Latin American Community: its contribution in Montreal 

The Month of Latin American Heritage in Montreal (MHLA) is a Round Table of the Latin American community founded and integrated for five years by a group of leaders of social organizations: Angela Sierra, LatinArte; Victor Armony, Relam; Cecilia Escamilla, CAFLA; Ana Gloria Blanch, Blanch Cultural and Theatrical Company; Rocio Paez, Casa CAFI; Hector Giraldo, QUEtAL; Eliana Jaramillo, Hispanidad Québec; Mariana Marin, Instituto Legados; Maria Longo, Real Estate & Mortgage Broker; Claudia Sarracini, MHLA Coordinator; and María Fernanda Forero, Vice-President of MHLA, all of them academics, entrepreneurs, cultural promoters and artists, work to strengthen the well-being and integration of the Latin American migrant community in Montreal through MHLA, whose mission is to promote the convergence and influence of the numerous social and cultural expressions, and to be a spokesperson for the 20 countries that make up the community, as well as to make visible their contribution to society in general. 

Every October it celebrates with a program rich in cultural activities, which can be consulted at https://moisheritagelatinoamericain.ca/es/inicio/ and, in 2023, it is celebrating its 5th anniversary. In this context, in a conversation with some of the members of the MHLA, Angela Sierra, its president, explains: "We are a Roundtable made up of many of the groups and organizations that have marked the heritage of Latinos here in Montreal. It was the city of Montreal itself who made the invitation to us and other groups that are in the same tune, and to commemorate a month that belonged to us and in which we could celebrate our contribution in many sectors, such as cultural and business, supported by Canadian institutions to carry out this integration, because before we were in many parts and in none at the same time. But we have already agreed and integrated ourselves in this effort, with the support of La Ville de Montreal, through Josefina Blanco and under the baton of Victor Armony.

During the talk, Ana Blanch, one of the most recognized theater directors in Mexico and with productions in Montreal, commented: "We have a great mission, that we are able to reach all our friends and brothers of the Latin community and show the cultural legacy of all Latin America".  For her part, María Fernanda Forero, vice-president of the Bureau, estimates that around 70% of the international students are Latino and that they arrive in Canada ready to demonstrate with their work and their contribution that being Latino is much more than a stereotype to be corrected: "to be Latino is to study, to undertake, to work, to collaborate... that is much more than the party, the music and the guitar".

Cecilia Escamilla, head of CAFLA, reflected: "We are not just another number, we are a group of human beings, of people who come to Canada to work, to contribute, and we want to be respected, recognized and valued as such. Much progress has already been made in this regard, we have the acceptance and recognition of Quebec society, they like our culture, our food... but systemic racism still prevails in the workplace and is intrinsic in Canadian companies. It is so naturalized that sometimes we ourselves let it pass... we have to talk about it, make it visible to make people aware of it and make it stop". Likewise, Rocio Paez, representative of Casa CAFI, considers that the work of this Roundtable is to represent and bring together the Latino community around the resilience that we live as a Latino community that arrives to a host country and that adding and integrating ourselves is important to create community: "we are 20 countries of different cultures and that makes us have some weaknesses and strengths, among them we are very resilient people, very hard workers, people dedicated to their families". 

Eliana Jaramillo, who directs Hispanidad Québec, believes that things have changed for the third generation of migrants in Quebec: "The first wave of migration arrived in a very different context, in a very arid terrain. It was the second generation that began to create community organizations that began to address the needs that they began to identify. Now the third generation, our children, are in a more fertile ground. The Latin American Heritage Month in Montreal is the result of the convergence of many years of work, where the need and importance of working together is identified, that our community is recognized and that we know exactly where we want to go, because working in an individualistic way, separately, we will never get anywhere". 

Speaking the same language may not be enough to face challenges such as equity and labor inclusion; migration is a challenge that completely transforms paradigms and the key is to accept diversity, respect differences and build convergent spaces.