Buchanan Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

PITTSBURGH - September 15, 2021 - Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney proudly marks this year's Hispanic Heritage Month with a number of programs and initiatives designed to honor and celebrate the culture, history and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. 

1. There are over 20 countries with several subgroups and cultures that comprise the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity. The achievements and contributions of these communities are immeasurable, particularly in diverse cities like Newark, New Jersey, where nearly 35 percent of the population identifies as Hispanic. To inspire our youth to research the contributions of Hispanic/Latino Americans, we are partnering with Big Brothers Big Sisters in Newark to offer an essay contest on “the most influential figure in Hispanic/Latino American history.”  
2. In an effort to inspire a next generation of attorneys of color, Buchanan will host an externship program with students from Our Lady of Lourdes Academy in Miami, Florida, an all-girls school with a 95.8 percent Hispanic student body and a 100 percent college acceptance rate. During the externship, students will visit our Miami office and learn about careers in the law from our Miami colleagues. 
3. There’s a growing debate over the term, “Latinx.” Is it politically correct? Do people self-identify as Latinx or is this a term created by the media? Melinda Colón Cox, a past president of the Hispanic Bar Association of NJ, will join us as a guest on our podcast, Dimensions of Diversity, to breakdown the origin of the term, its usage and how it is received by various groups in the Hispanic community. Subscribe to the podcast to hear the episode when its live.
4. Our Philadelphia office is partnering with Power Street, a non-profit organization focused on bringing visual arts, theater and cultural education, and awareness to the communities of Philadelphia, particularly in the Hispanic communities of North Philadelphia. Power Street is a woman, Hispanic-owned organization backed by the Culture Trust of Greater Philadelphia and the William Penn Foundation. As part of our partnership, we will be sponsoring virtual “Comunidades Conectadas” (connected communities) events during October.
5. We’ll end the month-long celebration with a virtual fireside chat on October 13th at 12pm EST featuring Pedro Suriel, VP, Diversity and Inclusion at Raymond James Financial and Victoria Méndez, City Attorney, City of Miami on the topic, “How Latinx Critical Race Theory Defines Today’s Hispanic Experience.” The two will discuss Critical Race Theory from the Latinx perspective, including immigration status, language, ethnicity and culture. CLE credits will be offered.