Source: Federica Grassi / Getty
National Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15-October 15 and serves as a time to recognize all of the contributions that Latinx Americans have made to the nation, particularly honoring five neighboring Latin American countries.
The first day (September 15) is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively. The celebration started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week with former President Johnson, who issued the first proclamation stating the following:
“Wishing to pay special tribute to the Hispanic tradition, and having in mind the fact that our five Central American neighbors celebrate their Independence Day on the fifteenth of September and the Republic of Mexico on the sixteenth, the Congress by House Joint Resolution 1299, has requested the President to issue annually a proclamation designating the week including September 15 and 16 as National Heritage Week”
It was expanded by President Ronald Regan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period and signed into law on August 17, 1988.
If we were writing this article before Trump administration, we’d probably have way more history to tell you about, such as statistical information on Latinx Americans at the Census Bureau or information about the celebration from the Library of Congress. However, many of these links lead to non-existent pages that have been wiped from the internet.
Washington D.C. itself serves as a crazy contrast between a plethora of celebration events of Latinx folks celebrating their rich history and roots alongside a president who has spearheaded detainment camps for Latinx immigrant children and continually perpetuates the demonization of immigrants across the board.
CASSIUS honors all Latinx folks and their contributions to American society, knowing that immigrants have always made America great and this is only the beginning of us honoring Latinx Heritage month.
