Fernanda Cross, PhD, joins this episode of Michigan Minds to discuss her research examining family and cultural factors that promote a healthy development for Latinx adolescents, and various ways to learn about National Hispanic Heritage Month. As an assistant professor at the U-M School of Social Work, Cross’ research utilizes a strength-based approach to look at factors that promote healthy development and mitigate the risk of poor psychological and/or educational outcomes for Latinx adolescents and families. Her work also examines the impact of documentation status on the family.

Cross was featured in a Deutsche Welle article, which looked at her family’s journey to the United States as well as her research at the University of Michigan. In it, Cross discusses what it’s like to leave your native country, learn a new language, and adapt to a new culture and environment, and how these experiences—as well as her interactions with other immigrants—have all informed her research.  

One thing she notes is the dedication immigrant parents have to providing their children with a better life. “Despite many of these immigrants having to face extremely difficult obstacles to come to this country, their deep desire to provide a better future for their children remained their main goal. My research on ethnic racial socialization with Latinx immigrants showed us that one of the ways that parents support their children’s mental health is by helping them stay connected to their culture,” Cross says.  

There are ways immigrant parents can help their children connect to their family’s culture, Cross notes, by teaching them their native language, celebrating traditions and holidays, and sharing the history of their people. Regardless of any hardships that forced them to immigrate, parents still want their kids to learn about f their native countries, because there’s still a lot to appreciate. By learning about their culture, children develop pride in their immigrant heritage, strengthening their ties with their communities.

National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated each year from September 15 to October 15. Cross says the month provides a great opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of Hispanic Americans, and hopes that conversations about notable historical as well as contemporary figures will continue even after the month ends. She encourages people of Hispanic backgrounds to talk about individuals from their country of origin or other Hispanic countries, as everyone benefits from learning about diversity and the contributions of remarkable Hispanic figures. She explains that teaching children about important Hispanic figures from the past or present provides a counter narrative to the negative portrayals of immigrants, especially those of undocumented status, in the media.

“It’s all about changing the narrative and focusing on the community’s strengths rather than on their needs. Young Latinx students should be learning and talking about the contributions of members of their communities throughout history and today. Seeing people who look like them being celebrated and learning about how they have played an important role in our country will get Latinx children thinking about how they can also make a difference. So we need to make these role models more accessible and more widely known.”

Cross emphasizes the importance of educating children about the contributions of Hispanic Americans throughout history. She suggests various resources, including Google Arts and Culture, the National Archives, and the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino, which offer free access to a variety of materials. For educators, she recommends using Common Sense Education’s Free Learning Resources for Hispanic Heritage Month, which provides teachers’ videos, articles, and activities. 

“While it’s important to talk about remarkable Hispanic individuals, you can also share with your children the contributions of ordinary Hispanic individuals, their contributions to our society, or even your family—talk about your grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, friends, or anyone you know that has a story of resilience, someone who overcame difficulties to provide for their families.

“Another option is to teach children about the thousands of migrant farm workers that through their hard work allow all of us to have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. My main point is that yes, it is important to learn about the notable individuals…but we should continue talking about them as well as the many other Hispanic individuals that are contributing to different aspects of our society every day—not by doing something remarkable, but for their hard work, often while enduring precarious work conditions living in the fringes of our society and receiving little to no recognition for their work.”

View upcoming events celebrating Latinx and Hispanic Heritage Month