More Than A Month: Amigo Month

The United Kingdom is home to many different communities, in London you will often see shops or restaurants with roots hailing from across the globe.

As the capital of England you will find different cultures in the form of restaurants, street markets and places of worship, all integrated into British society.

A society that welcomes migrants should be able to maintain its identity, and this is also true for those travelling to this new society.

From trinkets to traditional music, from the dishes you cook to your religious practices, a lot will come with you on your journey abroad.

Many migrants will then seek each other out, whether after the fondness of home or in need of support integrating, this is how communities will form.

So while it is important to fit into your new society well, it is also important that you are represented appropriately by this society.

This is where some may identify with the awkwardness that comes from filling in forms but not seeing options that accurately represent them.

Such is the case for many from South American countries, often having to pick “White Other” due to there not being a closer option that fits.

For example with healthcare it would be beneficial to accurately know how many “White Other” patients speak Spanish, and may need a translator.

Or maybe confusion can arise where Spanish speaking and Hispanic get used mutually, but the individual may know this is not always the same.

These are among the issues that Amigo Month has been advocating for since it was officially launched in 2011, however the concept dates back to 2009.

London Citizens organised the Strangers Into Citizens march on May 4th 2009, which brought awareness to migrants seeking citizenship and opposing exploitation, among other things.

The march drew in support from community groups and trade unions, with organisers estimating that up to 20,000 people participated in it.

Voto Latino and Justice for Cleaners were among the supporting groups that made up the march, with Amigo Month founder Isaac Bigio being a key liaison.

The march began at Westminster Catholic Church and finished at Trafalgar Square, where Isaac spoke on behalf of several groups in support of migrant citizenship.

It was at this march that the roots of Amigo Month came to be, with Isaac forming the concept for it among his friends.

Officially starting in 2011, Amigo Month’s start and end dates coincided with key dates to the Ibero-American community, celebrating their countries during the five weeks.

Since then the event has been held every year, running from September 7th to October 12th, with its ambitions looking to go higher each year.

Initially organisers looked to have at least a day for each national holiday for the Ibero-American countries the month represented, while filling in spare days.

As the years passed Amigo Month worked to include the Luso-Hispanic community, 2026 will cover “Latino, Hispanic, Lusophone, Iberian, South and Central American” communities.

Members of the team may have come and gone, but Isaac has remained as a key coordinator and supporter of the movement.

Amigo Month aims to get better representation for all the countries it is representing in the census, and for official recognition from the government.

It also has hopes of becoming recognised as a history month akin to Black History Month, similar to how it is in the USA and Canada.

With September fast approaching, the team has begun planning this year’s events, reaching out to officials and candidates for support and official recognition.

A meeting was held at Tiendas del Sur in Elephant & Castle on the 30th April, where candidates for local election were invited to address the community.

There were candidates from each of the major parties at the meeting, with some being independents as well.

Despite there being different parties involved there was a shared sentiment that representation was important among all candidates.

There is still more planning to be done for this year, and the team is hard at work deciding what should be included.

The next meeting for Amigo Month will be at the Peruvian Consulate on the 14th May, where all are welcome.