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Since 1988, our nation has celebrated National Hispanic Heritage Month each year, and Setser Group invites you to explore the Hispanic experience with us. From September 15 to October 15, we celebrate the history, culture, and achievements of the Hispanic and Latino people. We’ve found there is some confusion about the differences between Hispanic, Latino, and Spanish. New teacher Jozadak Cabrera explains it perfectly. Additionally, Latinx refers to Latin Americans with a gender-neutral or nonbinary (-x) suffix replacing the (-o/-a) endings. The holiday runs from mid-month to mid-month because Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico, and Chile all celebrate their independence during that time.
The Hispanic journey to America is an old one that continues to this day. There are, of course, stories of hardship that break our hearts, but the stories of triumph lift our spirits. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice, is known for her call to reform the criminal justice system and her dissents on issues that discriminate based on race, gender, and ethnic identity.
We celebrate this holiday and honor Hispanic and Latinx people because representation matters, not just this month but every month. The Hispanic and Latino communities comprise 20% of the U.S. population, yet they are only represented in 8% of our TV shows, commercials, and movies. We have to do better than that. When kids see characters who look like them portrayed in a positive light, they feel better about themselves and others in their communities. While we can’t directly control what networks put on TV, we can control what we display in our hallways, classrooms, common spaces, offices, and neighborhoods. With over 62 million Americans celebrating their Hispanic or Latino heritage, we want to celebrate with them and honor their contributions to society.
Join us in the celebration, and here is how you can do that.
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