Hispanic Heritage Month
By Matilda Fletcher
National Hispanic Heritage Month, or Mes Nacional de la Herencia Hispana, is celebrated from the 15th of September to the 15th of October every year. It was started in 1968 to recognize Hispanic and Latinx people’s contributions to US culture and history. It was extended from a week to a month 20 years later.
This month is significant because it is when many countries celebrate their Independence Days. Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua celebrate independence on the 15th of September. Chile and Mexico celebrate their independence on September 18th and 16th respectively. Also, Columbus Day is the second Monday of October, which always takes place during the month. In addition, an alternative to Columbus Day, Día de la Raza, officially occurs on the 12th but is often celebrated instead of Columbus Day. Many people prefer to celebrate Día de la Raza, or Day of the Race, because it recognizes and celebrates the countries, peoples, traditions, and cultures that were destroyed by European colonizers.
Some people are critical of the name Hispanic Heritage Month and call it by other names. Many call it Latinx Heritage Month instead to be more inclusive. They prefer not to use the term “Hispanic,” because the term “Hispanic” refers to people who speak Spanish and does not include certain communities. In general, many people prefer to use terms such as Latino, Latina, Latinx, or Latine, which refer to people of Latin American descent as opposed to people who speak Spanish. All these terms have pros and cons. The term Latino/a may make gender non-conforming people unsure of what term to use, but are words in Spanish. Latinx is gender-inclusive, but impossible to pronounce in Spanish. The x is not able to replace o/a’s in Spanish. Some people consider Latine as not being as explicitly gender-inclusive as Latinx. Both Hispanic and Latino/a/x/e don’t include Afro and Indigenous people. Others use the term Mazewalli, which means Indigenous person in Nawatl. As one person who self-identifies as Mazewalli says, “I think it is far more powerful and meaningful to my identity if I use a term in the language of my ancestors.”
Another criticism of the month is that it does not acknowledge the obstacles to success that immigrants and their children experience in the United States.
Hispanic Heritage Month is important because we need to remember the heritage and contributions that Hispanic and Latinx people have given to society. We should also recognize their contributions to the economy. Nearly 59 million Hispanic Americans in the United States have earned more than $1 trillion per year. It is important to talk about the colonists taking Indigenous people’s culture, land, and traditions, and the problems immigrants and their families have to deal with, because we need to understand the reason why we have this month and why we should all celebrate.
Originally published 10/2021
