As our Hispanic McIntosh students probably know, September 15 marked the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Month.  This month-long celebration recognizes the contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans.  The celebration began when former president Lyndon B. Johnson signed off saying that it would last a week.  Later on though, former president Ronald Reagan changed it to a month-long period of recognition.

According to hispanicheritagemonth.gov, September 15 was chosen as the start date for Hispanic Heritage Month because it’s an anniversary of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.  Also, less than a week after those countries celebrate their independence, Mexico, Chile and Belize celebrate their independence as well.

National Hispanic Heritage Month also celebrates the long and important presence of Hispanic and Latino Americans.

Hispanic people think highly of the month long celebration  Freshman Daniel Arenas said, “It makes me feel proud of my heritage.  It allows people to understand that we are not all Mexicans and that we should not be stereotyped.  It also promotes our heritage.”

Marino Fuentes, a Cuban that was in Cuba at the time that Castro took power, said, “If you want to recognize Hispanics, then we need to look outside of entertainment and look at all other fields.  For example medicine, engineering, and military.”

Hispanic heritage month ends on October 15.