Hispanic Heritage Month: History and Importance
INTRODUCTION
Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!
Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) is celebrated from September 15th to October 15th every year as a time to recognize the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans in history and present-day culture.
As of July 1st 2022, the Census Bureau reported a total of 63.7 million Americans with Hispanic heritage. Composing an estimated 19% of the entire U.S. population, Hispanic Americans are one the smallest ethnic minority groups in the country today.
Celebrating traditions and perseverance in society, HHM is a time for all Americans to understand each other without discriminatory barriers tied to race and ethnicity.
HISTORY
Originally introduced as “Hispanic Heritage Week”, former President Lyndon B. Johnson established 1968. After its full extension to a month in 1988, HHM has been celebrated in states and communities through culturally-rich music, dances, parades, and museum showcases. The month not only commemorates Hispanic American contributions in humanities and STEM, but the independence days of several Latin American countries, including: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Chile within the 31-day period.
INDEPENDENCE DAYS:
September 15 - Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua
September 16 – Mexico
September 18 – Chile
September 21 — Belize
DID YOU KNOW? – THE CHICANO MOVEMENT
Following the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848), Mexican-Americans were especially targets of social alienation and discrimination under the law. Land grant promises were made to families who were automatically given U.S. citizenship. Mexican citizens that had grown resentful towards the Spanish government had opted to fight on the U.S. side as volunteer soldiers. Despite these efforts, land grants to these soldiers and their families were not typically not honored.
Ethnic discrepancies are most known in the Civil Rights movement for Black American citizens who were subjected to “Jim Crow” laws and years of systemic abuse. This period ignited what is described as the “key years” of the Chicano Movement (1965-1975).
With minimized voices, advocacy in the Hispanic community began to grow. The grape strike in California’s Central Valley awoke the press in 1965, which was the same year most federal legislation preventing discrimination on the basis of “color” was passed. Under Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, the pair founded the National Farm Workers Association and ended up changing life for the future of many ethnic minorities.
(If you would like to learn more about the Chicano Movement, please view “History Channel | The Chicano Movement and How it Championed Mexican-American Identity” Pub. July 2023– Located in Educational Resources)
INFLUENTIAL FIGURES
Cesar Chavez – Civil rights activist, co-founded the National Farm Workers Association later known as the United Farm Workers labor union. Most notable Hispanic civil rights activist in history.
Dolores Huerta – Civil rights activist, co-founded an influential labor union with Cesar Chavez, and introduced policies that improved working and living conditions for farm workers. Talented speaker and community organizer.
Ellen Ochoa – American engineer, former astronaut. First Hispanic woman to travel in space. 11th Director of the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston. Increased the ability to capture and analyze detailed imagery, including applications in space and on Earth.
Sylvia Rivera – Activist for LGBTQ+ and transgender community, known especially for her work alongside Marsha P. Johnson. Co-formed the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) and worked with the Gay Liberation Front for civil rights.
Sonia Sotomayor – Supreme Court Justice, nominated by President Barack Obama on May 26th, 2009. The first and only Hispanic Justice appointed to the court and third woman to hold the position. Highly accomplished lawyer, formerly served on the United States District Court.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – Congresswoman for District 14, New York. Proposed 23 pieces of legislation in her first term. Known as the abbreviated nickname “AOC” and as a tactful questioner during committee hearings.
Lin-Manuel Miranda – Creator of In the Heights and Hamilton, renowned actor, composer, and lyricist. Pulitzer Prize, MacArthur Fellowship, Tony award, and Grammy-winning artist. Known for his success in Broadway Musicals and musical work in various movies.
America Ferrera – Award-winning actress, producer, director, and TEDxTalk Speaker. Lead role in comedy series “Ugly Betty” and starred in box office hit “Barbie” (2023). Additionally known for her advocacy in women's rights and equality.
Antonia Novello – First woman and first Hispanic to become Surgeon General of the United States. Health administrator and physician, vice Admiral in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corp. Strongly advocated for health access in marginalized communities.
Roberto Clemente – Major league baseball player, first Latin American to win World Series as a starting player. Played 18 seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates as a right fielder. Voiced racial discrimination and concerns in the sports industry.
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
Smithsonian Institution Hispanic Heritage Month Events and Resources
Library of Congress’s Hispanic Reading Room
National Hispanic American Heritage Month – Resources for Teachers
National Hispanic Heritage Month | White House Initiative…U.S. Department of Education
History Channel | The Chicano Movement and How It Championed Mexican-American Identity
“I have often said that America can be defined in one word: possibilities. The Hispanic community has always embodied that ideal. It lives in the dreams of those who have only just arrived here and in the legacy of families who have been here for centuries… as doctors and engineers; artists and entrepreneurs; and leaders in science, business, labor, government, and military… Their faith and drive have pushed our country to grow, prosper, and pursue its highest ideals.”– President Joe Biden, Proclamation on Hispanic Heritage Month, 14 September 2023REFERENCES → I.P. MLA
Proclamation - National Hispanic Heritage Week, 1976; Press Releases, September 10, 1976; Press Releases, 1974 - 1977; Collection GRF-0248: White House Press Releases (Ford Administration); Gerald R. Ford Library, Ann Arbor, MI. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/proclamation-national-hispanic-heritage-week-1976, September 19, 2023]
Lyndon B. Johnson, Proclamation 3869—National Hispanic Heritage Week, https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/305030 1968 Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project
Carrillo, Karen Juanita. “How the Chicano Movement Championed Mexican-American Identity and Fought for Change.” HISTORY, July 2023, https://www.history.com/news/chicano-movement#.
U.S. Department of Education “White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics.” White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity Excellence and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics, sites.ed.gov/hispanic-initiative/national-hispanic-heritage-month/. Accessed 25 Sept. 2023.
Johnson, Lyndon B. “Proclamation 3869-National Hispanic Heritage Week, 1968.” Proclamation 3869-National Hispanic Heritage Week, 1968 | The American Presidency Project, 17 Sept. 1968, www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/305030.
Grant, Adam. The Chicano Civil Rights Movement, Retrieved from… The Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200197398/ . Accessed 18 Sep. 2023.