Latinx Heritage Month 2021 at Yelp

This year’s Latinx Heritage Month at Yelp included efforts from all parts of the company. A huge thank you to our PR, Data, and Community teams for their efforts with our business owner community. Not only have these teams helped create bilingual resources and wonderful events, they found that more than 24,000 businesses across the U.S. and Canada have already self-identified as Latinx-owned since the inception of our Latinx-owned business attribute! 

As for our internal events, they ranged from business owner chats, cooking classes, to important conversations amongst our employees. We kicked off the celebration with a continuation of last year’s employee dialogue – finding unity within the diverse Latinx/Hispanic community. Encompassing over 20 countries, countless traditions, and nuanced experiences, our employees shared stories that made others feel seen. 

If feelings weren’t enough, we also had a great arepa making class with San Antonio based, Zulia’s Kitchen. Throughout history, the arepa has remained mainly unchanged and is a staple dish associated with Colombian and Venezuelan cuisine. Business owner, Morelys Yaraure walked us through her version of an authentic arepa. 

To wrap the month up, our SomosYelp employee resource group gathered for a cafecito hour with interactive sandwich trivia, and we closed out with a visit from our friends at Fuerza Local. Fuerza Local (part of Local First Arizona, a longtime Yelp Foundation grantee) is a non-profit organization that works to strengthen local communities and economies through the support and celebration of local businesses in Arizona. Staff members and business accelerator graduates joined us to discuss their experience and impact for two great Latinx-owned local businesses, Azuquita and Salsas Fierro Por La 300.