Please NOTE while some information may be the opinions of an individual contributor, it may not reflect the general overall opinion of our represented clubs, teams, performance groups or sponsors.

In the USA, National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated every year, from Sept to Oct. In Northern California, we are especially PROUD to have a diverse mixture of Hispanic/LatinX races in our population. We asked one of our Club Coaches and the moderator for NCASA, what it is like to be a part of the Hispanic and Latina Heritage: Coach Tina: I am very proud of my mixed background and privilege to be a part of the population here in Northern California where I can celebrate being Hispanic/Latina while being a black woman. Being black does not always mean 'African American'. We may be descendants, as many of our population are, but with a mixture of peoples around the world, Hispanic/LatinX come in all races (colors) and are found in backgrounds of black, brown, yellow, and white. (did I miss a color?) I grew up in a household where our culture was of Panamanian (Panama) and Colombian (Colombia) traditions from dance, dress, food, music, and with lots of laughter, 'attitude'. I am a citizen of Panama and also have residency in Colombia. I was born in San Jose, Calif and also proud to be an American. I love the USA and every opportunity provided to me for my success. However, more needs to be done in terms of recognition AND opportunity in our sport of Artistic Swimming. Outreach begins with our USA Artistic Swim Federation and to provide more opportunities and to empower those of us with a voice for inclusion, equity and diversity to bring to the forefront people of color so that our next generation will know that they have, are, and will be a part of this sport forever. Please reflect on the featured photo post for this blog. The Photo embodies who we are and what are facial features include from all races. Thank you for recognizing our heritage this month as it brings attention to who we are and our contributions and struggles.

National Hispanic Heritage Month recognized in the USA for all Hispanic/LatinX achievements and recognition of Hispanic/LatinX culture, we celebrate our diversity especially in Northern California and applaud all of Hispanic/Latinx Swimmers! Here is a reprint of a statement from our USA Artistic Swim Federation: USA Artistic Swimming September 24 at 10:00 AM · Highlighting the current Hispanic and Latina individuals that are a part of our national team program! Anita Alvarez represented this community at the Olympic Games this summer. 🎉 Did you know classification of Hispanic/Latina isn’t as straightforward as it may seem? Many resources classify Hispanics as people with lineage to Spain or those from Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America and describe Latinos as people from Latin America regardless of language. The Census Bureau relies purely on self reporting and lets people identify as they see fit. By these measures, about 19% of the U.S. population is Hispanic. (Source: Pew Research) #HispanicHeritageMonth #WeMoveAsOne