Dania Santana

Author: Dania Santana

  • Home Again: Living Out My Dominican Dream

    After almost 20 years of living in the United States, I finally got to live out my Dominican Dream: moving back to the Dominican Republic for a year. This has been a long-time dream of mine—returning to my home country to live here with my children. Yes, we moved to Santo Domingo as soon as…

  • Raising Culturally Aware Kids for a Global Society

    As a mother, I often catch myself saying things my grandmother used to say, like “things aren’t the same as they used to be,” as I sigh and reminisce about my childhood. The truth is, nothing is like it used to be, and we must prepare our children to navigate a complex world. Raising culturally…

  • Unconscious Bias: What You Need to Know

    When I first moved to New York City over a decade ago, I didn’t know anything about unconscious bias. This lack of awareness meant that my own prejudices were hidden from me. For example, I would get upset when people mistook me for another nationality, not Dominican. My reaction was, “Of course not!” This triggered…

  • 3 Simple Ways to Nurture Multicultural Friendships in Children

    When I left my island in my mid-twenties, I didn’t set out to live a multicultural life. I never imagined that more than a decade later, I would be nurturing multicultural friendships in my American-born children. Multicultural living wasn’t even on my mind before I moved to the United States; at that time, Santo Domingo…

  • Remembering Muhammad Ali: Great Lessons From the Activist Champion

    As the world bids farewell to Muhammad Ali, there’s no doubt about his lightning-fast moves and powerful punch. He will forever be remembered as the greatest, the most celebrated athlete of his time. However, I want to pay tribute to his other strengths—the rapid rhythm of his poetry and the force of his principles. It…

  • What Is Diversity and How I Define It in a Social Context

    As I walked through the aisles of La Sirena in Santo Domingo last September, searching for a traditional dress for my daughter, I suddenly noticed something striking: the distinctive accents of Venezuela, Cuba, and Colombia filled the air as people shopped around me. It felt almost as if I were in Miami. This experience made…

  • 5 Effective Ways to Support Language Acquisition

    Up until I was 19 years old, I only spoke Spanish and had never been to an English-speaking country. For a long time, I believed I would never be able to learn English, as starting to study a new language as an adult was incredibly challenging. This is one of the reasons I am committed…

  • The Case for the Unifying Power of Bilingualism

    Traditionally, in the United States, there has been a common belief that speaking a foreign language is un-American—a sort of betrayal. It’s as if speaking a language other than English denies a core American value. This topic has long been contentious, dividing people. That’s why I want to talk about the unifying power of bilingualism…

  • American Latinos Are Leading the Multicultural Revolution

    One of the things I am most proud of as a mom is raising my children to be bilingual and multicultural. However, if you saw me interacting with my tiny, almost two-year-old son, you might be confused. This kid resists learning Spanish—when I say “buenas noches,” he responds with “good night.” Although this might seem…

  • American Latinos and Their Role in the U.S. Economy

    Every time I visit my local Hispanic supermarket, I see a woman selling tamales from her vehicle. Sometimes she’s with her kids, sometimes alone, but always working hard. Many people might overlook her and not realize the significant impact that Latinos have on the U.S. economy. To many Americans, she might seem like just another…