Hispanic Heritage Month is a celebration of the culture, arts and people of the Hispanic community. Taking place from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, it highlights the many traditions of different Hispanic countries and cultures. In honor of the month-long celebration, the Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica and Spanish Club are teaming up and planning to celebrate by talking about prominent Hispanic figures and adorning the school with art and signage representing Hispanic culture.
Hispanic Heritage Month originally began as Hispanic Heritage Week under former President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968. President Ronald Reagan expanded it in 1988 to a 30-day long celebration from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.
“[Hispanic Heritage Month] is very important because a lot of people do know the generalized version of our culture, but our culture is much more than that,” SHH Historian Marisol Aguilar said. “We do have a lot of customs [and] traditions that a lot of students here or the general [public] doesn’t know about, and being able to include the general public into those traditions and educate them about it is what really is important.”
This year, the SHH and Spanish Club are planning on hanging banners around the school, making coloring sheets, decorating the hallways with tissue paper flowers and presenting information on historical Hispanic figures over the school announcements to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and educate others.
“I feel very excited because it is the time that we can teach or tell about our culture that is so different, and we can be teaching others even when they are not in our classroom,” Spanish Club and SHH sponsor Sra. Cruz-Torres said.
Hispanic Heritage Month also gives recognition to the first-generation Americans in the school, community and country. A person who is a first-generation American means that their parents were born in a different country and immigrated to America, therefore making the person the first person to be born in America in their direct family.
“Many of them [Hispanics] are first generation, meaning they have to go through a lot and a lot of struggle, and really just recognizing them really means a lot,” Spanish Club member Emmanuel Carranza said. “For me, I have done a lot of work since I’m a first generation in this country, so I have to put [in] more work, but being recognized really does help me.”
People don’t have to be Hispanic to show support; being respectful, spreading awareness and showing up to club meetings and events are all ways people of every background can celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.
“Well, it’s my heritage, so I deeply feel that I get to show off my culture [and] my cultural identity to all and actually have a time to celebrate it here at school and not just at my house or as I do every weekend but get to share that a little bit with our community here,” Aguilar said. “Just be respectful toward our culture, when we speak Spanish, when we have events and toward our property.”
