Diego Hernandez is the youngest legislator serving in the Oregon House of Representatives. As a Latino, he’s part of a record-breaking legislature by representation of people of color and women. He was also the first Latino member of the Reynolds School Board.
By all accounts, Hernandez is an overachiever. But his path to success has been anything but easy, Hernandez said at the Multnomah County Latinx Heritage Celebration Friday, Oct. 12.
As a kid, he went to six different elementary schools—seven if you count a year he spent in Mexico—and three middle schools. His family moved a lot because of poverty. He remembers eviction notices and, at one point, even living in a van. Looking back, he says he and his three siblings endured lots of trauma.
It’s that lived experience, he says, that motivates him to serve as a legislator so he can work to “change the circumstances for communities so future generations don’t have to go through what we did.”
A month celebrating Latinx values and traditions
Multnomah County’s Employees of Color resource group sponsored the celebration, which drew dozens of staff and community members for an afternoon of food, live music and storytelling.
On Sept. 15, the Board of County Commissioners proclaimed Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 “Latinx Heritage Month” in Multnomah County. The County chooses to use the term ‘Latinx,’ a gender-neutral term, in place of ‘Latino/a’ to be more inclusive.
Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson was the first Latina to serve in the Oregon House of Representatives. Today, she’s a member of the first Multnomah County board led by a majority of women of color.
Commissioner Vega Pederson was among the featured speakers Friday. She also sponsored the Latinx Heritage Month proclamation in September.
In recent months, anti-immigrant rhetoric and federal policies have impacted the Latinx community. Commissioner Vega Pederson called for solidarity and allyship Friday in the midst of those obstacles.
“Today we’re here to celebrate the many, many contributions of the Latinx community,” Commissioner Vega Pederson said. “It is more essential than ever that, locally, we stand together, we speak out and we show solidarity together.”
Special guests celebrate Latinx culture through music
Raúl Gomez, the music director for Metropolitan Youth Symphony, was also in attendance Friday.
For more than 44 years, Metropolitan Youth Symphony has provided music education and performance opportunities for young musicians of all ages and skill levels. Today the organization boasts close to 600 students in 15 ensembles.
Last year, Gomez learned of Bienestar de la Familia—a Multnomah County program in the heart of NE Portland’s Cully neighborhood offering culturally-responsive services to Latinx and Somali families across Multnomah County. At the time, Gomez said he was looking to strengthen Metropolitan Youth Symphony’s equity and impact in the community.
He and Bienestar staff worked together to offer music classes for Bienestar participants. Originally, the goal was to open one class for 10 students. But demand was so high that they needed to double their capacity. Now, the program is bustling, teaching young people the fundamentals of music.
“Community is really at the core of what we do, and equity and access are extremely important to our mission,” Gomez said. “It’s really amazing to see the response we are getting from parents, teachers and students.”
As the event came to a close, Gomez joined Mariachi Tradición, a youth mariachi group from Forest Grove High School, for a live performance. The afternoon also included music from other local musicians and paintings from local artist Elias Escafi. Visitors also enjoyed authentic Mexican food, catered by a local business.