SOLEDAD: EACH SEPTEMBER, IOO LK FORWARD TO CELEBRATING HISPANIC HERITAGE MON. IT IS A 30 DAY WINDOW FROM SEPTEMBER 15TH TO OCTOBER 15TH, AND IT IS A CHANCE TO RECOGNIZE GENERATIONS OF HISPANIC AMERICANS WHO HAVE INFLUENCED OUR HISTORY AND ENRICHED OUR CULTURE. IT’S ALSO A CHANCE TO INTROCEDU NEW VOICES IN OUR CONVERSATION ABOUT DIVERSITY AND INCLUSNIO AND REIMAGINING THE AMERICAN DRM.EA ONE OF THOSE OUTSTANDING NEW VOICES IS A YOUNG WOMAN WHO’S BEEN A STANDUP COMIC SINCE THE AGE OF 17. POR FAVOR, DEN LA BIENVENIA A GINA BRILLON GINA: HI, I’M GINA BRILL.ON MY BACKGROUND IS PRETTY DO.PE I’M PUERTO RICAN FROM THE SOUTH BRX.ON ALL OF MY FRIENDS GROWING UP WERE PRETTY MUCH BLACK AND LA TINO, UNTIL I WENT TO HIGH SCOL.HO THEN I DISCOVERED WHITE PEOPLE. AT A CERTAIN POINT IN MY LIFE, I MADE A LOT OF MEXICAN FRIENDS. SO, A LOT OF MY SPANISH SOUNDS VERY MEXICAN, WHICH IS CONFUSING TO MY PUERTO RICAN RELATIVES. BESIDES BEING A PUERTO RICAN WHO SOUNDS INCREDIBLY MEXICAN ENWH SHE SPEAKS SPANISH, I’M LATINA, BUT I’M ALSO AMERICAN. I WAS BORN AND RAISED HERE, SO I’M NOT AMERICAN ENOUGH FOR THE AMERICANS, NOT LATINO ENOUGH FOR THE LATINOS. THE AMERICAN DREAM, TO ME, WAS ALWAYS THIS IDEA OF HAVING ENOUGH MONEY TO LIVE COMFORTABLY, NOT HAVING TO WORK JUST TO LIVE, BUT HANGVI EXPENDABLE INCOME AND BEING ABLE TO HAVE NICE THINGS AND YOU KNOW, HAVE THE WHITE PICKET FENCE AND THE 2.5 KIDS,ND A THE PERFECT DOG AND EVERYTHING. AND AS A AS I GET OLDER, IT DOESN’T SEEM VERY REALISTIC. THE AMERICAN DREAM TO A LOT OF LATINOS IS LIKE THE WORM ON THE HOOK THAT GETS YOU HERE TO AMERICA, LIKE THEY DANGLE IT IN FRONT OF YOU AND YOU’RE LIKE, OH, MY GOODNESS, YOU KW, INO WANT TO BE IN AMERICA, LIKE YOU WANT ALL THAT, LIKE, THINGS. AND THEN YOU GET HERE AND IT’S LIKE, OH, THEY JUST PLAYED ME IN AMERICA, LIKE, OH, I JUST GOT PLAYED HERE. THEY DANGLE THIS IN FRONT OF ME, BUT IT’S NOT REALLY FOR ME. I DON’T THINK THE FLOOR IS LEVELEFOD R HISPANICS AND LATI AMERICANS AT ALL, IN TERMS OF THE AMERICAN DREAM. JUI ST DON’T THINK IT IS. I THINK WE COME IN ON THIS OMPRISE THAT OH, YOU CAN HAVE THIS AMERICAN DREAM. YOU REALLY CAN, YOU CAN HAVE EVERYTHING YOU WANT. AND THEN AS SOON AS WE STEP UP, THEY’REIK LE, OH, NOT YOU. NEXT, YOU CAN HAVE THIS AMERICAN DREAM. OH, NO, NO, NO, NOT YOU. WHERE ARE YOU FROM? OK, NOW YOU HAVE AN ACCENT. OH, NO, YOU’RE AFRO-LATINA. NO, I’M SORRY. NOT YOU. AND IT’S ALWAYS, LIKE, WE ARE JUST ON THE LINE. IT’S LIKE BEING AT THE DMV OR JUST ON THE LINE WAITING UNTIL YOUR TURN COMES UP AND IT JUST NEVER COMEUP.S IN MY OPINION, WHAT IT SAYS ABOUT AMERICA, WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO. WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO TO EQUALITY. WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO BEFORE EVERYTHING SEEMS FR.AI TILANOS IN THIS COUNTRY FEEL LIKE THEY CAN ACTUALLY ACHIEVE THE AMERICAN D