WASHINGTON -- Every year, FEMA honors and recognizes the Latino community for their contributions to our agency and our country. This year, in celebration of Latino heritage and President Biden’s proclamation, FEMA released a video today, highlighting the work of the agency’s Latino employees and their resilience to the threats of climate change, the pandemic and adversity.
“We are a stronger and more equitable workforce because of our Latino partners and colleagues,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. “In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, I ask each of you to join me in celebrating the contributions and achievements of those who have enriched our nation and society.”
The video was influenced and created by FEMA’s Hispanic-Latino Employee Resource Group. It celebrates the histories and cultures of the Latino community and how hope for a brighter future can unite us all.
Hispanic Heritage Month also coincides with National Preparedness Month, and next week FEMA will release its new Ready Campaign Public Service Announcements, which will highlight Latino voices and communities as part of the messaging campaign, “Prepare to Protect.”
Text from FEMA’s Hispanic Heritage Month video can be found below:
“They say that hope is the last thing you lose. Is it because it is bigger than us? Or because it is the light in the face of darkness? Maybe it is simply the anchor to which we cling to, to stay on our feet despite the circumstances.
“During Hispanic Heritage Month, in which our invaluable contributions to the United States are recognized, we can look back and see that hope has accompanied us in every step of the way and in each accomplishment.
“At FEMA, too, we seek to convey that hope when we help survivors before, during and after a disaster.
“Hispanics know all too well what hope is about. In the face of adversity, inequality and our sacrifices, we have a connection to what is possible. We carry hope in our hearts like a badge; like a compass that guides us towards a better future.
“During this year, challenges have increased, uncertainty surrounds us and even fear has knocked at the door. We live in complicated times full of questions, challenges and pain. Every morning we wonder how we can face a new day. We may have lost a lot ... opportunities, the idea of living our lives as usual and even loved ones ... but never hope.
“We endured this crisis together, working and looking for solutions, reinventing ourselves, supporting each other, strengthening our character to emerge from it stronger, more focused, more courageous. To serve as an example for generations that are growing and that will continue on with this important legacy.
“This can only be done by the spirit of hope that lives in each of us. The one that, through the history of our races, has remained. The one that has helped us to share our knowledge and value to this great nation that we belong to. The one that gives us the resiliency of knowing that the future will bring new challenges, but also new opportunities.
“We have lived a lot and learned even more. We have extended our hand for help and to give. And, without a doubt, today we are different, stronger … not because we are better, but because we are guided by the light of hope.”