In the pages of Champaign Central High School’s 2002 yearbook, a young Harmonia Rosales smiles from her senior portrait, unaware that she would one day become a celebrated painter whose work reimagines the world through the lens of Afro-Cuban and Hispanic heritage.
As Unit 4 Schools continues to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, it’s important to note that Rosales’s journey reminds us that stories of cultural pride and artistic power can begin right here in our own community.
Born in Chicago and raised in Champaign, Rosales grew up in a household shaped by her Cuban father and African American mother. That dual heritage became a defining source of identity and inspiration. Her family valued hard work, spirituality, and cultural pride.
Rosales’s paintings draw heavily on Cuban mythology and Latin American symbolism, blending them with familiar images from Western art. In works like Birth of Oshun and The Creation of God, she replaces European figures with powerful Black and Latina women, honoring both her African and Hispanic ancestry.
Her story celebrates the many voices that make up the Hispanic community, voices shaped by migration, family, resilience, and creativity. From the rhythms of Afro-Cuban music to the visual poetry of her canvases, Rosales’s work invites all of us to reflect on how culture can survive, evolve, and inspire across generations.
For students in Unit 4 Schools, Rosales’s extraordinary journey from local high school graduate to international artist carries a special message during Hispanic Heritage Month: Your heritage is your strength!
You can see Harmonia’s work on her website: https://www.harmoniarosales.art/