Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

When is Hispanic Heritage Month celebrated?

Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15.

What is the origin of Hispanic Heritage Month?

Started in 1968 with a week of celebration under President Lyndon Johnson.  In 1988, President Ronald Reagan expanded it to cover a 30-day period and enacted it under Public Law 100-402.  September 15 is also the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively. 

Who are we celebrating?

In a nutshell, it is a day to commemorate the history, culture, and contributions of people of Hispanic descent.  It is important to point out that there is a difference between Latinx and Hispanics.  In the context of this label, the term Hispanic excludes countries not influenced by Spain's colonization.  Hence, I would like to recognize and celebrate the entire Latinx community.

Why is this celebration highlighted?

I am Puerto Rican.  I am Hispanic.  I am Latina.  I celebrate my heritage every day!  In every family/friend gathering, every meal I prepare, in every word I pronounced with an accent, in every memory I have of my ancestors, of my Abuelita, of my mother.  In every new experience, I share with my father, my siblings, the little ones, and my son.  I celebrate my heritage with Salsa, Merengue, and Reggaeton music blasting in my car or my kitchen, or on my walks.  I celebrate my native language when I am speaking, emailing, and texting in Spanish.  I don't need a month to celebrate us.  I celebrate us all year long!  

This month is for you! It is for those of you of not Hispanic or Latinx heritage!  It is a gift for you to unwrap, for you to study, for you to pause, and to get curious about others' history.  It is for you to explore and discover how our lives intertwine. This gift is for you to raise awareness among your circles, a reminder to get outside your bubble and to embrace all the greatness and contributions we have offered and continue to offer to the country we all share.  

Why, in 2022 are we continuing to elevate the voices of those that came before us?  

These are a couple of examples of why it is important to highlight other's heritage:

• This is from a recent email communication where the sender demanded more police officers and lower property taxes. Somehow this person directly linked a potential economic collapse of Madison to the poor & the immigrants.  The message stuck with me:

  • "With certain areas of Madison becoming very heavy with subsidized housing, too few police officers, lack of control on illegals, etc., a possible economic collapse could be created in this potentially beautiful city.  You took the job to protect your citizens.  You have the choice and obligation."

This person refers to the same immigrants who are an essential part of the fabric of this state, county, and the city of Madison's economy.  They are the same people that are forced to work 2-3 jobs to keep their family afloat, working for deplorable people within our own city, who use their immigration status to get away with paying low wages and providing unsafe working conditions.  Forcing them into poverty, impacting their abilities to be able to afford basic healthcare, and pursuing better living spaces.  The same people who put their earnings right back into the city's economy, by paying for rent, buying groceries, and other essentials, and even paying taxes.

• This picture made its way to me at the end of August, it was taken outside a political event here in Madison:

  •  "A threat to our Country".  Whose country?  The one we stole from the Indigenous Nations, whose names have been appropriated to name our streets?  What is the real threat here?  Ignorance or lack of humanity?  

• And the last example is from last weekend's Wisconsin State Journal Opinion page:

I am Puerto Rican        I am Hispanic         I am Latina        I am American       I am an American Citizen

We are human

I took this job to represent the residents of the city of Madison, especially those in marginalized communities.  American Citizenship doesn't make me or you more or less human, we are all part of this community, and we all want safe, healthy, and strong neighborhoods.  We have ways to go before celebrating Hispanic Heritage is a daily theme.  Until then, take this gift, celebrate your own humanity, and elevate those around you!

Over 24,000 chances for you to connect:

This data was prepared by city staff as part of the redistricting activities and tasks.  Included below are all 20 aldermanic districts including the Town of Madison.  The data comes from the 2020 Census, a tool that has evolved over the years to accommodate counting multiple races and heritages.  In 2020, more people are embracing their cultural makeup and many of us do not fit into one classification.  This data is not perfect, many Hispanic people in the city are still not counted for various reasons but we can say for certain that over 24,000 people living in our districts are Hispanic.  Based on this data, district 10 ranks second preceded by district 14, as having the largest Hispanic population in the city. 

Over 24,000 opportunities to engage, learn, embrace our differences, and acknowledge our commonality of interests and values.  Celebrate! 

Next on Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month:  Meet a warrior lawyer . . .