Hispana and ProudMulticultural Vida

Bilingual Tees to Rock Your Latino Pride

bilingual tees

Bilingual hoodie Want the world to know how proud you are of your amazing immigrant and/ or Latino roots? Looking to take a stand with your clothes? Want to teach your kids to be proud of their heritage? I’ve got some great gear that will do just that! Check out these adorable bilingual tees to rock your Hispanic/Latinx/Latino pride — rock them during HHM, but really, this gear is meant to be worn 365 days a year! 

I chatted with the creators of these awesome lines that allow us to tell the world that we are  bilingual and proud.

(Love my hoodie? You can buy it here!)

1. Vince and Sophie

I love this line by Angelica Perez Grunewald, and I love her tips for keeping culture alive! Read on!

What does being Hispanic mean to you? What do you love most about it?

Being Latinx (I prefer this term to Hispanic) means that I have a responsibility to pass on my family’s traditions and creating new ones with my kids.  It means that even in the current climate, I have to find a way to show my kids to be proud of who they are and proud of those who worked hard to bring them here.

What tips/inspiration do you have for parents raising Hispanic kids in our times?

  1. Lead by example.  If you want your kids to be proud of who they are, you be proud of who you are.

  2. Show them that kindness goes farther than any of the negative emotions being shown in the media or in public.

  3. Make home a safe place to ask questions, share feelings, and celebrate what makes your family unique.  

You can shop the Vince and Soph Shop here!

2. Mixed Up Clothing

Sonia Smith Kang is a woman of action– she saw a need for culturally relevant clothes and SHE MADE THEM! Read more about how Mixed Up Clothing came to be.

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Strolling in #Avignon in his @mixedupclothing tshirt! My #multicultural kid! #enzolg #rochersdesdoms #mkbvacation #mkbkids

A post shared by Diana Limongi (@ladydeelg) on


 

What inspired you to create this line? 

A: As a biracial (AfroLatina)born on Puerto Rico, raised on O’ahu, married to a Korean dude and mama to 4 multiracial, multicultural and multilingual children, it was important to me to, what I call, “culture proof” my household. That meant living an intentional life by creating a home that uplifted, supported and ultimately, empowered my children. I wanted them to have dolls, toys, books, videos, etc that reflected our cultural reality. I also wanted them to wear clothing that showcased their rich multicultural heritages but this was missing in the retail marketplace. At the time I was a critical care RN that had the ability to sew so I did just that. I sourced fabrics from all over the world and turned them into fun, everyday clothing for my kids. When people stopped me on the street to ask about the clothes and the cultures represented on the fabrics, I knew I was onto something. My clothes were conversation starters. The fabrics were building friendships.The line was filling an empty space in fashion and retail. Mixed Up Clothing was born and would be my vehicle to teach about culture, diversity and inclusion.

What does being Hispanic mean to you? What do you love most about it?

As a biracial woman of African American and Hispanic descent and proud military brat born on Puerto Rico, I learned a great deal about what it meant to be Hispanic when we left Hawai’i and moved to California to live with my Mexican grandparents. It started with listening to and slowly learning Spanish to tasting and helping cook traditional Mexican dishes with them. It was as small as listening to Mexican music while doing chores to as big as being part of a quinceñera and watching family dance traditional ballet folklórico.

Being Hispanic casts a wide net and I love that being Hispanic can look so different depending on geography and lived experience. I love learning about all the diversity of the culture. From our rich cultural history (which includes the African diaspora) to embracing our diverse brethren of different hues, skin tones, hair types,language (or inability to speak Spanish). Knowing that Hispanics come in all different forms is just one of the beautiful things I love about being Hispanic.

What tips/inspiration do you have for  parents raising Hispanic kids in our times?

Living an intentional life is important to raising empowered Hispanic children during these divisive times. It’s what I call, “culture proofing.” The same way you “childproof” your home to protect injury, “culture-proofing” is protecting identity. It’s living an intentional life by creating a home that has articles from your culture that will encourage your children to see all the beauty in your culture(s). Artwork, music, dolls, toys, books, foods, videos and clothing that reflect your cultural reality helps provide a positive self identity and the framework they may need to draw on when things get tough in the “real world” outside your home.

We need to build up our children, give them the language they need and check in with them often by doing pulse checks on what they are seeing and hearing out there on the playgrounds. Never wait for them to share because they may not have the language or know what to say. We need to be arm them with factual information, supply them with the cultural knowledge, and always be ready to give necessary hugs when they’re struggling or hurt by things they hear and see. We can’t run from this or bury our heads in the sand. This is where we are at right now and we need to face the reality head on to raise the next generation of mini global citizens, change agents and world changers.

You can purchase the Hola tees here.

And check out this awesome tee inspired by Día de los Muertos.

3. MamaLingua

Aileen Passariello McAleer create the MamaLingua app to help others learn Spanish! And then she decided, why not create a tee to encourage others to speak!

Mama Lingua’s tee will remind your kids (and adults!) to say it in Spanish! “Dímelo en español.” She says the tee is sparks pride in the language and is an invitation to speak Spanish. “So many people want ot practice their Spanish but don’t know with who and don’t want to offend.” She says the tees are a great conversation starter and a hit among dual language teachers.

Her tip: “Be proud of your roots, be proud speaking Spanish in public so they too can feel that pride and pass on the torch that defines us.”

You can purchase your Dímelo en español tee here.

Bilingual Tees to Rock your Latino Pride

This blog post is part of the Hispanic Heritage Month Series with Multicultural Kid Blogs!

 

Hispanic Heritage Month Series 2018 | Multicultural Kid BlogsWe are so excited for our seventh annual Hispanic Heritage Month series! Now through October 15, you’ll find great resources to share Hispanic Heritage with kids, plus you can link up your own posts on Hispanic Heritage!

Find even more ideas on our Latin America Pinterest board:

 

September 17
Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes on Multicultural Kid Blogs: Three Course Meal Your Kids Can Make to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

September 18
Mundo de Pepita: Celebrate el Día de la Patria en Chile

September 19
Embracing Diversity: 10 Dominican Sayings that Hold Wisdom and Cultura

September 20
MommyMaestra: Puerto Rico Coloring Activity

September 21
Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes: ABC’s Children’s Books from Latin America

September 24
Hispanic Mama: 5 Films Based in Latin America that Impacted Me
Pura Vida Moms: 13 Spanish Netflix Shows for Kids

September 25
For the Love of Spanish: Barefoot Books to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

September 26
All Done Monkey: Latin American Music to Honor Hispanic Heritage Month

September 27
Crafty Moms Share: Learning About Juan Felipe Herrera and His New Book Imagine

September 28
Spanish Mama on Multicultural Kid Blogs

October 1
Spanish Playground

October 2
Kids Spanish Book Club

October 3
LadydeeLG

October 4
Kid World Citizen

October 5
Mama Tortuga

October 8
Kids Spanish Book Club

October 9
La Clase de Sra. Dufault

October 10
Embracing Diversity

October 11
Recetas Latinas Veganas

October 12
Little Nomadas on Multicultural Kid Blogs

October 15
Hispanic Mama on Multicultural Kid Blogs

Don’t miss all of the great posts from previous years as well: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017


Diana Limongi
Diana a mom, activist, nonprofit professional, podcaster and writer from Queens, NY. She writes about motherhood, activism, raising my multilingual kids, culture and travel. She and her multicultural family live in Queens, NY.

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