September 15th marks the 2nd anniversary of my blog – Southern Señora!  Two years ago I made the decision to start this blog to share what I call “the Southern Hispanic lifestyle” in Birmingham, Alabama with y’all.

It’s been a great outlet for me and a way to share so many things.  The feedback I’ve received has been terrific with encouragement for me to probe a topic a bit deeper and suggestions for other topics.  The list is long and there is definitely enough material to post daily for quite some time!  Now if I could only carve out more time to do that!

I chose September 15th as my start date because that date also marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month.  I wanted the date to be significant to me and what better way to kickoff a Hispanic lifestyle blog than on the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month, right?!  The month (Sept 15 through Oct 15) is ripe with stories to tell – both past and present.  So much to write about!

In the past I’ve been involved and produced a number of events to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.  It is a time in the US that we recognize the contributions made and the important presence of Hispanic and Latino Americans and celebrate their heritage and culture.  Celebrations occur in many ways.  For instance, one year I organized a panel of local Hispanic professionals to discuss that years’ theme and address issues facing the community from their profession’s perspective.  Another year, I organized an event complete with salsa dancing lessons and Mexican food.  These events and several others were well attended because I have always found that people are thirsty for information about Hispanic culture.  These events were also a lot of fun so when you are having fun you tend to learn more!  I always love the immediately feedback.  Questions like… “Are you going to do this again next year?”  “Where can I take salsa dancing lessons for real?”  “How can I get more involved with the Hispanic community?”  “How do you make a tamale?”  The list goes on…but I loved every minute of it and the way it got people thinking about not only light-hearted things like food and dancing, but also serious subjects like access to healthcare and helping to teach someone to speak English.  Connecting people to all these things has always been very fulfilling to me.  This blog is a way for me to continue doing that.

Presently, I am participating in a number of events around town to promote Hispanic Heritage month AND my favorite Hispanic cultural event…Fiesta!  This will be Fiesta’s 14th year and when I think back on the history of this event and those of us who were there as it got started, I remain thrilled that it has made it to its teenage years, so to speak.  This October 1st, I will be on hand at Linn Park at 8 a.m. with my traveler of Starbucks (for the board and committee members) and my camera to document my 14th Fiesta.  Each year there is another favorite photograph that I capture from this event.   Each year I am exhausted by the end of the day (around 11 p.m. that night!)  but also exhilarated by the number of people we reach who come out to learn about Hispanic culture.  Each year I am overwhelmed by the Hispanic community support and those who take the time to come out and share their stories and help make Fiesta a better event.  Each year…I hope I can continue being a part of Fiesta and watch it grow and evolve.

Me and Fiesta Board President – Cristina Almanza – after our last board meeting this week holding one of our Fiesta yard signs. I love seeing these all over Birmingham leading up to the event each year!

Happy blog anniversary to me…and Happy Hispanic Heritage Month to all.