Many years ago, I was bullied at work by my supervisor. He’d recently been hired as the Executive Director of Corporate Marketing, and my creative team fell under his guard. I was quite excited about his hiring as our department had been without a director for months and we were in desperate need of a visionary leader. Unfortunately, we had no idea what a terrible boss he would be.
Dominicans say “like “Cógelo con take it easy” instead of saying “Don’t worry.”, and I think that’s beautiful. As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (HMM), I find myself reflecting upon my own experience embracing the multiple ways I can identify and celebrate my heritage in the U.S., being Dominican, Hispanic, Latino, Latinx, Afro-Latino, Black, and multiracial.
Dominicans say “like “Cógelo con take it easy” instead of saying “Don’t worry.”, and I think that’s beautiful. As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (HMM), I find myself reflecting upon my own experience embracing the multiple ways I can identify and celebrate my heritage in the U.S., being Dominican, Hispanic, Latino, Latinx, Afro-Latino, Black, and multiracial.
As an Afro-Latino born in the Dominican Republic, I feel a strong connection to both my Spanish and African heritage. I was born and raised in the Dominican Republic until I was ten years old. My family immigrated to the United States in the late 80s, where I was raised in the small immigrant town of Lawrence, Massachusetts.
I was rejected by a mentor once. I was stuck in my career and desperately looking for guidance. During my one-on-one with my director (someone whom I highly respected and still do), I asked if he would consider mentoring me. I remember saying
Throughout my career, I’ve often been the only person of color on my team, department, and, on occasion, within the entire company. I sometimes wondered, as I’m sure other BIPOC individuals do, if I was actually hired for my talent or was just another token hire