Throughout Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15), Sony Music highlighted the contributions, culture and impact of the Latino and Hispanic experience in music and the nation. So, how exactly did we celebrate? 

For starters, we highlighted our year-round partnerships with organizations that support Latino and Hispanic culture, such as Hispanic Federation, Repertorio Español and Voto Latino, and we continued to support non-profits targeting Latinx communities deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Since Hispanic Heritage Month is a U.S.-focused celebration, but we wanted to unite employees on a global scale, it was important to provide context into the experience of U.S. Latinos and highlight the unique differences between Latino and Hispanic identities from Mexico, Spain, Puerto Rico, Columbia, Argentina and more.

We introduced Hispanic Heritage Month by sharing a list of educational resources and introducing a robust calendar of events for employees. We also promoted resources from partner organizations like free programming from Repertorio Español and a number of events from the Hispanic Federation, such as the 2020 Hispanic Education Summit.

We kicked off the month’s internal programming with a roundtable in Spanish in partnership with She Is the Music. There was also a live virtual screening of “Being Eñye,” followed by a Q&A between SOMOS (Sony Music’s Latinx Employee Network Group) and the film’s director, Denise Soler Cox, which focused largely on identity. And The Orchard hosted a conversation with employees from the Latin region talking about their various roles.  

Sony Music also hosted a conversation with Voto Latino’s Maria Terésa Kumar and Becky G, moderated by actress Jackie Cruz. This engaging conversation centered around the importance of voting and voter education. 

The Sony Music Latin team were great partners in creating programming to encompass four key elements: MUSICA, BAILA, SABOR AND COLOR. 

• For MUSICA we created a YouTube playlist with both classics and the latest hits from our artists in the Latin-Iberia region.
• For BAILA, we got a week’s worth of daily dance lessons from Salsa Kings Studio in Miami. Each night featured a dance from a different region: the Flamenco from Spain; Samba from Brazil; the Tango from Argentina; Bachata from the Caribbean; and the Salsa from Cuba.
• For SABOR, we got a sneak peek into the kitchens of Sony Music artists Kany Garcia and Debi Nova, and chef Dolli Irigoyen in a three-part video series demonstrating how to prepare their favorite meals. 
• And for COLOR, we wrapped up with an internal-only artist roundtable entitled “50 Shades of Brown: What It Means to Be Hispanic Today” featuring Sony Music artists Pedro Capo, Goyo (from ChocQuibTown), Leslie Grace, Maffio, Emilia Mernes and Jesús Navarro (from Reik). 

A big thank you to Sony Music Latin and SOMOS for all of their collaboration and partnering, and to all of our colleagues who tuned in to celebrate.