Celebrating Our Hispanic Heritage | The Zoo

Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to celebrate and reflect on our Latinidad. When it comes to our Latino heritage, there’s a lot to take pride in. Here at LATV we celebrate these cultural legacies all year round!

Hosts Anakaren Lopez and Humberto Guida of The Zoo took a moment to share how and when they learned to be proud of their heritage. Growing up in a Mexican household in LA and a Cuban household in Miami respectively, our “zooples” know what it’s like to be at the center of their family’s roots mixing with broader American culture.

“I didn’t know a lick of English in kindergarten…it was just a cold front of ‘you need to know English, you need to be such-and-such way’ that I felt like I needed to assimilate.” – Anakaren Lopez

Assimilating to the mainstream culture is a pressure felt by many Latinos. Sometimes it is self-imposed out of feeling different, and sometimes it is encouraged by parents with the hope of making life easier to navigate. Though these intentions are often well meaning, they also risk alienating critical parts of our identity. We need to be thought of as 200%ers, meaning we are 100% American and 100% Latin.

“I grew up in a neighborhood that was 90% Cuban, so I kind of rebelled against it. I would tell my family ‘well I’m American, you guys are Cuban’ and I would listen to rock-n-roll and play American Football.” – Humberto Guida

Our environment plays a big role is how we see ourselves, and given that we spend more time online than ever before, the media we consume can play an outsized role on our worldview. Though we’ve seen more successes and the rise in Latin-led shows such as Cobra Kai or the recent Lincoln Lawyer, there have been many other beloved series that may not have realized their full potential such as Batgirl. Cultural visibility is an ongoing battle that can benefit from a change of scenery from time to time.

“It wasn’t until I moved out to LA and I started working with Mexicans, Mexican-Americans that speak more Spanish…My Spanish has slightly improved, so my Dad and my Grandmother extend their thanks to my Mexican-American friends.” – HG

It is our hope that this Hispanic Heritage Month you can carry all of your cultural ties with confidence and pride. For this full episode and more LATV shows, be sure to download the LATV + app now available on app stores.