Juntos con Bad Bunny: We Are Pan-Americanism

“God Bless America! Be it Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Cuba, República Dominicana, Jamaica, Haiti, Las Antillas, United States, Canada, and my motherland, mi patria, Puerto Rico...” (shown in the flag display, the flag of Belize)

-Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, Super Bowl Half Time Show 2026

SDr. Gary Santos Mendoza unday night's Super Bowl Halftime performance, headlined by Bad Bunny, became, at the time of this writing, the highest-watched Super Bowl Halftime show in the history of the Super Bowl. The visibility of its Latine culture, shown through the Puerto Rican lens, displayed elements of culture, including the thought of decolonization, mixed with joy and, in essence, resistance. One element at the end of the performance was the representation of colorful flags marching behind Bad Bunny, a representative of the countries in the Americas, and Bad Bunny showing a message on the football he holds: “Together, we are America.” For some, a message of unity; for us, an ideology that has been around for decades, given visibility by Bad Bunny through this performance. This concept is Pan-Americanism.

For many, the concept may be new, but for history scholars and some student organizations, for example,  Phi Iota Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the idea of Pan-Americanism has been alive since the beginning of major independence movements in the Americas. It was not until the early 20th century that it was finally given its name. By definition, Dictionary.com mentions Pan-Americanism is the idea or advocacy of a political alliance or union of all the countries of North, Central, and South America, or a movement for or the idea or advocacy of close economic, cultural, and military cooperation among the Pan-American countries.

Peter Rojas As two scholar-practitioners in higher education, aspects of our backgrounds are within our students, for us through our craft, not with an establishment of belonging to one specific background. For Peter, his heritage stems from Colombian ancestry, but he prides himself on being the first in his family to be born and raised in New England, Massachusetts, to be exact. Although his experiences have extended his life across several heavily populated Latine cities, such as Miami and Los Angeles, identifying with both cultures is a constant struggle. By appearance, culture, and the cultivation of relationships, a geographical foundation cannot even provide him with a sense of belonging, whether in the United States or Colombia, both countries in the Americas. Gary also identified a similar experience to Peter’s. His identity as an Ecuadorian, Puerto Rican, and a person born in the United States, all part of the Americas, provides a sense of belonging to the Americas. 

Like Peter, Gary lived in heavily populated Latine cities such as Miami, Chicago, and his hometown of New York City. Being from NYC, one of the most diverse cities in the US, gave him front-row exposure to the cultures, music, and relationships of various countries across the Americas, creating a sense of belonging through shared experiences of the lived history of inequity and colonization, and of joy. Both of us through our critical reflection, guided by Bad Bunny’s super bowl performance, the representation of colorful flags at the end of the performance with and the words “God Bless America”, by then uttering the word “SEA”, translated as “be it” and mention every country of the Americas thereafter, provide a split moment of realization that we are more than our ethnic countries of origin, but we are part of something unifying, the Americas. 

Like us, and many Latine individuals, the relationship with the ideology of Pan-Americanism, by theory versus practice, we face constant battle; we are forced to navigate our identities, here in the United States, and where the heritage we are rooted in. So ultimately, what is Pan Americanism, and how do we define it in the 21st century of living? Especially as educators providing that teaching to our college students.

At a macro level, we are currently failing to uphold the original ideology and practice of striving for a Pan-American identity, where we can advocate political, economic, and military cooperation among ourselves. At a time when Latine, Black, and Caribbean communities are under attack, all it took was a macro-sized event such as Super Bowl LX to remind us of the little things, the importance of unity, and how, with our social and academic capital, we can drive change. 

Many of us can agree that, in a microcosm, we live the Pan-American way of life every day, no matter the sovereign state we call home. We share similar rituals, whether it is supporting the local tiendas or bodegas, exploring the rich flavors of cuisines such as pupusas or tacos, or admiring the art of dance through Cumbia, Salsa, or Reggaeton. The essence of who we are as people is greater than our current level of high alert of oppression, hate, or even the brink of war, internally or globally. 

What Bad Bunny reminded us, or even showed some of us for the first time, was that these microcosms can serve as a catalyst for Pan-Americanism to be a reality, even at a macrocosm. It is a reminder that Latine culture is not simply food, fun, and fashion, but it is an ideology of strength, unity, and resiliency, values we all live every day. A culture where we come together as all Americans, no longer living in hate, but rather capturing love wherever we can.

Juntos, we are Pan-Americanism.

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