Latin American Festival organizer and participants talk about Hispanic culture in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month

• Aniya Faulcon
  BioRecent Stories

  

  Aniya Faulcon is The Spark Host/Producer for WITF. She has a passion for shining a light on unique people, experiences, and perspectives within the community.
  
  Previously she worked as the People and Social Trends Reporter/Video Anchor for LancasterOnline | LNPNews. During her time there, she created video packages, provided Facebook Live coverage at community events, and wrote data-driven stories with census data and feature stories on local leaders, non-profit organizations, events, and people with unique talents and experiences within Lancaster County.
  
  Aniya also worked at WMAR ABC 2 News as a Sales Assistant and at the AFRO American Newspapers as an Executive Assistant and Media correspondent. Aniya interned at WEAA Gospel Grace 88.9 and worked at her alma mater’s radio station, WWPJ at Point Park University, where she gained skills and a passion for radio.
  
  Aniya grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and attended the Baltimore School for the arts for high school with a concentration in acting. She continued to hone her skills and passion for storytelling and later graduated from Point Park University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting and Broadcast Reporting. Aniya is eager to continue her journey with storytelling in her role with WITF, as she aims to shed a light on real people and real stories within Pennsylvania in a variety of mediums.

 Photo courtesy of LHACC

El Festival Hispano de Harrisburg en el 2019.

Airdate: Thursday, September 15, 2022

Hispanic Heritage month, which starts today and goes until October 15^th, celebrates the history and culture of the country’s Latino and Hispanic communities and how they have contributed to American society.

September 15^th was chosen as the starting point for the commemoration because it is the anniversary of the independence of five Hispanic countries.

Jaime Zabala, Founder and President of the Latin American Alliance, Noelia Torres, Public Relations Director of Danza Fiesta, and Meredith Klein, Director of the Philadelphia Argentine Tango School, join us to provide some insight on the Latin American community and their upcoming event, the Latin American festival, which takes place Saturday at 11:30 a.m. in New Holland.

The festival aims to bring together twenty one Latin American countries and present, to the local non-Hispanic community, their heritage and traditions through music, dance, and food.

“Music, it is in our blood,” Zabala said. “I think it’s even more prominent among the Hispanic countries; music, big gatherings, and food… They all speak of our roots, heritage, and traditions.”

Klein said, the best way to celebrate Hispanic Heritage month is to get outside of your comfort zone and learn about the culture.

“Hispanic Heritage Month is a great opportunity to say, I’m going to do things outside my bubble,” Klein said. “I’m going to go see dance performances, listen to music, try something new that I might not interact with otherwise. And I really believe that those unexpected connections and the things that push us out of our habitual patterns of living and thought, are what keep bringing us into contact with the moment and making our lives richer.”

For more information on the Latin American Festival visit latinamera.org.