By Olivia Angert (Reporter ‘24)
Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated each year from September 15 to October 15 to commemorate the contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans. The reason why it does not cover the entirety of a single calendar month is that the independence days of many Central American countries are in mid-September. Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua all celebrate their independence on September 15. Mexico celebrates on September 16, followed by Chile on September 18 and Belize on September 21. The idea of Hispanic Heritage Month started to gain traction in the 1960s, during the height of the Civil Rights Movement.

Originally, when the national celebration of Hispanic heritage was first enacted in 1968 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, it was a week-long celebration.
In 1968, when California Congressman George E. Brown introduced it as a commemorative week, it gained the attention of the government. On September 17, 1968 Congress passed Public Law 90-48, which officially authorized and asked the president to issue a proclamation declaring September 15 the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Week, calling upon the “people of the United States, especially the educational community, to observe such week with appropriate ceremonies and activities.” In 1988, President Reagan expanded the observance to the full month that we recognize today.
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