Assignment
An individual’s identity comes from multiple sources. One way to think about it is to ask: What about me is important to me? For some of us, that might be our gender, religion, and ethnicity. For others of us, those might include our family name, where we were born (Texan), and what country or countries our ancestors came from. Some of us might count our political party, profession (teacher) and race as the major components of our identity. We take our identity with us when we go to work; we don’t leave it at the door. We listen to jokes and stories with it. Our identities are with us when we compete for jobs, vote and interact with neighbors. What elements of your identity are important to you? Why? Did those elements become important over time? Did they only emerge in adulthood? Or after a specific event in your life? Understanding our identity helps us remember that those around us, at work, in our community, in society at large, also have identities important to them. We cannot always see the parts of other individuals that are important to them, but they are powerful even if unseen. Include relevant material from texts, videos, etc. Minimum length of paper: 4 pages, typed double-spaced.
Just a little backstory : I come from Long beach CA specifically the ghetto raised around gang violence and racial discrimination it was tuff to manuever My family and my city is whats important to me I say my family because I have seen them do whatever they had to do to put food on the table or even a roof over our head they pushed me to overcome each obstacle presented and for my city,growing up in such a hostile environment you meet people who teach you life lessons as to why to stay in school why you should grind the way you do my city guided me to football pushing me away from violence and steering me in the direction to succeed at sports Also my friends are important to me because they forced me to get better at football and life in the aspect of life they forced me to read books do my homework starting in middle school and carried on to my work ethic now
Below is mini lecture and link to videos :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ni3GNcVaOe0&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xxg5pJdxUY&feature=emb_title
Week 4 Mini-Lecture: Latino/a Leadership
One of the great challenges in the development of this course was to decide on a textbook. As you might imagine, very few books are published covering all the possible components of diversity. What you do find, as I did, is that there are excellent texts written for a gender and leadership course, a race and ethnicity leadership course, a course looking at leadership and “global” cultures and the diversity among nations and societies. I was concerned about requiring 4 or 5 texts for an 8 week course, and about getting a recently-published book with updated information. Obviously there are many ethnicities and cultures in the U.S.—Hispanics, including those individuals whose families came from Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and countries of South American; Native American (with diverse tribes), Asian American (with diverse cultures/nations represented, e.g. Vietnamese, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, etc., and others from Europe (Italian, Irish, German, Swedish, etc.). Because of the large number of Hispanics in the U. S., and the growth of that demographic, I am focusing this lecture on Hispanic or Latino/a leadership.
The demographics. In 2015, Hispanics were 17.6% of the total U. S. population, according to the Pew Research Center. By 2065, the Center projects that the Hispanic population in the U. S. will be 24% of the total population. Since 2000, the source of Hispanic growth in the population has been U. S. births. Between 2000 and 2010, there were 9.6 million Latino births and 6.5 million immigrants from Hispanic countries. Since 2010, that trend has continued. Mexican-origin Hispanics always have been the largest Hispanic-origin group in the U.S. Between 1930 and 1980, Hispanics from countries other than Mexico nearly doubled (Dominican Republic, Columbia, Puerto Rico, etc.), from 22.4% to 40.6%. However, during the 1980s and 1990s, a large number of Mexican immigrants came to this country and were 65.7% of the Hispanic population in 2008. However, the percentage of Mexican Americans has been declining since 2008. Nevertheless, Mexican Americans currently comprise about 60% of the U. S. Hispanic population.
Characteristics of the Latino culture. When I first began reading research studies on gender and leadership, in academic journals focusing on corporations/businesses, Hispanic women were “lumped” into studies of Anglo women, assuming there were no differences among them. That was in the 1980s and early 1990s. Now, with the increase of Hispanic scholars in U.S. universities, more research is being conducted on Hispanic/Latino leadership in organizations, including for-profit organizations.
This lecture focuses on Latino leadership through the lens of Dr. Juana Bordas, a former faculty member in the national Center for Creative Leadership and founding president of the National Hispana Leadership Institute. She’s been on the board of the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership and a trustee of the International Leadership Association. She is now president of Mestiza Leadership International, a company whose mission is to prepare inclusive leaders for a multicultural and global century. In 2013, Dr. Bordas published The Power of Latino Leadership. Bordas’ book provides an excellent discussion of the components of Latino culture that influence the development of Latino/a leaders. It is important to remember that there are several different histories and geographies possessed by Latinos. Cuban immigrants came in great numbers to Florida, when Fidel Castro came to power in the last half of the 20th century. Latinos whose families originated in Mexico may have come to the U. S. in the 1700s and 1800s, to land that became Texas, Colorado, Arizona, California and New Mexico. Puerto Ricans came to New York City and other places along the northeast coast of the U. S. during the 20th century. However, all Hispanic groups, note the term “Hispanic,” come from Spanish ancestors and indigenous peoples. Their unifying background is a language, a shared history as descendants of Spanish and native peoples, a religious or spiritual tradition, and values that emphasize family and community. More specifically, Bordas emphasizes:
--Latinos have a “we” mentality, who value families, extended families and the inclusion and welcoming of friends as family.
