Hispanic Heritage Month: History & Significance
- bhunfiltered
- Sep 15, 2020
- 7 min read
Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! Join us in our month long celebration of Hispanic culture and history through educational resources and reflections from community members.
History of Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic Heritage Month honors “the culture and traditions of those who trace their roots to Spain, Mexico and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America, and the Caribbean” according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Hispanic Heritage Month was first proposed as a weeklong celebration by President Lyndon Johnson in 1986 and was eventually extended to cover a 30 day period by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. Although Hispanic culture is celebrated year around, the time between September 15th and October 15th allows Hispanic Americans to share and honor their culture and roots through the preparation of traditional foods, ceremonies, and familial gatherings. In doing so,
Other yearly events such as Black History Month and Pride span from the first of one month to the next. Why does Hispanic Heritage Month not follow this trend? Why September 15th?
September 15th is a significant date in that it is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico also commemorates its independence day on September 16th and Chile recognizes September 18th as the day when they declared their independence from Spanish rule in 1818. By stretching from September 15th to October 15th, Hispanic Heritage Month is able to highlight the history of multiple countries within Latin America.
Why & What Are We Celebrating?
Do you have a Facebook? Do you like to watch TV? Do you like country music, reggaeton, salsa? What about barbecue? Brazilian entrepreneurs Mike Krieger & Eduardo Saverin co-founded Instagram and Facebook, respectively. Mexican inventor Guillermo Gonzalez Camarena received the world’s first patent for color TV granted by the US Federal Communications Commission. Country music is rooted in Mexican rancheras. Barbecue can be traced back to Caribbean culture & well-known Spanish barbacoa. We’re just scratching the surface of the contributions that the Latinx community has made, and continues to make, to the culture of the United States.
In our history, Latinx communities have been core members of society and powerful drivers of change in civil rights. During World War II, Puerto Ricans and Mexican-Americans served on the front lines, but were also a crucial part of the effort on the home front. The United States and Mexico created a joint program, called the bracero program that brought Mexican farmworkers to the United States to sustain United States agriculture. This was the root of the current migrant agricultural system we know and rely on today. Despite the United States’ reliance upon Latinx workers during the War, there was rampant discrimination against Latinx people, especially Mexican-Americans. Exploitation of undocumented farm workers grew, though they continued to contribute immensely to the struggling United States economy. Thus, the Chicano Movement, or El Movemiento, occurred concurrently with the Black Power movement of the 1960s. Led by powerful leaders such as Dolores Huerta & Cesar Chavez, the movement called for rights for farm workers, education reform, and an end to discrimination against Latinx people.
That brief history does not do justice to leaders, artists, and activists such as Sylvia Rivera, Frida Kahlo, or Pablo Neruda, nor the nearly 52 million people who identify as Latinx in the United States. It is essential that we take this time to recognize and celebrate the important Hispanic figures and cultures that have been erased from our History textbooks. This Hispanic Heritage month, while we’re all quarantining, we have the perfect opportunity to experience unique traditions, foods, customs, and cultures that we are lucky to be able to appreciate from our own homes. We have a responsibility to look even further than Latinx contributions to the United States: we must take the time to recognize, appreciate, celebrate, and respect the beauty, vibrancy, and incredible power of the Hispanic diaspora.
Hispanic vs Latinx
“Hispanic” and “Latino/Latina/Latinx” are often used interchangeably when referring to someone of Spanish speaking background. However, each of these words has an individual meaning, thus making it necessary to understand the context in which each should be used.
Hispanic refers to people who speak Spanish and/or who are descended from Spanish speaking lineage. This word is closest to the definition of ethnicity, which groups people based on common culture.
Latino/Latina/Latinx refers to geography rather than language. An individual who is Latinx is someone who is from or descended from people from Latin American. Specifically, anyone from Central or South America and the Caribbean can be described as Latinx even if their descendants or themselves are not Spanish speakers. The term "Latinx" was coined in the mid 2000s as a gender inclusive variation of Latino/Latina.
To learn more about usage of the term “Latinx” click here!
