“They are business owners and veterans and teachers and public servants.” “Hispanics or Latinos … have fought in every war since the American Revolution,” she said. The contributions of Hispanics and Latinos to the United States are long and storied: Key pointed out that the first known colony in America was not Jamestown, but the Spanish colony of St. Paul Simon of Illinois submitted a similar bill that Reagan signed into law. Esteban Torres of California had submitted a bill to expand it, saying in remarks at the time, “We want the public to know that we share a legacy with the rest of the country, a legacy that includes artists, writers, Olympic champions, and leaders in business, government, cinema, and science.” Latino Americans are optimistic about the country's future despite being hit hard by the pandemic, a Pew survey finds (Photo by Jeffrey Basinger/Newsday via Getty Images) Jeffrey Basinger/Newsday via Getty Images Oceanside, N.Y: Medical staff assist a COVID-19 patient who was crying out that he could not breathe, at Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside, New York on April 14, 2020. It wasn’t until nearly 20 years later that Hispanic Heritage Week was lengthened to an entire month under President Ronald Reagan. “It was a demand for greater inclusion and representation and acknowledgment that Latinos play an important role in the United States,” he said. “That was a period for sure, when Chicanos in the Southwest, Mexican Americans, Latinos across the country were demanding greater inclusion and representation politically, culturally, socially, economically – everything,” said Geraldo Cadava, professor of history and Latina and Latino Studies at Northwestern University and author of “The Hispanic Republican.” In the inaugural proclamation, he wrote of the “great contribution to our national heritage made by our people of Hispanic descent – not only in the fields of culture, business, and science, but also through their valor in battle.” Johnson signed a bill designating the week of September 15 as “National Hispanic Heritage Week,” according to the Office of the Historian and the Office of Art & Archives for the US House of Representatives. Hispanic Heritage Month traces its history to 1968, when the observance was just a week long. Rather than starting at the beginning of September, Hispanic Heritage Month takes place over 30 days starting on the 15th – a nod to the anniversaries of national independence for a number of Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua all recognize September 15 as the date of their independence, while Mexico’s independence is celebrated September 16 and Chile celebrates its independence September 18.Ī protester holds a sign that reads, "LATiNXS FOR BLACK LiVES MATTER" in New York on June 2. Here’s why America commemorates Hispanic Heritage Month and what you should know about it. “And recognizing that and understanding that are key reasons why this month is important.” “The Latino community and Latino history is a fundamental part of American history,” said Emily Key, director of education at the Smithsonian Latino Center. National Hispanic Heritage Month begins Wednesday and will run through October 15, giving the United States an opportunity to recognize and celebrate members of our communities and their ancestors who hail from Mexico, parts of the Caribbean, Central and South America and Spain.
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