filled resilient community. We push through," said Adelina Ramirez, 16, who attends San Diego High School and serves on the district's racial justice and equality committee.
