National Hispanic American Heritage month (September 15 – October 15) is celebrated to pay tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced our nation and society. The nation celebrates this through various events. We honor and celebrate the Latino community as a vital part of the Washington State Patrol. The Washington state Business Resource Group, Latino Leadership Network (LLN) is hosting several events to celebrate the month, as follows:

Tuesday, Sept. 28, noon – 1 p.m.

• LLN member Nohemy Solórzano-Thompson will highlight a set of influential 21^st century feature-length fiction films from Latin America, primarily focusing on cinema from Argentina, Brazil, the Caribbean, Chile, Mexico, and Venezuela. For more information, click here.

Thursday, Oct. 7, noon – 1 p.m.

• LLN will join with the Rainbow Alliance and Inclusion Network to present a panel discussion On Being LGBTQ+ and Latino/a/e/x: Exploring the intersection of race and gender. Download the meeting link here

Tuesday, Oct. 12, noon – 1 p.m.

• Our final Membership Meeting of 2021 will close out the month of cultural observation. Read our newsletter or check our web page for announcements about guest speakers. Join the meeting here. Visit the Latino Leadership Network webpage to add the meeting to your calendar.

You can start your celebration right now! The state Parks Department has cultivated a rich collection of cultural performances as part of the Parks Folk & Traditional Arts Program. Start your virtual Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration with the video performance of Trio Borikuas. They play Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Afro-Caribbean tunes with a focus on traditional styles.