SAN DIEGO – As summer comes to an end, there’s still plenty to look forward to. Latino/Hispanic Heritage Month begins on September 15 and lasts until October 15. The beginning of the holiday month coincides with various Central and South American independence days, such as Mexican Independence Day on September 16. 

Latino/Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to reflect and educate on Latinos’ role in American history. The month ahead presents an opportunity to honor a community that’s so prevalent and influential in the San Diego area and here at ECS.

ECS strives to promote an inclusive and welcoming environment for all employees. Brenda Wilson, ERSEA Supervisor for Head Start, has been part of the ECS family for 22 years and says she has always felt welcomed and comfortable working at ECS. “It is nice, you do feel seen, you do have a voice,” Wilson shared. “There’s a lot of representation. As of recently, to see [Rosa Cabrerra] go in as our director is nice. It’s nice to see that representation for us. I’ve always felt that here.”

Jose de la Torre, the Accounting Controller, echoed this observation of representation and diversity in the workplace. “One of the things I notice at ECS is the diversity,” he stated. “Most of the employees at ECS, we come from different backgrounds. We could be Mexicans born in Mexico or Mexicans born in the U.S., and I also see other people coming from different races, different countries; you see diversity.”

Diversity and inclusion for the Latino community continue beyond the workforce; it also extends to our clients. “We serve a high community of Latino families and families that are immigrants,” Wilson said. “You’re coming to a whole new world that you have no idea about, that you do not know the language. I have [a] particular perspective on that because my mom was an immigrant here.”

Representation helps serve our community to the best of our ability. “Being in National City and Chula Vista, Spanish-speaking people are probably going to be the biggest community,” de la Torre noted. “We must be diverse; otherwise, we may have a problem in performing our services… we need to be sure that we have what we need for the type of communities we serve, so [they] feel comfortable coming to us.”

The Latino community’s contributions to America are often overlooked despite their significant population and influence. Take the month to learn more about Latino/Hispanic history and celebrate the culture of those communities.