Diversity is something to be celebrated, and Google will be leading the charge to make sure it is done right.
The popular search giant recently released an animated video Doodle featuring American "Nuyorican" musician and internationally-renowned entertainer Tito Puente in celebration of his life and legacy for Hispanic Heritage Month.
For those unaware, Hispanic Heritage Month is annually celebrated every Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, per the official National Hispanic Heritage Month website.
Tito Puente - Life And Legacy Details
Tito Puente is a band leader and a percussionist who went down in history as one of the most innovative and influential figures in American Latin music for more than six decades, per CNET.
The man who would later be known as El Rey (The King) was born on April 20, 1923, at Harlem Hospital Center in New York City's Spanish Harlem, per Google. Thanks to his local environment, he grew up loving Puerto Rican, Cuban, and big-band music. So much so that he started his musical career as a drummer during his early teenage years.
Although he eventually found his big break playing for Federico Pagani's Happy Boys Band and Machito's Orchestra, he had to drop his career in favor of serving in the US Navy during World War 2.
Even as a serviceman, he still held his heart close to music, with him playing the saxophone as his ship's bandleader.
After the war, he continued his studies at the Juilliard School of Music, allowing him to hone his musical talent. Thanks to his time in school, Puente played with many bands and musical groups, such as Fernando Alvarez's Copacabana Group, per Your Dictionary.
Eventually, he started his own band in 1948, the Tito Puente Orchestra, which became popular, gaining a positive reputation thanks to his encouragement to people to dance on the dance floor.
Thanks to his musical talent, he was able to spearhead the mambo movement and popularized it, spreading Cuban dance music far and wide.
For those unaware, mambo is a type of Cuban dance music born from the combination of swing and enticing Cuban music.
However, Puente is not just a mambo player - he also dabbled in other genres of Latin music, like Boogaloo, Pachanga, and Salsa.
He is also known for giving opportunities to the Latin community, with him opening a scholarship fund used to support "promising, young Latin percussionists" for over 20 years.
Puente died on June 1, 2000, per the Washington Post. He was posthumously recognized at the first-ever Latin Grammy Awards, while the street he grew up in was renamed Tito Puente Way.
What Is The National Hispanic Heritage Month?
National Hispanic Heritage Month is a time when Americans celebrate and appreciate the Latin Community's history, heritage, and contributions to the US, per National Holiday.
The event was first introduced by Congressman George E. Brown in June 1968, during the height of the civil rights movement and increased awareness of multicultural groups.
The event was initially a week-long celebration, but in 1988, Congress expanded the event to make it a month-long one, with Sept. 15 still being the event's first day, per the Encyclopaedia Britannica.