The Afro-Latinx Perspective
Afro-Latinx refers to people from Latin American countries with African ancestry and although a quarter of U.S. Hispanics identify as Afro-Latinx according to the Pew Research Center, the intersectionality between race and ethnicity has not been clearly addressed in the Hispanic community. This intersectionality contributes to the variety of culture and experiences that spans across the diverse terrain of Latin America. No two countries are demographically equivalent and individuals of Latinx background come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, thus demonstrating the need to celebrate the Hispanic culture in its entirety. We urge you to take a moment to watch “What Afro-Latinos Want You To Know” to hear from Afro-Latinx individuals who encounter microaggressions on a day to day basis. Despite these difficulties, they discuss how important it is to embrace the ethnicity and race of the entire Latinx community.
“Nosotros queremos un mundo que decimos que tenemos un latino unido. Pero, con el mismo tiempo, tenemos que terminar discriminación entre nosotros latinos."
“We want a world where we say that Latinos are united. But, at the same time, we have to end discrimination within us Latinos.”
-Antonio Curtis
To hear more about the Afro-Latinx Experience click here!
Hear from Latinx members of our community:
"Being Latina was something I only became proud of when I came to college. Living and going to school in predominately white spaces left me with a feeling of inferiority for much of my childhood and young adult life. To some of those who surrounded me, I was nothing more than the child of “illegal” immigrants who worked as house cleaners and landscapers. While I never knew this to be true of myself or my family, it made me reject my culture completely. It took meeting Latinxs in higher education and professional fields while living in New York City to show me that being Latina is an asset, rather than a weakness. This month is a testament to my home country of Ecuador, the sacrifices made by my father and maternal grandparents when they came to this country to start new, all that my parents have been able to accomplish as the first American college educated generation in their families, and the rest of the “American Dream” that my brother and I have yet to achieve." -Michelle Cisneros
“During Hispanic Heritage Month it is important to promote the unity of all Latino people regardless of race, color, and ethnicity. We might be separated by borders, but we share many things in common.” -Andrew Santamaria
“Being Latina means so much to me. It means having huge family gatherings with endless amounts of traditional Ecuadorian food, loud conversations, and lots of dancing music. I am so grateful to be able to experience another culture that most of my friends are not able to. My grandparents, Papi and Abuelita, always told me to be proud of who I am, and I could not be more proud. I love having two different families because I get two perspectives. My mother and her siblings grew up in Ecuador and I cannot imagine being raised differently.” -Julia Disko
“Being Latina means to be proud of your Latinx background and embracing the culture.” -Alyssa Aguiles
“Some things that are unique to the Latinx culture that mean a lot to me are getting to open presents at midnight on Christmas Eve, having large family gatherings, listening to Spanish music that is full of emotion, and eating cultural foods like tostones and introducing them to my friends. Being Latina to me means more than just speaking Spanish. Just because I’m not fluent in Spanish doesn’t mean I’m any less Latina, I still share the same pride and traditions as other members of the Latinx community.” -Liana Sanchez
“Being Latina means to always have your country in your heart and take that pride everywhere you go.” -Rachel Aguiles
“Being one of the Latinx members in Mountainside is so valuable to me. I am honored to have a diverse and culturally rich background. I am so proud to have first generation American citizens as grandparents. To get their citizenship in this country, they worked next to minimum wage jobs during all hours of the day for four straight years. Due to their hard work, my father and his siblings had endless opportunities at their fingertips. for that, i am forever grateful. To me, to be Latinx means to be a hard worker, to have ambition, and to execute your dreams." -Sofia Vega
As a daughter of a Dominican born mother and Colombian born father, I am proud of my Hispanic heritage and the hard work that my grandparents and parents endured to establish a life for my sister and I in the United States. This Hispanic Heritage Month I hope you will join me and the rest of the Unfiltered team in continuing to shine light on the significance and beauty of the Hispanic culture.
-Mikayla Sanchez <3
More Resources:
*This list is not at all comprehensive, we encourage you to look into more detailed accounts, articles & videos*
History of Hispanic Heritage Month:
Other Information:
Watch and/or Listen:
Immigration Nation on Netflix
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