Portland Public Schools: Celebrating Latino Heritage Month

Press release from Portland Public Schools:

September 15, 2021

Dear Families, Students and Colleagues,

Today begins Latino Heritage Month, an annual opportunity to celebrate and recognize the power of our multiracial Latinx community—past, present and future.

Growing up in the Bay Area and Central Valley of California, gratefully, my early school experience was filled with many positive opportunities for cultural and linguistic affirmation. As a child of Mexican immigrants, I felt seen by my educators and I saw myself reflected in the daily lessons and in the stories we shared. I found tremendous joy in my school experience.

As we honor the enormous contributions that Latinx have made across our community and throughout the generations in every aspect of society, I want to thank our Latinx educators, staff and community partners for your contribution in building a more inclusive and welcoming learning experience for students to thrive in PPS. 

Over the next month, in particular, our school communities will identify creative ways to honor, recognize and celebrate Latino heritage. My hope as superintendent of our schools is that every one of our students has many opportunities, as I did in my youth, to experience the feeling of having their heritage and background celebrated and also to learn more about the diverse community in which we live. Please know that as leader of Oregon’s largest school district, it is a priority of mine, and a responsibility we all share, to continue to take steps towards preparing our students, as our community outlined in our district vision, to realize the elements in our Graduate Portrait.

Con orgullo,

Guadalupe GuerreroSuperintendent of Portland Public Schools

*For a reference list of educational resources, please see:

• Latinx Heritage Month Teaching Resources to Use All Year Long
• Hispanic Heritage Month Resources | Latino Center 
• Latinx Heritage Month Resources | Teach For America
• NPS Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month, Educators Portal, and More
• Uplifting Hispanic Americans during Hispanic Heritage Month and Beyond

This press release was produced by Portland Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.