-Latinos value celebration, ceremony, the quality of being simpatico or genial with others, in part because they are rooted in the importance of family and community.
-Latinos, perhaps because large families are in their collective history, value generosity and sharing, respect, honesty and the serving of others. Servant leadership is understood by Latinos…the “doing for others” mentality is part of one’s participation in family and community.
The roots of leadership are in one’s personal, family and cultural history and their engagement with contemporary issues.
Latino leadership principles Dr. Bordas presents ten Latino leadership principles that developed from cultural foundations. All are rooted in the history and culture common to Latinos, wherever their origin (Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, etc.)
1. Personalismo (the character of the leader)—This quality refers to the respect a leader shows others, and the trust and credibility he or she earns because of the way others are treated. This leadership trait builds relationships with others, and is responsible for the inclusive practices enacted by these leaders.
2. Conciencia (knowing oneself and self-awareness)—Self-awareness is “the connection the leader has with his inner core” (p. 67), and the quality of being secure with one’s cultural identity.
3. Destino (every person’s distinct life path and purpose)—This quality is not fatalism; in other words, your life is not predestined, pre-planned, and unfolds no matter what you do or say. Destino is the path you are on, affected by your choices and actions, and you are accepting of the responsibility of leadership.
4. La Cultura (leadership is rooted in Latino culture)—“Cultural values are fastening points—the nucleus—shaping a collective identity from the many ingredients of the delectable Latino familia.” (p. 99)
5. De Colores (a focus on inclusiveness AND diversity)—Latinos are a culture, not a race, and that culture values family, believes in taking in others when they need a place to live, extending the notion of “family” to close friends…and anyone else they want to include in their family, regardless of that’s person’s DNA, race, ethnicity, or culture.
6. Juntos (union, being together)—Hispanic leaders focus on creating community, and valuing all members of that community, regardless of race or ethnicity. They are servant leaders and value a collective community stewardship.
7. Adelante! (Forward! Ahead! Let’s go!)—Latinos are proud that many of them are immigrants, or are second-generation-immigrants. Individuals from many places created this country, and Latino immigrants are just as proud of their contributions as those from Europe. Dr. Bordas emphasizes that many Latinos acculturate, rather than assimilate, into the U. S. and are proud of their achievements. They retain their language, values, customs, ceremonies, holidays, etc. from their countries of birth, while still being proud to be Americans.
8. Si Se Puede (“Yes we can” overcome problems and injustices by social activism and valuing leadership by “the many,” not “the one”) This is a way of saying that goals can be reached and tasks accomplished by working together, by optimistic and ongoing perseverance, by valuing the power of the leadership of “the many.”)
9. Gozar la Vida (Celebrate life as one leads)—Latinos value a “celebratory, expressive, optimistic and festive” culture. Work and responsibility is an important part of life…but so is the expression of joy through a celebration of family and community.
10. Fe y esperanza (Faith and hope are the cornerstones of a community and a key characteristic of Latino leaders.) When the going gets tough, they are grateful for, and mindful of, their history, their relationships, spirituality…and their responsibilities.
In the spring of 2017, I co-authored a book chapter with Dr. Yolanda Leyva, associate professor at UTEP and director of Public History, on Mexican-American women leaders. Mexican-Americans are about 60% of the Hispanics in the U.S., yet there are almost no research studies on Mexican-American leaders, generally, and Mexican-American women leaders specifically. I’ll discuss our study when we look at intersectionality and diversity leadership. One of the most memorable phrases we heard in interviews with ten Mexican-American women leaders, at the national and regional levels, was the following: “If a leader is someone who comes in and tells people what to do, I am not a leader.” To them, a leader is collegial, collaborative, and follower-focused, someone who brings people together to achieve mutually-agreed upon goals. Followers are not instruments of work at the leader’s behest. These leaders develop through the sharing and caring of families, church service, and community contributions. They value celebrations and ceremonies, extended and expanded “families,” and have an ability to lead AS a group, with an emphasis on “we,” not “me.”
Reference
Bordas, J. (2013). The Power of Latino Leadership. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.