National Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15th - October 15th
National Hispanic Heritage Month honors the culture, heritage, and contributions of Hispanic Americans. Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September15th-October 15th each year.
Here are five fun facts:
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The month aims to celebrate the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.
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Hispanic and Latinx are not synonymous- The label “Hispanic” refers to people who speak Spanish and/or are descended from Spanish-speaking populations. This is contrasted by “Latino” (or Latina or Latinx), which refers to people who are from or descended from people from Latin America.
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According to Pew Research Center findings in 2020, there are about 62.1 million Hispanics in the U.S., making up 19% of the total population. From 2010 to 2020, the U.S. population grew by about 23 million and Hispanics made up 51% of this increase.
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Eighteen percent of the U.S. population is Hispanic- which is the largest ethnic or racial minority in the country.
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While Hispanic and Latinx people have different cultures, the shared language of Spanish unites them. In 2021, Forbes stated that more than 559 million people speak Spanish around the world. Out of that number, 460 million people are native speakers, making it the second largest population of native speakers behind Mandarin.
For more resources, check out this link: Resources for Hispanic Heritage Month