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Hispanic Heritage Month: Welcome!

National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15) celebrates the histories, cultures, and contributions of Americans whose ancestors come from Mexico, the Caribbean, Spain, and Central and South America.

Hispanic Heritage Month: A Celebration of Culture, History, and Contributions

September 15 to October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the rich culture, history, and contributions of Hispanic Americans. 

The Unity Multicultural Education Center (UMEC), Social Justice Peer Educator Stephanie Garcia Avila, and the Foley Library are proud to collaborate on this LibGuide to provide resources for learning about Hispanic heritage. The guide includes information on Hispanic history, culture, literature, and more.

Here are some specific ways you can celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month:

  • Read books by Hispanic authors.
  • Watch movies about the Hispanic culture or listen to music by Hispanic artists.
  • Visit a local restaurant, recommended by UMEC's own Stephanie Garcia Avila!
  • Check out a cookbook and try a budget-friendly recipe that celebrates Hispanic cuisine.
  • Checkout our display at Foley Library!

National Hispanic Heritage Month

National Hispanic or Latino/a/e Heritage Month celebrates the histories, cultures, and contributions of Americans whose ancestors come from Mexico, the Caribbean, Spain, and Central and South America.

How can I be respectful of culture?

  • Use Hispanic when referring to people from Spain or Spanish-speaking countries. Hispanic is a linguistical category.
  • Use Latino/a/e/x when describing people that are descendants from Latin America, including Mexico, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, and Central and South America. This term is an ethnic and cultural category.
  • Latine and Latinx are both gender-neutral terms to describe people that originate from Latin America. Understand that Latinx, as written, isn’t as grammatically correct as Latine. Latinx, popularized by activists and made mainstream in dominant culture, is waning in popularity and increasingly replaced by Latine.
  • If you don’t know and are in a relationship with the individual or community in question, ask! It’s best not to assume.

History

"The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, on the approval of Public Law 100-402.

The public laws that designated a week and then a month for National Hispanic Heritage are available in the United States Statutes at Large which is widely available through federal depository libraries.

Finally, the Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society. See this link for more information.