Dania Santana

Category: American Latinos

  • My Second Bilingual Children’s Book: Sebastian’s Game Day Surprise

    On August of 2019, my second bilingual children’s book was published: “Sebastian’s Game Day Surprise/La Sorpresa de Sebastián el Día del Partido Final”. The book was commissioned by the program called Read Conmigo. This book was really special to me as it allowed me to bring to life a character that positively represents AfroLatino children…

  • 3 Happiness Lessons Our Kids Can Learn from Dominican Culture

    I just got back from my hometown of Santo Domingo and am now experiencing what I call the ‘withdrawal stage’ after returning to the United States from the Dominican Republic. Besides the nostalgic feeling of leaving friends and family behind, there’s also a longing for the natural joy that’s so inherent to life on the…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Becoming Bicultural to Parent the Children of Today ~ Book Review

    Immigration is often a hot topic in the United States, and becoming bicultural is frequently equated with being an immigrant. However, we are witnessing a unique moment in history where our global society, regardless of origin, is evolving. Parenting in this context presents challenges that previous generations didn’t face, and preparing our children for today’s…

  • Starting Kindergarten at 4 Years Old and Life Without My Mom: #TheYearOf40

    Months before we moved into the house my father was building with the money he won in the lottery, I was one of those kids starting kindergarten at 4 years old in a neighborhood school. If you’re thinking that was very young, let me clarify that this wasn’t my first time in school; I had…

  • The Year My Father Won the Lottery & We Moved to Villa Mella#TheYearOf40

    It was 1980, a year that marked the beginning of a new decade and also my third year on earth. However, in our family’s history, 1980 will forever be remembered as the year my father won the lottery in the most unexpected way. Here’s the thing: my father has never been a gambler. He never…

  • My Toddler Tantrum Phase and Happenings from 1979 #TheYearOf40

    When I decided to embark on this storytelling exercise, I didn’t anticipate how challenging it would be to extract memories of my early years from my mother and father. However, when it came to recalling my second year of life—when my toddler tantrum phase began—it wasn’t as difficult as I expected. With just a simple…