Coming SOON on Sunday, September 15, 2024! Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month at QCR Holdings, Inc.
Many culture and heritage celebrations begin the first of the month, but the dates selected for National Hispanic Heritage Month represent the anniversary of the independence of five Hispanic or Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. The Independence of Mexico is celebrated on September 16 and Chile’s Independence on September 18. In 2022, the Hispanic population of the United States was 63.6 million, which translates into 19.1% (approximately 1 of every 5 Americans.) Regardless of the words we chose – Hispanic, Latino, or Latinx refers not to race or ethnicity, as much as cultural identity or place of national origin. Hispanic Heritage and history are American Heritage and history.
National Hispanic Heritage Month began as a celebratory week in June of 1968 by California Congressman George E. Brown, who elevated the incredible contributions of Hispanic people to the fabric of American life and culture. Influenced by the Civil Rights Movement, President Lyndon B. Johnson was the first President to honor Hispanic Heritage Week after Congress passed Public Law 90-48. For two decades, Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan established Presidential Proclamations honoring the weeklong celebration. Then, on September 14, 1989, President George H.W. Bush became the first President to expand Hispanic Heritage to a month.
One of the questions I get asked frequently has to do with finding and understanding the “right” words when we talk about our Hispanic, Mexican American, Latino, Latina, and Latinx fellow Americans. While there are several basic guidelines, how someone self-identifies is what matters most. How individuals see themselves is incredibly diverse based on numerous factors – how and where we were raised, our understanding about race, ethnicity, culture, and heritage, and where we feel we belong and can be our most authentic selves.
As we reflect about the value of Hispanic Heritage and Culture in America, perhaps we find inspiration and electricity in the words of Cesar Chavez: “Preservation of one’s own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures.”
See the infographic below to further illuminate varied identities that fall under the larger umbrella of Hispanic Heritage.