Miramar Kicks Off Hispanic Heritage Month With Major Latin Music Festival

MIRAMAR (CBSMiami) – Wednesday marks the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, and Miramar is home to a large Latin music festival to honor the occasion.

"It's in the sharing of our culture and it's that music, it's the food, art," Miramar Vice Mayor Yvette Colbourne said.

It's that type of environment where people get to learn about each other.

"The contributions that the Hispanic community brings to the City of Miramar stretches across all sectors," Miramar Mayor Wayne Messam said.

To showcase the diversity, leaders have planned a variety of events, including the return of the Latin Music Festival on September 25.  CBS4 witnessed just a small sample of talent Wednesday, starting off with Venezuelan crooner, Edward Mena, then younger pop artist, Aney C.

Aney C shared with CBS4 how her family originally from Panama have become part of the American Dream.

"Starting from nothing, my dad started out washing cars, now he's a business owner," she said.

Her parents moved to the U.S. in 2001.

"They worked really hard and now they own their own business where they take care of people with intellectual disabilities," she said.

They taught her she belongs here, and there's room to do it all.

"Not only do I sing but I also go to college," she added.

Aney C is a psychology major, with a minor in paralegal studies.  It's stories like that which make the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month so important, because everyone adds in a little bit of flavor to one community.