National Hispanic Heritage Month: About National Hispanic Heritage Month

Why Do We Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month?

• We started to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in 1989 when President Ronald Reagan passed a public law to commemorate Hispanic contributions, but we have been celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Week since 1968 under President Lyndon B. Johnson.
• In 2015, 56.6 million was the number of Hispanics living in the United States.
• Hispanic-Americans have been fighting in the U.S. wars since the Revolutionary War to the Global War against terrorism. 
• Latinos contribute to the U.S. Economy.

How NHHM is Being Celebrated Around the Nation

• Check out the Mexican American Cultural Center for virtual activities that celebrate Latin American countries.
• Encuentro en el Smithsonian:  Rubén Rada y Pedrito Martinez (Sep 17, 2020) - Can rhythm create community? Don’t miss this conversation with two renowned master percussionists as they consider the power of the drum to spark connection and transcendence.
• From the Smithsonian a portrait of Sandra Cisneros (Sep 30, 2020) - Author of The House on Mango Street.
• Herencia Spanish Legal Document Transcribe-a-Thon (Oct 7, 2020) - To celebrate the launch of phase two of the Herencia: Centuries of Spanish Legal Documents campaign and Hispanic Heritage Month, the Library of Congress will host an all-day virtual transcribe-a-thon.
• 2020 Américas Award Ceremony (Oct 12, 2020) -  A virtual, pre-recorded ceremony honoring the winners of the 2020 Américas Award.
• From the Smithsonian a portrait of  Sonia Sotomayor (Oct 14, 2020) - Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
• A Conversation on Latinx Civil Rights - (Oct 15, 2020) - In honor of Hispanic Heritage month, a panel of experts and public figures discuss civil rights cases -- such as Mendez v. Westminister and Hernandez v. Texas -- that address the rights of individuals in the Latina(o) community.

Great Resources to Learn More About Why We Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month

• Observing Hispanic Heritage Month by the Library of Congress
• Latinos in World War II:  Fighting on Two Fronts
• Latinos and Baseball:  In the Barrios and the Big League
• Mexican American Soldiers Mistreated 1943
• Zoot Suit Riots 1943
• Hispanic Americans in Congress and other video resources
• More on why and how we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

Useful Websites

National Hispanic Heritage Month Home - The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society

Smithsonian Latino Center - By educating the public about Latino contributions to the arts, sciences, and humanities, the Smithsonian Latino Center helps people understand the imprint of Latinos on our nation's history.