Familias Latinas Guide to
Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15th to October 15th to honor the contributions and rich traditions of the American Latino community. It highlights diversity and inclusion and recognizes the community's impact on American society.

Why does Hispanic Heritage month start in the middle of the month?

Did you know that there's a special reason why National Hispanic Heritage Month starts on September 15th? It may seem like an odd choice of dates, but there's a fascinating backstory behind it. The significance of September 15th lies in its alignment with the festivities of Independence Day in several Central American countries including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. September 15th, 1821, marks the historic day when those five nations declared their independence from Spain. Mexico declared independence from Spain on September 16th, 1810, and Chile did the same on September 18th, 1810

National Hispanic Heritage Month

Beginning in 1968, Hispanic Heritage Month was originally observed as “Hispanic Heritage Week”, but it was later extended to a month in 1988. Since then, HHM has been celebrated nationwide through festivals, art shows, conferences, community gatherings, and more.

This year’s theme is Todos Solos, Solos Uno: We Are All, We Are One. Building upon the theme will be different weeks of action focusing on how the Administration has been supporting the Latino community:

September 15: Hispanic Heritage Month Kick-Off Day

Week of September 19th: Jobs and the Economy

Week of September 26th: Climate

Week of October 3rd: Education and Investing in HSIs

Week of October 10th: Mental Health and Wellness

October 15: Last Day of Hispanic Heritage Month

For more information, contact: nationalcouncilhepm@gmail.com

Resources:

Bureau of Labor Statistics: Hispanics in the United States: Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month
Library of Congress: National Hispanic Heritage Month
NASA: Hispan@s de la NASA
National Museum of the American Latino: Hispanic Heritage Month Resources
National Park Service: Hispanic Heritage Month
NPR: Yes, We're Calling It Hispanic Heritage Month And We Know it Makes It Make Some Of You Cringe
Smithsonian Institution: Hispanic Heritage Month
Smithsonian Institution: Celebrate Heritage and History Months
Smithsonian Institution: Top 8 Reasons Why and How We Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health: Hispanic Heritage Month
U.S. Department of Labor: Celebrating the Rise of Hispanic Women Workers

Celebrate These Influential Latinos/Latinas in U.S. history

Take a moment during Hispanic Heritage Month to recognize some of the incredible Latinao/a-Americans who have made significant contributions to history.