Hispanic, Latino, and Latinx Heritage Month

About Hispanic, Latino, and Latinx Heritage Month

Hispanic, Latino, and Latinx Heritage Month (September 15-October 15) recognizes the achievements and contributions of Hispanic, Latino, and Latinx American champions who have inspired others to achieve success. It started as National Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968 when Lyndon B. Johnson signed a proclamation and was later extended to a month. The celebration begins in the middle rather than the start of September because it coincides with national independence days in several Latin American countries: Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica celebrate theirs on September 15, followed by Mexico on September 16, Chile on September 18, and Belize on September 21.

Over the last 54 years, the heritage month has become a vital opportunity to dispel ignorance, prejudice, and fear through education about multiculturalism and the history of the countless contributions of Hispanic, Latino, and Latinx communities.

Historic Influencers

There have been many Hispanic, Latino, and Latinx figures who have shaped American history. Here are just a few of those influencers (feel free to share additional Hispanic, Latino, and Latinx influencer stories on our Slack #Inclusion channel):

• Albert Vinicio Báez – Báez was a Mexican American physicist who co-developed the theory of using grazing-incidence mirrors to focus X-rays with Stanford physics professor Paul Kirkpatrick in 1948. They envisioned two mirrors mounted perpendicular to one another to overcome limitations of conventional optical systems. This theory would be later used to examine living cells and to study galaxies. Baez then developed another innovation on his own - Fresnel zone plates for high-resolution microscopy and telescope imaging with soft X-rays and extreme UV radiation. A Quaker and lifelong pacifist, Báez opposed both the nuclear weapons buildup of the 1950s and, later, the Vietnam War.

• Ellen Ochoa – Ochoa became the first Hispanic American woman to go to space in 1993 when she went on the Space Shuttle Discovery mission to study the Earth’s ozone layer. She completed three more missions before becoming the first Hispanic American director of the Johnson Space Center in 2013 (only the second woman to take the helm).  

• Sylvia Rivera – Of Puerto Rican and Venezuelan ethnicity, Rivera was a trans activist, who took part in the Stonewall riots alongside friend Martha P. Johnson. In 1970 she organized a sit-in protest at the Weinstein Hall at New York University after the administration canceled planned gay dances on the anniversary of the Stonewall riots. The sit-in lasted five days before the protesters were forcibly removed by police. She started the STAR House with Martha, which was a shelter and social space for trans sex workers and other LGBTQ youth. It was the first shelter for the LGBTQ community in the U.S. and the first to be organized by women of color.

Explore the Library of Congress's Latinx Resource Guide 

The “Latinx Resource Guide” from the Hispanic Reading Room at the Library of Congress focuses on 20th and 21st century court cases, legislation, and events that had important impacts on civil rights in Chicana/o/x, Hispanic, Latina/o/x, Mexican-American, and Puerto Rican communities in the United States. Each page provides an overview and timeline of a civil rights topic and some breadth of research material for further study at the Library of Congress or your local library.

What is the difference between Hispanic, Latino, and Latinx?

These definitions are from the University of California’s “What’s the difference between Hispanic, Latino and Latinx? article.

• “Hispanic” refers to any of the peoples in the Americas and Spain who speak Spanish or are descended from Spanish-speaking communities. It was coined in the 1970s by the U.S. Census Bureau to offer a pan-ethnic name for peoples such as Puerto Ricans, Mexican Americans, Cuban Americans and others, whose social, economic and political needs were often ignored.

• “Latino” describes any person with ancestry in Latin America, a politically defined region usually unified by the predominance of Romance languages. This definition usually includes Portuguese-speaking Brazil and French-speaking Haiti, but excludes Spain.

• “Latinx” represents the identities of non-binary, gender non-conforming and gender-expansive people. Latinx also centers the lives of indigenous, Brazilian, and other non-Spanish speaking people in this celebration.

So which one is preferred across the community?

As the above article explains, there is no one preference across the community. Each individual's preference is based on how that person identifies. The best thing to do is ask someone their preference rather than assume the person's preference.