Celebrating differences makes us stronger
Cummins’ month-long Hispanic Heritage events recognize the impact Hispanics and Latinos are making in the world
Throughout the United States, Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) is annually celebrated from September 15 to October 15. This year, Cummins Inc.’s celebration of HHM started even earlier, when employees gathered in Columbus, Indiana (Ind.) on September 7 to recognize Brazil’s Independence Day. With food and music from Brazil being served and played, employees experienced the optimal setting in joining Cummins’ Brazilian leadership to interact and talk casually about their heritage. And that was only the beginning, as over the course of the next five weeks, employees from around the globe came together in-person, via Zoom, and through their communities to connect, share and learn more about the impact Hispanics and Latinos are making throughout the world!
Elton Duro, Global Sourcing Director, Power Electrics at Cummins, tells us more: “This year’s activities surrounding HHM were amazing. Our employee volunteers worked so hard and came up with some creative and engaging event ideas to help raise awareness about the impact being made by Hispanics and Latinos. We went from three events last year to this year’s eighteen, and the GOAL (Latino Employee Resource Group) team worked diligently to bring everyone together. I’m so proud of not only celebrating Hispanic and Latino heritage but even more proud of the fact my colleagues and company are so eager to share cultural differences and recognize how differences unite us.”
Sharing cultural heritage
With this year’s HHM theme of “Driving Prosperity, Power and Progress in America” top of mind, GOAL organized events to engage involvement and encourage support of the Hispanic and Latino communities. Along with in-person events, a variety of virtual sessions were offered, like:
- “Hispanic/Latino Fun Facts” - employees whose heritages originated from Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Venezuela, for example, shared some fun cultural facts from those countries.
- “Taste of Colombia” - employee volunteers served typical dishes from Colombia like Arepas, Bandeja Paisa, and Obleas.
- “Forum: Hispanic/Latino Workforce Growth @ Cummins” - participants learned about the current state of the Cummins Hispanic/Latino populations and various DE&I initiatives that support the population growth and allyship across ethnic groups at the company.
“It is important to highlight the significant progress Hispanics and Latinos in America have made and to acknowledge how we are driving the country’s prosperity,” says Maria Wilkins, Technical Compliance & Certification, COE Emissions Compliance FE Technical Advisor at Cummins and Co-Lead of the GOAL. “HHM also serves as a call to action to help promote a more inclusive and positive environment, as we all have a unique opportunity to contribute to this progress. I am so proud of my heritage and the opportunity to be encouraged to share some of my cultural experiences with colleagues. Cummins is doing an outstanding job of developing a culture of appreciation where employees feel valued for who they are and what they do. Dedicating an entire month to celebrate the heritage of Hispanics and Latinos speaks volumes.”
Promoting community involvement
Opportunities to participate in community volunteering efforts for Cummins employees were also included in the recognition plan. Employees met via Zoom to talk about connecting, engaging, and giving back to the communities where Cummins employees and their families are present.
GOAL provided a prize to the top five employees with the most registered volunteer hours through Cummins Every Employee Every Community (EEEC), a Cummins benefit that provides the opportunity for employees to take time from work and volunteer in their communities.
Claudia Alcocer, Powertrain Digital Engineering Analytics Leader, shared: “It was really a great experience to work together with my Cummins coworkers to make this event a reality from planning the menu, doing several try-outs, looking for the best ingredients, preparing the food, and finally running the booth. The dedication and commitment from our team and our volunteers was really inspiring. In addition to supporting our community, I also valued the opportunity to develop good friendships and know more about Colombia.”
Guilherme Colloca, CPS Service Engineer, shared: “Fiesta Latina is a great event, and we always have the real mix of Latinx countries’ involvement, sharing our cultural and cuisine heritage, and at the same time, gathering funds to help more Latinos throughout Su Casa Columbus. To exemplify this mix of Latinos, this year we represented Colombia cuisine with a Leader from Peru and Co-Leads from Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela. We have had a hard-working team, and I believe this comes from our heritage, as we Latinos are pursuing our dreams, prosperity and beliefs. We shall never forget where we came from, and we must keep our culture alive as much as we can.”
Instilling inclusivity through differences
Bonnie Fetch, Vice President of Supply Chain for Cummins, met with employees to close out the celebrations and reiterate the importance of recognizing HHM: “Since the start of the celebrations, the HHM planning team focused on topics relevant to the Hispanic community. The objective was to grow the conversations with an open approach and understanding as to where Cummins’ efforts stand so current and incoming generations of Hispanic and Latino leaders and employees can contribute to making accountable efforts towards Cummins diversity, equity and inclusion targets. Recognizing and learning more about one another’s differences contributes to the strength and health of an organization’s culture as a whole. And this year’s HHM activities did just that.
“Cummins is beyond thankful for the support, guidance and leadership of our GOAL sponsors and leaders. And we look forward to continue our efforts in recognition of the Hispanic community as we prepare for Hispanic Heritage Month 2024.”
Tamra Knudsen
Tamra Knudsen is a Brand Journalist for Cummins with extensive experience in the Capital Goods sector, serving over 20 years in various corporate communications roles. She began her career in accounting, moving into numerous positions within finance, marketing and administration, until she discovered her niche in the field of communications. Her passion is to create transparent and meaningful content that educates, informs and engages readers on a variety of topics for both external and internal audiences.
Tamra graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Parkside, with a BS in Business Administration and Management.
