According to the Pew Center, there were 62.1 million Hispanic people in the United States in 2020 (Spanish is spoken in 41 million homes), making up 19% of the U.S. population. The Hispanic impact and influence across many areas in the United States.The United States celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month each year from September 15th – October 15th. Recognition of Hispanic history, culture, and contributions started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week and expanded to a month-long observation of Hispanic heritage in 1988. This year’s theme is “Esperanza: A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage and Hope.”
When I started researching for this blog post, my first question was “Why is Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15th through October 15th?”. These dates were chosen because significant anniversaries of Latin American independence including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua that fall on September 15th, with Mexico and Chile celebrating their independence on September 16th and 18th. Then on October 12th, at the end of Hispanic Heritage Month, Columbus Day (Día de la Raza) is celebrated.
Contributions of Hispanics in the U.S. include:
- Ellen Ochoa became the first Latina astronaut in 1990
- Claudio Castillón Lévano, born in Peru, created the original neonatal artificial bubble for high-risk newborns
- Fernando Torres, born in Nicaragua, created the SIM card used in mobile devices
- Luis Von Ahn, born in Guatemala invented the CAPTCHA, a tool that enables website to tell the difference between real people and bots. Ahn also founded Duolingo, a free language learning platform with more than 300 million users worldwide
- Roberto Souviron, founder of Despegar.com, named Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young in 2016
- Rea Ann Silva creator of Beauty Blender, an egg-shaped makeup sponge that has won the Allure Best of Beauty Award 11 times
There are several things to discover and celebrate during this Hispanic Heritage Month.
- Hispanic influence on food has tacos winning out over hotdogs and in ice creams, dulce de leche, ranks as the fourth favorite.
- Latinos have excelled and contributed to the development of sports, including baseball, boxing, soccer, and golf.
- Latino music and its genres have become more mainstream in the U.S. Several American music artists have teamed up with Latino artists to collaborate and combine music styles and influences.
Check out activities, exhibits, and events in your area taking place during Hispanic Heritage Month to explore and experience Hispanic culture.
Source credit:
https://www.nic.lat/the-most-important-contributions-of-latinos-to-the-united-states/
https://www.fox9.com/news/why-hispanic-heritage-month-begins-in-the-middle-of-september
Written by : Kathy O'Connell Clem
Kathy O’Connell Clem, CPM®, MA, owner of Vast Coaching Resources, Inc., is a multifamily real estate specialist and Texas Real Estate broker with a Master of Arts in Organizational Management and Development and an Evidence Based Coaching Certification. Over her 40+ year professional career, Kathy has managed operations of apartment communities in more than 16 markets throughout the United States with portfolios of up to 16,000 apartment homes for private, fee managed, and public companies. Her property management background includes experience in communities from new construction, high-rise luxury buildings, mid-rise, garden style, income restricted, tax credit, section 8 voucher, and HAP contract assets.
