Member-only story
You’re Not Shocking. You’re Just in the Wrong House. An Argument for Honoring Your Heritage.
I heard a recent critique against heritage parades, that they cause division. That they only serve to separate us from each other. I beg to differ. And I also compare it to finding my place as a writer. Here I discuss both.
Here in the U.S. people are from all over the world. We’re used to it and we like it. It lessens the need to travel because there are so many international visitors here. And many of us grow up with culture and traditions that stem from our family’s country of origin. Each household sets their own ambiance of that country. It’s experienced through specific foods, spices and herbs, recipes, languages, and religion. There are rituals of eating and drinking, and the passing down of family stories, stemming back from the old country.
We love America but we also value our cultural backgrounds. In some cases, there’s a mix of different cultures within one household. A mother and father’s origins can be from different countries. And so there might be a melting pot of traditions and beliefs under one roof. One culture doesn’t take from another. They get incorporated into daily life, compartmentalized.
Some want to hold onto an anchor of their beginnings, their source of being, of why they are the way they are. It’s okay to…
