Hispanic Heritage Month
Exploring Our Latinx Heritage!
Across the nation from September 15th to October 15th we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month to recognize "the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America."
As educators plan activities to help students explore Latinx culture, it essential to design opportunities that allow each of our Boston Public School students to find themselves represented in their history and social studies curriculum, explore, question and redefine their identities. The resources curated below provide a wealth of information to help you design activities explore the different cultures that unite to represent Hispanic Heritage and help students redefine what it means to be Latinx in today's America.
Take the time to reflect, how can you incorporate the stories that represent the 42.5% of our student population that identify as Hispanic? (Source: SY19-20 Boston Public Schools at a Glance)
Elementary & Secondary Resources
Global Boston
https://globalboston.bc.edu/index.php/home/ethnic-groups/central-americans/
https://globalboston.bc.edu/index.php/home/ethnic-groups/colombians/
https://globalboston.bc.edu/index.php/home/ethnic-groups/dominicans/
Global Boston is a digital project chronicling the history of immigration to greater Boston since the early nineteenth century. The links above look at three major Latino groups and their histories in Greater Boston: Central Americans, Colombians, and Dominicans.
Smithsonian Latino Center
The Smithsonian Latino Center is the division of the Smithsonian Institution that works to "ensure that the contributions of the Latino community in the arts, history, national culture and scientific achievement are explored, presented, celebrate and preserved." This site has reference materials, exhibits and an educator’s page with bilingual resources.
Here are some resource highlights:
Panama as a Crossroads: An Interactive Traveler’s Journal
National Hispanic Heritage Month
https://hispanicheritagemonth.gov/for-teachers/
Check out the resources from the collaborative project of the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.
Key facts about U.S. Hispanics and their diverse heritage
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/09/16/key-facts-about-u-s-hispanics/
Here are some updated, key facts about the nation’s Latino population by age, geography and origin groups from the Pew Research Center.
The Problem With Latinidad
https://www.thenation.com/article/hispanic-heritage-month-latinidad/
This articles explores how a growing community of young, black, and indigenous people are questioning the very identity underpinning Hispanic Heritage Month.
Lesson of the Day: ‘Does Hispanic Heritage Month Need a Rebrand?’
In this lesson, students examine the history of and issues with the way Latinx communities are represented and honored.
Bring Hispanic Heritage Month to Life: A Collection of Resources
Use this page to explore Hispanic history, art, and music through available lesson plans, book lists, crafts, and biographies.
Check out these 24 Great ideas to teach Hispanic Heritage Month!
All About the Holidays: Hispanic Heritage Month
This short videos goes into historical background of Hispanic Heritage Month and the importance as to why we celebrate
this Holiday today.
Black in Latin America
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/black-in-latin-america/
“On this series of journeys, Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. celebrates the massive influence of millions of people of African descent on the history and culture of Latin America and the Caribbean, and considers why and how their contribution is often forgotten or ignored.” The site has rich essays, resources, and lessons. Please note: Videos on the site require PBS membership.
Secret Diasporas: the Irish in Latin America and the Caribbean
While many people see Latin America as a point of immigration to the United States, the area attracted immigrants from all over the world, including many from Europe. This article looks at the impact of Irish immigration to Latin America.
Primary Source Set: Puerto Rican Identity
http://emergingamerica.org/resource/puerto-rican-identity/
This primary source set created by Boston Public School educators during the History in Motion program contains materials pertaining to Puerto Rican identity in the United States.
Primary Source Set: Exploring Latin American Revolutionaries
https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/sets/latin-american-revolutionaries
This primary source set explores the various leaders that began movements "that would alter the political and cultural landscape of Latin America."
American Myths: Christopher Columbus
This quick quiz helps student understand some of the myths associated with Christopher Columbus, and his voyages to the Americas.
Abolish Columbus Day Campaign
http://zinnedproject.org/about/abolish-columbus-day-campaign/
This resource from the Zinn Education Project gets students to question, and take a stand on the Celebration of Columbus Day, taking into account the negative aspect of his voyages on the native populations of the Americas.