Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

It originally began as a week of celebration in 1968, with President Johnson signing the bill into law. The week was extended into a month with President Ronald Reagan signing a new bill into law in 1988, and President Bush declaring the dates in 1989. 

In total, 20 countries and one territory are part of HHM with both Hispanic and Latinx communities participating since they share the Spanish language. For reference: not all Hispanic people are Latin. Hispanic is a term that refers to people who speak Spanish or come from a Spanish-speaking background, not just to those who happen to have Latin American origins.  

The start of the festive month on September 15 marks the Independence Day of: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. On September 16, Mexico celebrates its Independence Day, followed by Chile on September 18 and Belize on September 21. 

In 2020, Pew Research Center reported there are about 62.1 million Hispanics in the U.S., making up 19% of the total population. From 2010 to 2020, the U.S. population grew by about 23 million and Hispanics made up 51% of this increase. Overall, Hispanic communities have shared their food, traditions, language, and of course labor with the U.S., enriching the country through the decades.  

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

Learn more about Hispanic culture with these podcasts and books:  

PODCASTS 

• News in Slow Spanish: starting with beginner episodes then getting more advanced. After each segment, you can read the transcripts in English online to test your interpretation skills 
• Super Mamás: hosts and sisters Paulina and Bricia Lopez can be your new mom friends 
• Eat Your Spanish: interactive games, sing-alongs, funny characters and engaging stories, a fun way to learn the language  
• Tres Cuentos: covering a variety of topics narrated by Latin American authors, each podcast is in both English and Spanish 

BOOKS 

• A Woman of Endurance: set in nineteenth-century Puerto Rican plantation society, follows Pola, a deeply spiritual African woman who is captured and later sold for the purpose of breeding future slaves 
• High Spirits: a collection of eleven interconnected short stories from the Dominican diaspora, from debut author Camille Gomera-Tavarez 
• Reclaim the Stars: from stories that take you to the stars, to stories that span into other times and realms, these short stories share the Latin American diaspora in a fantastical way 
• The Man Who Could Move Clouds: magic runs in Ingrid Rojas Contreras's family. So, when a head injury in her 20s leaves her with amnesia and the ability to see ghosts, her family doesn't think much of it