This Latine Heritage month, our “MI History” series -headlights Latin celebrities when they share how their families’ immigration stories shaped who they are -and why telling these stories is crucial to strengthening immigrant societies.
Throughout her career-from her days in the Girl Group 3LW to “The Cheetah Girls” to host “The Real” -Har Adrienne Bailon always shown pride in her Latinidad. When she grew up on Lower East Side with her Puerto Rica Mom, Ecuadorian father and older sister, she credits her success to the strength of the family support.
“It has literally made me who I am,” she tells Popsugar. “With my Latinidad – you already know how I feel. We spent the Latin American heritage together last year – there is nothing that makes me more proud.”
Bailon is reminiscent of the Latina hereditary dinner that she hosted last fall at El Castillo de Jagua at Lower East Side, a Caribbean place serving Dominican, Cuban and Puerto Rica traditional dishes since 1986 – and an event I was honored to participate. The night felt like a celebration in his own home: The walls lined up with family photos, her mother, father, stepfather, sister, siblings, sister -in -law, husband Israel Houghton and son ever present, along with close friends like Dasha Polanco and Angie Martinez.
Bailon even performed a few songs with his sister and father – a tradition from his childhood – before the night ended in Merengue dance. It was a living portrait of how central the family remains in her life. In fact, she and Israel moved from Los Angeles to Upstate New York in 2021 to be closer to their loved ones as they started building their own family. She believes that being raised with a family -oriented way of thinking, while being encouraged to follow her dreams, is what has kept her ground throughout her career.
This Latine Heritage month, Bailon collaborates with Colgate-Palmolive and Walmart, a collaboration that came naturally.
“I definitely wanted to do it because I love the fact that they represented in the most authentic way. When talking about Fabuloso, SuaDitel, Colgate, these are our brands,” she says. “I feel Latinos that does not call toothpaste, toothpaste. They call it Colgate (pronounced colga-).”
She refers to Saturday morning’s cleaning ritual every Latin child grew up and experienced – having her Latina mom at the awake at dawn with fabuloso on deck and Latin music blasted in the background, which means that every child in the house joins the chores.
“It was super authentic and organic for who I am for Cultura,” she says. “I think that when I published my roll on Instagram, the comments are literally everyone who,” Yes, this is who we are. “That we feel represented in this campaign, and I think it means so much that when we do things for Hispanic Heritage Month, that it is done in a way that is genuine and true for who we are.”
Another thing that Bailon is to prioritize this Latine Heritage month is to share her family’s immigration history – a journey that not only ran her career but also shaped family values she lives by.
“My dad actually immigrated to the United States when he was in the 40s and came from Ecuador to New York,” she says. “He came here to sing – to become a singer in a band that performed in Flushing, Queens. You know there are crazy Ecuadorians in Queens!”
Today Bailon is surprised by her father’s courage when she comes to the US in search of a better life: “I ask my dad all the time,” Papi, how did you do that? “I can’t imagine.”
“I can’t imagine picking up and going to a country that speaks another language and starting a whole new life,” she continues. “The fashion that takes is just impassive, and I’m so grateful that he did. It affected my life in the fact that I’m here and two, that I love that I grew up in a Spanish home. We only spoke Spanish at home.”
“I can’t imagine picking up and going to a country that speaks another language and starting a whole new life.”
Meanwhile, Bailon’s mother’s family’s family’s immigration history pushed her passion for representation in entertainment. Her mother, a first-generation Puerto Rican, was bred by a mother who left the island to New York, worked in garment factories and first lived in a Chelsea tenant before moving the family to the projects at Lower East Side.
“When the Latina magazine was first launched, I remember I was a really big thing for my mom,” says Bailon. “I remember seeing Jennifer Lopez on the cover of Vogue and my mom cried about it and her explained to me,” you don’t get it, growing up we would never have thought it would come a day where we were represented and not just represented but celebrated. “
It is also why Bailon’s family was so supportive for their own dreams.
“My mom has always been proud of me. My mom is not only proud of me because I’m successful and on TV or because I make music. If I worked at your local bodega, my mom (still) would be very proud of it,” she says. “Having it as a foundation allowed me to hover and allowed me to go for things because I was not afraid of failure. It encouraged me to persecute my dreams fearless because I had this buns solid because of a family I felt loved and encouraged me that even if this did not work, I would still be good.”
Yet it was not easy to support these dreams. Her parents made many sacrifices so that she could go with 3LW when she was just a teenager.
“I think that for my mom was the biggest sacrifice to let me leave. I think the biggest victim was that at 15, 16 years old my mother actually gave custody over me to my boss because we were to travel. If there was an emergency, they must have parenting over me,” says Bailon. “And I think it went to a court and signed it, oh my gosh, it was heartbreaking for my mom-as traumatic low-key.”
Decades later, she shares her story with pride because she believes that we must now more than ever hear more stories like hers.
“The most important thing I want people to remove from my family history are the things my mother set me as the first generation in this country: hard work. Pride,” she says. “And not just proud of who we are, but pride in the way we see you.”
Now, who raises her own 3-year-old son, ever, she learns to pass that pride to the next generation. “We are very intentional with just talking to him in Spanish at home,” she shares. “Ever speaks Spanish. He now learns only English and he has some accent.”
Bailon continues to say that she knows that when he gets more friends and goes to school, he will ultimately speak more English. But it has been important for her to raise him bilingual.
“It is important to me that he knows Spanish. That’s what really links us to our culture, and that is something I stick to,” she adds.
Learning his son Spanish, explains Bailon, is not just about language – although it is especially important today at a time where this country is Trying to remove the Spanish language. For her it is about giving him roots, a sense of pride in where he comes from. It is the same intention that she recognizes in the generations before her, a thread of culture and identity that has always been transferred to her family, especially from her grandmother, whose hard Orgullo and pride in being Latina and Boricua continue to inspire Bailon today.
“I remember grew up in the projects and my grandmother would get used things and I remember it would be of high quality. It was important to her,” she shares. “She would be so proud of what she looked like, how she introduced herself and even if we were poor, our house would be so clean that you can eat our floors.”
“We will introduce ourselves in a clean way. We will be hard working,” she continues. “We will show up to work 30 minutes early. We will be the last to leave. We will come through with excellence in everything we do, and I think I really appreciate that my mom and my grandmother gave it in me and that kind of pride, that kind of work ethy, no one can take it away from you.”
Johanna Ferreira is the content director of PS Juntos. With more than ten years of experience, Johanna focuses on how intersectional identities are a central part of Latin culture. Previously, she spent close to three years as vice editor at Hiplatina, and she has freelanced for many stores including Refinery29, Oprah Magazine, Allure, Instyle and Well+Good. She has also moderated and spoken in many panels about Latin identity.
