Hispanic Heritage Month: Celebrating culture, history, identity and representation

Hispanic Heritage Month, or “Mes de la Herencia Hispana” in Spanish, honors the history, culture, food, music and accomplishments of the Hispanic community.

Before Hispanic Heritage Month became a month of celebration, the observation was only held for a week in 1968 under President Lyndon B. Johnson. Two decades later, on Aug. 17, 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed a law that expanded it to a 30-day period, from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 annually, the U.S. Census Bureau said.  

“It's not a month,” Jorge Zamanillo, founding director of the National Museum of the American Latino, told USA TODAY. “For us, we use the opportunity during this month to highlight the work that we do every day.”  

Although Hispanic Heritage Month has been recognized for nearly 40 years, the month has gained popularity within the past decade through events, social media and representation in the media. 

“Over the last five or seven years, it's become more visible amongst the community and also amongst the people outside of the community,” Andrés Acosta, a social media content creator, told USA TODAY.  

Acosta, who uses they/them pronouns, uses their platform to educate social media followers about Latinx and Hispanic culture with a dash of Spanglish on the side.

Acosta also uses Spanglish as a safe space for the “no sabo" kids who want to learn Spanish. The term “no sabo” gained popularity to refer to someone considered Hispanic or Latino who does not speak Spanish well.

“I think that a lot of Latinos kind of get self-conscious about their ability to speak Spanish,” Acosta said. “Something that I like to remind them is, your Latinidad isn't defined by how well you speak Spanish.”  

In an Instagram post, Acosta explained Hispanic Heritage Month in full detail. 

“We’re the largest minority group in the United States now and we're growing,” they said. “A lot of people have misconceptions about us and a lot of people are only aware of Mexican culture or Puerto Rican culture, and I feel like Hispanic Latinx Heritage Month celebrates all of us.” 

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What countries celebrate their independence days during Hispanic Heritage Month? 

The timing of the month is significant to Hispanics as the month celebrates many independence days within the community. According to the National Museum of the American Latino, they are:

• Sept. 15 - Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua 
• Sept. 16 – Mexico 
• Sept. 18 – Chile 
• Sept. 21 - Belize 

What are the Spanish-speaking countries?  

According to Britannica, these are a list of Spanish-speaking countries:

• Argentina 
• Bolivia 
• Chile 
• Colombia 
• Costa Rica 
• Cuba 
• Dominican Republic 
• Ecuador 
• El Salvador 
• Equatorial Guinea 
• Guatemala 
• Honduras 
• México 
• Nicaragua 
• Panama 
• Paraguay 
• Peru 
• Puerto Rico
• Spain 
• Uruguay 
• Venezuela 

What should I call Spanish-speakers?  

"Hispanic" and "Latino" are the most used terms to describe Spanish-speakers, or “hispanohablantes.” However, these terms can be used differently among many people within the community.

Hispanic is considered the universal term that describes “a person with ancestry from a country whose primary language is Spanish,” according to Duke University.  

Latino or Latina can be used to refer to a person who has ancestry from Latin America and the Caribbean, the university said.  

Latinx is the gender-neutral term of Latino and Latina.  

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In December 2020, the National Museum of the American Latino was created by Congress in order to display the artifacts and history of Hispanics in Washington, D.C., Zamanillo said.  

Hispanic Heritage Month is very important to Zamanillo as part of his career focused on making Hispanic and Latino history included in U.S. history. After a trip to Washington, D.C., 30 years ago, he had a plan to make months like this more visible in the public eye.  

“I really enjoyed what museums did, but I didn't see stories about Latinos and immigrants like my parents who are from Cuba,” Zamanillo said. “I had an opportunity to come back and try to make a difference and really give a space for Latinos to have that presence alongside other museums in Washington, D.C.”  

What should people do to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month?  

Gathering for events is a good way to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Zamanillo said he is excited for some of the events that the National Museum of the American Latino will be hosting.

“I'm really looking forward to Sept. 20,” he said. “We have an event called Historic Change: An Evening Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Celia Cruz.”  

The event will have food, drinks and salsa dancing to celebrate Cruz's impact on the music industry.  

Another celebration Zamillio is looking forward to is in October.

“The actual Hispanic heritage celebration, also at American History Museum, is Latinos in Sports on Oct. 12,” he said. “We're gonna have all-day celebration highlighting different topics like how Latinos have shaped the history and culture of sports on a global scale.” 

Additionally, Acosta explains that this month is a learning opportunity for everyone, including people who want to learn more about Hispanic countries and their cultures.  

“If this is something you wanna learn more about, then you can find content creators online to listen to,” they said. “You can look up articles that might be more specific into what interests you wanna get a better picture of within the Latinx community.” 

Acosta said it’s also important for people to support Hispanic small business owners year-round, not just during this month.  

Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on the National Trending Team at USA TODAY. Ahjané covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, health, lottery, and public policy stories. Email her at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram, Threads, and X (Twitter) @forbesfineest.