National Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15) celebrates and recognizes the diverse histories, cultures, traditions, and contribution of Americans whose ancestors come from Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Spain. In 1968, Hispanic Heritage week began under Lyndon Johnson and was later expanded to cover a whole month by President Ronald Reagan. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988. September 15 is significant because it marks Independence Day for multiple Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico celebrates its Independence Day on September 16 and Chile celebrates its independence on September 18. Indigenous People's Day and Día de la Raza are celebrated on October 12 (United States Census Bureau, 2023). The 2023 theme, Latinos: Driving Prosperity, Power, and Progress in America, aims to highlight economic and political strides, Latinos have made in the United States and their role in driving the prosperity of the country forward.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of July 1, 2021, there are 62.6 million Hispanic people in the United States. This makes people of Hispanic ancestry the nation's largest ethnic or racial minority. Hispanics are 18.9% of the total population. Thirteen states have a population of one million or more Hispanic people:
Riverside County, California saw their Hispanic population increase by 32.289 from 2020 to 2021. This is the greatest increase of Hispanics out of any other county in the country in the country.
The UCLA Latino Policy & and Politics Institute anticipates that this trend will continue through the year 2060.
While Hispanic and Latinx people may share the Spanish language, and have some intertwined histories, Hispanic and Latinx people have mosaic of identities. So what IS the difference between the terms Hispanic and Latinx, anyway?
Image created by: vivalatinamerica.tumblr.com; Retrieved from: North Carolina Department of Commerce
