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#WhatLatinoMeansToMe: Love.

On September 15th, I noticed a tweet in my feed with the hashtag: #WhatLatinoMeansToMe. I was intrigued and clicked the link included. It led me to a post written by a group of Latinos on the BuzzFeed staff, that introduced the hashtag as a way for Latinos across the nation to share what it means to them personally.
I was inspired by the direct, to-the-point and authentic way Latinos could participate in Hispanic Heritage Month by using social media to tell their story. I immediately began scrolling through the hundreds of tweets and felt a connection, a sense of unity, with the Latinos sharing their stories.

Hispanic Heritage Month is all about storytelling. Hispanic Heritage Month is sharing your story, our story, and remembering the generations that came before us. My story starts in the 1950s, years before I was born, in Panama City, Panama, where my grandparents met and fell in love.
Richard Gibbs, my grandfather, was a brown-haired, blue-eyed, twenty-something American soldier stationed in Panama and performed deep, underwater welding on the Canal. He grew up on a farm in Michigan, was painfully shy and to categorize him as an introvert would be an understatement. He was a hard worker and relished in the quiet time the deep sea provided him while he worked.
Linda Médica, my grandmother, was a blonde-haired, brown-eyed bombshell that was at the height of her career as an award-winning actress and singer in Panama. She performed on stage and on the radio, always wore heels and had a chauffeur. She was independent, confident and to categorize her as an extrovert would be an understatement. Her presence commanded attention. She knew how to work a room and was business-savvy.
If there were ever two people that proved the saying that opposites attract, Richard and Linda are proof.


My grandfather learned to speak Spanish fluently, learned to deal with the spotlight and embraced the Panamanian culture as if it were his own. He fell head over heels in love with my grandmother and her son from a previous marriage, Tomas. They married and had their first child, Jennie, my mother.
In the 60s, my grandparents made the decision to leave Panama with my uncle and my mother and live in Michigan, where my grandfather grew up. Just as my grandfather had done 10 years prior, my grandmother moved to a foreign country, perfected the English language and embraced the American culture.
My grandparents’ love for each other transcended society’s rules. Their love was ahead of their time. Their love was about compromise. Their love was rich in culture and acceptance. Their love lives on within me and I’m so grateful for the lessons they taught me through their love for one another.
#WhatLatinoMeansToMe:
Storytelling
Pride
Acceptance
Compromise
…and above all else: Love.

This post was written by Jennielle Strother (@EMjennielle), Vice President for Enrollment Management at Seminary of the Southwest.

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