#WeLaGente from California are Ready to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

2 years ago

By Angela Vega-Hiyama

September has always been one of my favorite months. The air is crisp, the leaves change to beautiful brown and yellow colors, the kids go back to school and we, the parents get that much-needed burst of energy to finish the year strong.

More than anything, September is my favorite month because of Hispanic Heritage Month, the national celebration of Latino heritage, my heritage.

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Hispanic Heritage Months starts on September 15th and that day is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16th and 18th, respectively.

As a second generation Mexican-American, this month means family gatherings, music, food, culture and joy. As easy as it is to get carried away by the delicious tamales, churros and fiestas, it is important to remind ourselves that this is a time to honor the contributions by Latinos to our country and society. And maybe we should take one step further by not only celebrating those who have achieved success; let’s make a point to support the up and coming Latino talent around us.

As a Comcast employee and a UNIDOS Employee Resource Group leader in California, I’m proud to see the ways in which Comcast is honoring the holiday. In case you haven’t seen it, Xfinity recently launched the #WeLaGente marketing campaign in which regular people and by that I mean non-models, recite the United States Constitution in alternate English and Spanish. This is a way to highlight the unique bilingual capabilities of our X1 remote and platform. Because if you are like me and you live in a world of two languages you understand why a remote that speaks “Spanglish” is everything.

In addition, from October 15-28, all Xfinity X1 customers will be able to enjoy FreePass Latino, a yearly initiative in which Xfinity TV customers are able to enjoy hours of great series, movies, soap operas and even the first episodes of shows before they premiere! You can access the curated and free Latino content on the front page of your X1 or in the platform’s Latino section which, by the way, is available all year long.

Supporting Latino content on the X1 is fantastic but we are also supporting local Latino artists in the Bay Area. Xfinity is one of the main sponsors of the 10^th annual Cine+Mas San Francisco Latino Film Festival that started on September 14^th and runs until September 30^th. As a treat for UNIDOS California, we are bringing the festival to Livermore where our regional office is located.

As part of our Hispanic Heritage Month commemoration, the UNIDOS ERG is having a private screening of the Oakland based documentary Futbolistas 4 Life followed by a panel discussion with talent from the film.

Futbolistas 4 Life takes you into the lives of two Oakland high schoolers: One is a college hopeful and DACA applicant who’s navigating the reality of his immigration status and the other is an American citizen who lives in fear that her undocumented parents may be deported.

Thanks for visiting the Comcast California blog and happy Hispanic Heritage Month!

Preparing for PSPS Events

Many of us are looking forward to a return to some form of normalcy as we work to rebuild and recover from the public health crisis. Californians are clever, resilient and optimistic people and we will find joy in every season no matter what happens.

While this year will probably feel very different, one thing that will, unfortunately, remain consistent is the threat of wildfires. June 1 was the official start of fire season and at Comcast we are working tirelessly to ensure we continue to serve our customers.

Concurrent with fire season, in many parts of California, we anticipate planned power outages – called Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) – during this time, which runs from June through November. When gusty winds and dry conditions are forecasted, combined with a heightened fire risk, electricity providers pre-emptively turn off the power to protect the public.

Comcast’s Internet, TV and landline telephone services for homes and businesses require commercial power to operate. During a PSPS event, these Comcast services may stop functioning within hours after the commercial power is shut off. Mobile phone service may also be affected by a PSPS event.

Comcast understands this disruption to services is frustrating and has a major impact on people’s lives and businesses. The safety of our communities and employees is our utmost priority and Comcast takes care during PSPS events to ensure public safety.

Comcast also takes care during PSPS events to ensure we’re keeping our customers informed. We’ve sent a letter and an email to our customers with important information about how to keep informed during wildfire season.

You may also see public service announcements on your local news channel reminding you how these power outages may affect your services.

Here are a few things you can do now to be prepared:

Confirm your contact information at xfinity.com/myaccount—We will use this information to contact you if we expect a service disruption caused by a planned power outage. You can also use My Account to check if your service has been restored.
Comcast Business customers can check their My Account app or the Comcast Business Status Center to get information and valuable updates.
Download your favorite shows and movies for offline viewing—With the Xfinity Stream app, you can watch shows and movies offline in case you lose power.
Download the Xfinity Connect App to receive Xfinity Voice calls via your mobile phone—Xfinity Voice customers can make and receive calls with their Xfinity phone number using their mobile phone.
Visit the Comcast California Blog where we will post information, updates and answers to commonly asked questions. On the blog, we’ve launched a special PSPS web page where you can get additional information.
Follow us on Twitter — our handle is @ComcastCA and we regularly post valuable updates.

Even if power is off, Comcast’s team never stops working for you. From our family to yours, we hope you remain safe.

A Look Back at 2020: Our Year in Review

3 weeks ago

Photo caption (Left to Right): Chinese New Year Parade in January 2020, Lift Zones announcement at Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County, a Comcast technician examines an area after it had been burned from a wildfire, Comcast Leaders & Achievers scholarship winner, Black Joy Parade attendees in February 2020, Comcast’s accessibility leader joins a virtual LightHouse for the Blind event. Across the company and […]