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SSP Honors Hispanic Heritage Month
21 October 2024
From Thomas Jones
WASHINGTON NAVY YARD – In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Strategic Systems Programs (SSP) facilitated showings of “La Causa” by Living Voices, a performance that highlighted the plight of migrant farm workers as they fought for their civil rights and decent working conditions in the 1960s.
The performance follows the story of Marta Hernandez, a girl who grows up in a Mexican-American migrant family that make a life for themselves as farm workers. Faced with the terrible working conditions and racial prejudice endemic at the time, Marta becomes an activist with the National Farm Workers Association and, working alongside Cesar Chavez, fights to secure fair treatment for all farm workers.
Portraying this struggle in a visual form like a play serves not only to highlight the emotional aspect of the movement, it also lends to a greater accessibility among young audiences, many of whom have never had the chance to learn about Cesar Chavez or United Farm Workers Union.
“One thing to remember is that people learn, engage, and respond to different methods. Some are able to relate more to words written in an article, while others are more engaged with movements,” said Caroline Magdinec, Special Projects Program Manager at SSP.
“The benefits of honoring Hispanic Heritage Month through a performance is that it offers a wider range of emotions […]Creating this environment allows those who do not have to live these hardships on a daily basis to be able to relate and have a greater understanding for their struggle.”
Though the story is fictional, the uphill battle that Marta and many others participated in was very real, and was a part of the greater Chicano Movement and other civil rights movements that sought to attain equal rights for all.
“Performances observing or celebrating a civil rights movement like this one serve as another reminder and educational opportunity to learn about the struggle of a marginalized group,” said Edvin Hernandez, Public Affairs Specialist at SSP.
“Understanding where we came from and where we are going is important to establishing a more just and fair country that is inclusive to everyone.”
“Highlighting and recognizing different cultures creates an opportunity for people who are not a part of the community to learn about it,” said Magdinec.
“In Living Voice’s ‘La Causa,’ it is documenting the hardships of migrant farm workers […] Re-living history through these performances allows us to have a greater understanding of the world and environment around us.”
Carlos Del Toro, the first Cuban-American Secretary of the Navy, was at the forefront of recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month this year, and
gave a speech celebrating the accomplishments of the Hispanic American community at the Department of Veterans Affairs Center for Minority Veterans.
“During this month, we celebrate the rich history, contributions, and service of Hispanic Americans to our Nation,” Del Toro said.
“Hispanic Americans have proudly served our Nation since its very founding, and the service of Hispanic Americans in our Navy and Marine Corps is especially notable […] I am proud to serve as the second highest-ranking Hispanic American in this administration and first Cuban-American Secretary of the Navy.”
Del Toro also shared stories of many notable Hispanic American Sailors and Marines, such as Sgt. Rafael Peralta, a Mexican immigrant and Marine who sacrificed his life shielding his teammates from a grenade, and in honor of whom the USS Rafael Peralta is named. Del Toro further announced the naming of the next John Lewis-Class fleet replenishment oiler after Dolores Huerta, an activist and founder of the National Farm Workers Association.
Strategic Systems Programs is the Navy command that provides cradle-to-grave lifecycle support for the sea-based leg of the nation’s nuclear triad. This includes training, systems, equipment, facilities and personnel responsible for ensuring the safety, security, and effectiveness of the nation’s Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) Trident II (D5LE) Strategic Weapon System.
Contact
Thomas Jones
thomas.c.jones@ssp.navy.mil
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