bringing us to the next level. Young people, for the most part, come to this world free of bias and stereotype, and we can continue to build that in them. I see it in my own children, who are so open-minded and inclusive in their own relationships and in their own friendships, and because of that, I think they are greater human beings. I work with a large, international, corporate firm that is very intentional and proactive of recruiting young Latinas because many of them embody the company’s values of creativity, resourcefulness, loyalty, and commitment to hard work. But as the young women grow in their executive program and move forward, they tend 38 CAMPING magazine • November/December 2013 our family such as hard work, determination, and responsibility. Often, people say to me, “It seems like your family achieved the American dream.” And with all due respect, I say, “Somewhat. I believe we reached the Mexican-American dream.” Because it was with Mexican values added to American values that I think our family was successful. Would you say that camp experiences — where a lot of the focus is on emotional-skill and relationship building — are huge value shares, where kids can learn from other campers and staff who might have different backgrounds? That’s a very important point. Not only is it sharing, but when children are this young in their formative years, it can actually become part of their life and their vernacular. Differences are not oddities; they’re just the way it is. That really helps us as Americans set the stage for this next generation of global and international leaders. I think that camp experiences are an opportunity to learn and respect that which is unique. I had one camp leader describe an experience that helped him understand the values of Latino campers. Recently, he’d recruited five little Latino children to come for a week in camp, which he had been working toward for a while. When one of them got sick, he was surprised to see all of them leave together. But after I had a discussion with the director about the Latino community being a collective culture and how we do everything for each other and together, he said the story now made sense. The campers had come together as a family, and they weren’t going to let one member of their group go home alone. I often joke that when we’re all together in my house, somebody will ask, “Can you just run to the corner store and pick something up?” and fifteen people have to go because no one goes alone. We have to do it collectively. We pack up the car just to buy a gallon of milk. And that’s the practice of being collective. The critical second point here is the reality that it’s a growing population, and if we are true servant-leaders in our community, then we are all part of our community. It’s important for us to understand the culture and the nuances so we can best engage Understanding Important Terminology Is it more appropriate to use “Hispanic” or “Latino”? Historically speaking, the term Hispanic was developed by the U.S. Census Bureau when they realized the emergence of our growing population. They didn’t know how to categorize us, so they used the term Hispanic. It was a very European term that related to being Spanish speaking. For many of us, however, it’s not an appropriate term; no one asked us what we’d like to be called — the government and the Census just created it without involving us. With that being said, Hispanic is probably the most marketable term that many advertisers have used over time. Latino is more of a self-defined term. In academic and other circles, it’s looked at as a term that at least we’ve created to identify ourselves. But we’re not a stagnant group of people. Within the terms of Hispanic or Latino, there are Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Central and South Americans, and so forth; we’re very diverse in things like origin, value systems, and language. What I would recommend is getting to know the group in your community. For example, in California, you’re more likely to have communities that are Mexican. It might be more appropriate to refer to them as families from Mexico or Mexican-American, or at least let the community know you are aware that they are of Mexican descent. In New York, you’re more likely to have Puerto Rican and Central and South Americans, and you have to be very mindful to recognize some unique elements of that culture. Rather than calling everybody Hispanic, which might offend some, or Latino, which is a little more appropriate but still doesn’t define each group, it would help that you understand the nuances of your community. If I’m in a Mexican community, I might want to bring and serve food that is most appropriate for that community. I do a lot of work in Puerto Rico. When I’m there, I change my accent a little bit; I have more of a twang to my voice. I use references that are more appropriate in the Caribbean community. I eat Puerto Rican food and bring that to the table. These steps show the community that you appreciate them enough to know who they are and what their value systems are. Imagine if you were visiting with people in Texas. You might want to consider celebrating the Texas background and what that entails. When I was working in Mississippi, you bet I knew what the South was about: their food; their way of worship; and their challenges, struggles, and triumphs. When I was working in Portland, I understood the inclusion in their region and their challenges. Show communities that you care enough to know about their history and culture. to give up some of those practices because they want to assimilate to the corporate and mainstream culture. They lose some of their original practices, which were precisely why they were hired. I think in the past, diversity was often thought of as, “We’re going to have to give something up.” But it’s the contrary. It’s adding to what’s already great about American culture. My parents came to this country with no more than a third- and sixth-grade education. And yet one generation later, they have children who are all college graduates and have grandchildren who are all college graduates with advanced degrees. We learned values from
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