Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month started as a week-long celebration enacted by President Johnson in 1968, who proclaimed “"The people of Hispanic descent are the heirs of missionaries, captains, soldiers, and farmers who were motivated by a young spirit of adventure, and a desire to settle freely in a free land."

In 1988, President Reagan extended it from a week to a full month and marking September 15 as the start of said month.

While the term “Hispanic” continues to spark debate, the intention of the month cannot be mistaken.

Take a moment and think of those family members and friends who came before you. Those who braved the politics and economics of making a life in a foreign land. And think of how the narrative changed with the word “foreign” eventually being dropped. The choices and decisions that shaped the narrative and allowed you or your family to be here. Every one of us has that story, no matter how long we have been here.

This month we celebrate those who themselves or their ancestors came from the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, South America, or Spain.