I love hearing how some of the students taking Spanish for Black Girls classes are doing so with the aspirations of having ‘the foreign experience’ where they’re living abroad flexing their new superpower of being fluent. I feel the exact same way about the ones who really want to truly attain bilingual status so that they can speak with their friends, colleagues or to better navigate the diverse community of Spanish-speaking people around them. All of it is wonderful to hear for a devoted teacher wanting to see them flourish during their own linguistic journey, but as a woman who loves seeing other sisters making power moves over conversations at a restaurant the table after the order from an all-Spanish menu anywhere on the map. This is one of the unique places in my life where both of my brands completely intersect. The lessons I teach in both Spanish for Black Girls and Spanish for Small Business are equally present once I step in the door of the restaurant. My conversations with everyone from the host to the server, even if they’re brief, sets the tone for the overall dining experience for myself and my party.
Professionally speaking, I’m able to communicate with clients who are monolingually-Spanish over one of the most important places in business before I even reach for the menu. There are opportunities on both sides of the language divide at home and elsewhere. Your knowledge and abilities to proactively express and retain information set the tone for any situation. Here is where I feel that effectively using this precious superpower can result in a power move on the business front for a woman climbing the corporate ladder or the entrepreneur in the making. We rarely get invited to tee time at the country club for a round of golf with top-level-brass execs to openly talk business. This is the stage where most of the deals are done and learning Spanish will always keep you in the conversation with no translator mincing your words over the plate. With your superpower on full display, you also let everyone know that you understand what’s being said without having to say it.
All business aside though, there is something liberating about ordering from the menu by yourself or for the entire table. I can ask every question imaginable when it comes to my order and it allows me to ask on behalf of any guest who may not speak Spanish. Dietary restrictions are a thing and this also looks impressive when you’re out on that first date. Look, there’s nothing like a dynamic black queen who is well-versed in her arts. I tell people all the time that style is more than just what you wear. It’s how you work with what you have to make it your own to stand out.
I was in San Antonio a few years ago for the annual ACTFL Conference and was surrounded by native-speaking educators from all over the country and those like myself who learned it by ear or in class. An amazing experience filled with great people, but I did notice that I was one of a few black teachers in the room during these seminars. Mainly all non-black, Hispanic women in attendance and leading the conversation. It was a snapshot of who we as African-Americans think only speak Spanish when people in The Caribbean, Central and South America–who look just like us–speak it every day. Learning Spanish defies stereotypes people have about you and–in time–you may have about them. Being able to activate this superpower is all about building bridges that last to inroads socially. And what better way to do it than over a delicious chicken tamale and a plateful of crispy birria-style tacos ready to be dipped and devoured. The women, some of whom were mildly astonished to see an African-American woman linguistically doing her thing with no assistance, knew that a great meal was the perfect way for us to bond. One suggested this Puerto Rican Restaurant there called La Marginal. We laughed, we joked and spoke about the importance of being bilingual not only for the individual, but for society as a whole. That was great to hear, but once life changed when I tried Mofongo for the very first time ever that night. Yucca, a West African staple by the way, never tasted this unworldly. My taste buds were thanking me for learning the language so I could attend this conference and meet these cool women and try this unbelievable dish that I love to this day. This is one of the many ways learning Spanish keeps blessing you with opened doors literally as soon as you start talking. No amount of networking events attended, private club memberships, letters of recommendation or family connections can do the same. Spanish for Blacks Girls can get the woman you are today to be the completely bilingual professional living internationally and traveler throwing darts at the map to see where the next destination will be. This is for you. The woman who knows that she wants more than just a seat at the table.
