Latinos in America have been celebrating Thanksgiving since 1565, way before George Washington issued the first proclamation for this national celebration in 1789, and president Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday of every November a national day of "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”

The first communal Thanksgiving celebration in the first permanently settled European colony in American soil is traced back to St Augustine, Florida, founded by Spanish explorers in 1565. The date was September 8, a few days after the explorers landed in Florida, and Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles, founder of the city of St. Augustine, ordered the celebration of a mass of Thanksgiving, with a group of soldiers, colonists and priests.

The year 2016, trying as it was, is one we must remain thankful for.

We must be essentially grateful for America, North and South, and the bountiful continent of opportunities it continues to be.

In this issue of AL DIA we decided to highlight the world of Philanthropy, celebrated this month across the nation. We interviewed Alexandra Aquino-Fike, President of Development for Hispanics In Philanthropy, or HIP.

HIP was founded in 1983 as a networking support group for Latinos working at private foundations. Today is a global grant-making entity focused entirely on serving Latinos communities via philanthropic work.

“Now more than ever, given what’s happened this week [with the presidential election], we’re ready to double down on Latino leadership and the Latino voice, making sure we put out a true narrative of the contributions of our community, the generosity of our community,” Alexandra Aquino-Fike says.

We invite you to read the article by Alicia Lozano in our website.

¡Feliz Dia de Acción de Gracias!  Happy Thanksgiving Day!