From September 15 to October 15, the United States celebrates the rich culture, history, and traditions of the Hispanic American community. Alongside these celebrations, Hispanic American Heritage Month honors its community by recognizing the influence and achievements of Hispanic Americans. It is crucial to recognize the vast cultural differences and diversities within the Hispanic community while celebrating Hispanic American Heritage Month, for it provides an opportunity to learn about the various cultures that contribute to the richness of the Hispanic diaspora.
Ways to support the Hispanic community during September and October:
The Foley Center Library collaborates with the Unity Multicultural Education Center to create monthly heritage displays. Social Justice Peer Educators (SJPE) are student employees who provide education, resources, and support to Gonzaga students regarding diversity, inclusion, and social justice. Introduced below are two passionate SJPEs who contributed to the success of the monthly Heritage month display. Valentina Sanzhea Prieto and Alondra Nieves-Alvez explain their roles as SJPEs and their excitement for working on the Hispanic American Heritage Month display.
Valentina Sanchez Prieto:
As a Social Justice Peer Educator, I take on several roles. I help facilitate discussions around difficult and prevalent issues, I help build spaces for different minorities groups to feel welcome in and I help educate our fellow peers. I chose to work on Hispanic Heritage Month because I am part of this beautiful community. As a Hispanic/Latinx woman I felt that I needed to create more spaces on campus to represent Latinx communities. Especially in these difficult times visibility for minority groups is really important. I chose to work on this to also help educate peers on communities they might not be well versed with. Celebrating Hispanic heritage Month is really important to me as it helps people from my community gain visibility and representation.
Alondra Nieves-Alvez:
Hello! I am Alondra, and I am one of this year's Social Justice Peer Educators (SJPE) this year. As an SJPE my main role is to help facilitate intergroup dialogue, especially around social justice topics and issues. I choose to work on Hispanic Heritage Month because like Valentina, I am also part of this beautiful community. I wanted to work on it to help showcase my community and the many cultures that are part of Hispanic Heritage Month. I feel like there is a need for more visibility for the different cultures on campus and I thought this would be a great way to share my culture and community with the rest of the Gonzaga community!
The Origins of Hispanic Heritage Month in America
Hispanic American Heritage Month began as a commemorative week when it was first introduced in June of 1968 by California Congressman George E. Brown. On September 17, 1968, Congress passed Public Law 90-498, officially authorizing the president to issue annual proclamations declaring September 15 and 16 to mark the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Week. President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first Hispanic Heritage Week presidential proclamation on the same day.
Why the date of Hispanic Heritage Month is important
The timing of Hispanic American Heritage Month is important because it coincides with the Independence Day celebrations of several Latin American nations. September 15 was chosen as the kickoff because it coincides with Independence Day celebrations of five "Central American Neighbors." These five nations -- Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua all declared their independence from Sparin on September 15, 1821.
From one week to a month
In 1987, U.S. Representative Esteban E. Torres of California proposed expanding the Hispanic American week to 31 days. Toress claimed the nation could "properly observe and coordinate events and activities to celebrate Hispanic culture and achievement" for a month-long period instead of just one week. On September 14, 1989, President George H.W. Bush became the first president to declare the 31 days from September 15 to October 15 a National Hispanic Heritage Month.
Interested in learning more about the history of Hispanic Heritage Month? Click the links below!
Hispanic Heritage Month History - National Museum of the American Latino
The top 8 reasons why and How We Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month
The History of Hispanic Heritage Month - Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute