From serving the nation as senators and congressmen, to making advances in the field of medicine, to enriching American culture with music and food, Hispanics established lasting legacies in the United States.
Starting Sept. 15, the anniversary of independence for the Latin American countries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, Hispanic Heritage Month runs through Oct. 15. Columbus Day falls on October 12, and Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on Sept. 16 and 18, respectively.
“As a child we celebrated Columbus Day in New York, where I grew up. It was great taking a day off and honoring that,” Spanish teacher Priscilla Carrera said.
Originally set as a week of celebrations, under President Lyndon Johnson in 1968, President Ronald Reagan expanded it to a month in 1988 in honor of the growing Hispanic population in America.
“It is a good way of celebrating and teaching the students about Hispanic culture,” Carrera said.
As of July 1, 2015, the Hispanic population of the United States was 56.6 million, making people of Hispanic origin the nation’s largest ethnic or racial minority. Hispanics constitute 17 percent of the nation’s total population. On campus, Hispanic students represent 36 percent of the student population.
This month recognizes and celebrates Hispanic heroes, leaders and citizens in America. The Spanish department celebrates with lessons on Hispanic cultures. Following the lesson, a party with Hispanic music and food takes place in the hallways.
“This month should be important to all people because America has many Hispanic residents and we deserve as much respect and honor as everyone else does,” senior Gabriel Caban said.
Along with a party for students in Spanish classes, the Spanish Club encouraged all students to participate in a Hispanic Heritage Month fact contest. Each day on Brave TV, an anchor shared a Hispanic fact. Today during both lunches, participating students took a quiz on the facts.
Sophomore Jordan Bewley won first place, winning a Spanish Club t-shirt. All other participants received chocolate candy prizes for competing.
For those in search of Hispanic oriented activities, Central Florida offers a diverse list of options from films, to food to dancing with festivities and concerts.
The Orlando Public Library will show Selena Friday Oct. 14, at 11 a.m. The film highlights the cultures and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans. Admission is free.
For entertaining event seekers, the Hispanic Heritage Art Exhibition celebrates the creativity, cultural heritage and art made from 15 Hispanic artists. The artists are from Colombia, Cuba, Brazil, México, Nicaragua, Perú, Puerto Rico, Uruguay and Venezuela. The art exhibit will run until Oct. 21 at the Terrace Gallery located on the first floor of Orlando City Hall, City Commons Plaza, 400 S. Orange Ave., Orlando, FL 32801.