During a special grand rounds session held on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, members of the Yale Child Study Center (YCSC) community joined together both in person and by Zoom to recognize Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM). The session was organized by Tara Davila, who serves as the vice chair for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) at the YCSC in addition to her clinical and supervisory roles.
Focused on the 2024 HHM national theme, Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together, the session featured YCSC community members who volunteered to share some of the ways in which they are shaping the future as a Latine person. The event also supported local Latine-Owned businesses, with pastries provided for in-person participants, purchased from Pan Del Cielo on Grand Avenue and Common Grounds on Cedar Street in New Haven.
Davila opened the session with a welcome to all who joined, noting, “You will hear today about journeys and returns to roots. You may hear things that are similar to your lived experiences, and you may hear things that are not, but all of it will give you a glimpse into their worlds. I’m going to join that myself and take a moment to honor my ancestors and my roots.”
She continued, “I’m a multiracial woman of Puerto Rican heritage, also referred to as Afro Latina, and I come from ancestors who were denied education and exploited due to interpersonal and structural racism.” She added powerfully, “I stand here as a manifestation of their wildest dreams. They did not have any idea what Yale University was...and I am now standing here as an assistant professor in this institution.”
Following a land acknowledgment, Davila then introduced Jennifer Gereda, who shared that she was born in Guatemala and immigrated to the U.S. at the age of two. She read a poem entitled “The Settler Colonial Anxiety Blues” written by Linda Tuhiwai Smith and illustrating the trauma associated with colonialism on indigenous peoples. Although written about the Māori, the themes were applicable to her Mayan heritage and aligned with her doctoral capstone and her work in Intensive Family Preservation. In these spaces she underpinned the importance of culturally relevant care and the provision of a trusting space which leads to clients being their authentic selves.
Laura Gallardo spoke next, focusing on community resilience on the border. She noted that she would be “highlighting what love, life, grief, and healing looks like in an international community...and as someone from the border, this topic is extremely close to my heart.” Following an emotional moment of silence in remembrance of lives lost in the El Paso Walmart shooting in 2019—the deadliest anti Latino attack in history—she turned to themes of healing, through joining in community and using community in connection.
Gallardo then introduced Anamaria Orozco, who spoke about cultural tools of healing while sharing beautiful images of artwork, that included photos of mural art from New Haven and other marginalized communities throughout the US. “When we use cultural tools of healing, we as providers are positioning ourselves as learners and allowing space for our clients to be the experts of their languages, cultures, and experiences.” She spoke about the utilization of community, music and accessibility to resources—for clients and for providers, as a tool of healing. Orozco was instrumental in the development of this program, having brought the idea for this session forward.
Carolina Rivera Parrott spoke next, sharing, “I come from a family of dancers and musicians...that’s something that is very near to my heart and that I bring into the work that I do with families I serve...I would like to share a story with you all about my journey of connecting my culture and my roots, resilience, strength—and the resistance that I bring into spaces...and how I show up.” She shared a portion of a song by El Residente illustrating the importance of creating culturally sensitive spaces using language, storytelling, music, and dance. She noted the importance of self-awareness in effectively helping others—as well as the power and impact of the therapeutic use of music and dance.
Cecilia Frometa then shared some of her journey and work to advance culturally responsive care, grounded in her personal and family story. She began by honoring her ancestors and family noting, “Without their desire for a better life, I would not stand here today.” She spoke of Cuba’s rich history and her family’s journey to the U.S. from Cuba considering the country’s complicated political past. She also shared some of her work on racial equity initiatives throughout her career, including the Racially Informed Clinical Formulation (RICF) tool, which is a structured framework designed to help clinicians systematically incorporate racial and cultural factors into their clinical assessments, and related training.
The session ended with questions and comments from the audience, leading to discussion on some of the challenges of being a Latina woman in the mental health field. On this, Davila commented, “One of the hardest things is actively rejecting the narratives informed by bias and stereotypes that others have. That is one of the biggest and hardest things to be able to do, and when you’re able to, it’s incredibly liberating.”