Every year, America celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, honoring the contributions and sacrifices Hispanic and Latino Americans have made to the nation, it’s culture, and industry.

What started off as a humble seven day observation in the late 1960s turned into a month-long celebration of a rich diversity of cultures.

History.com observes that the term “Hispanic” refers to someone’s culture or origin regardless of their race. In 2020, History.com reports that year’s official Census forms counted Americans as Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish, “if they could identify as having Mexican, Mexican American, Chicano, Puerto Rican, Cuban, or ‘another Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin.’”

In 1968, California Congressman George Brown introduced the first version of this observation, then envisioned as a week-long commemoration of the Latinx community. This came on the heels of much activism to recognize the contribution of these Americans. Dictionary.com says the term “Hispanic” is, “an adjective that generally means “relating to Spanish-speaking Latin America or to “people of Spanish-speaking descent’”.

Learn more HERE