Before diving in to the current iteration of Hispanic Heritage Month, we must first understand the United States previous attempts at being gracious “hosts” on the continent.

I won’t go too far back, but let’s start with America’s Good Neighbor policy. Initiated officially by FDR but really put into place by groundwork laid by Woodrow Wilson, the Good Neighbor policy was the idea that the U.S would interact with Latin America upon invitation, and not via unwelcome, hostile intervention.

Even though Wilson set up the plan, he went back on the principle of invitation and intervened many times (Mexican Revolution, occupation of Haiti, Dominican Republic, Mexico twice, and installing a puppet administration in Nicaragua, while also stating publicly that ”for its (The U.S) own interests and those of the world—we must tutor Latin American leaders to build better institutions based on US and British models” ). He only eased up when America was pulled in the direction Europe and become involved in World War 1. This switcheroo of policy principle regarding Latin America is referred to as “Missionary Diplomacy”.

As Latin America had been colonized violently and oppressively by the Spanish, Portuguese and Catholic Church for hundreds of years prior to Wilson, it’s easy to see how the updated version of accidental colonization through acts of diplomacy “gone wrong” didn’t take permanent effect then, and continues to this day to be a temporary and oftentimes, embarrassing event in U.S political history (Panama/Manuel Noriega, the Iran Contra affair).

Glossing over the next 15ish years in which Roosevelt himself worked under Wilson, became convinced that America was racially superior and Latin Americans were incapable of self-government, and then changing his mind cuz the Great Depression, he announced in a speech in 1933 (after becoming President) that “I would dedicate this nation to the policy of the good neighbor, the neighbor who resolutely respects himself and, because he does so, respects the rights of others, the neighbor who respects his obligations and respects the sanctity of his agreements in and with a World of neighbors.” The consensus amongst the FDR administration is that they would abstain from military involvement south of the border.

The natural step taken, after removing marines from their posts in Haiti, Cuba and Mexico, was to heavily influence movie studios to hire Latin performers and portray them well/accurately and even urged film studios to “refrain from negative stereotypes.” Because that’s actually a thing - where people in positions of power can say “don’t be racist” and people will listen. Carmen Miranda is a star that came out of the efforts of the Good Neighbor Policy, AND one of my all time favorite Disney animated films, The Three Caballeros - which, in today’s time, is considered controversial and a great example of what can happen when America decides not to shit on other countries. In a nutshell, Donald Duck is the quaint American who learns and discovers things through a series of colloquial stories, folk dance, and musical numbers with his friends - a feisty Mexican rooster and smooth talking Brazilian parrot.

Do you guys remember the World’s Fair in 1939? It was a two year long exhibition that showcased 62 nations including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua, and the Pan American Union. The theme was “Dawn of a New Day” and on top of showcasing advancements in technology, the Latin American countries emphasized tourism, with the support of the Office of Inter-American Affairs.

The end of this heyday came about with the advent of the Cold War. The U.S became obsessed with stopping all Soviet influence, so any movements they deemed as being Communist or Socialist were “quashed” by direct or indirect military involvement. Overthrows, invasions, and U.S sponsored governments have run abound ever since. Economically the U.S kneecapped Latin American countries by creating extreme instability, so that companies that had invested during the Good Neighbor years, pulled their money from local industry. However they did not leave the region, as Latin America has countless mineral resources that the U.S and Europe have a vested interest in.

By comparing the Good Neighbor Policy, with the month long executive order signed by Ronald Regan, to celebrate Hispanic Heritage, it becomes clear that when the U.S needs something then Latin America is a-ok.

For these reasons and many others, I have often been at odds with how Hispanic Heritage Month is portrayed, viewed and celebrated in the U.S. But this year, more than any other, I feel called to spread the word.

A Celebration Cocktail Recipe: