by Lucas Mathusek

September 15th marks the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, but what is this months all about? Why does it cut through September? What does "hispanic" even mean? 

Hispanic Heritage Month started in June of 1968 by California Congressman George E. Brown by introduced a week of appreciation for the contributions of the Latino people in the community. This was at the peak of the civil rights movement when people of all cultures and backgrounds were pushing to get more recognition. Eventually, George E. Brown’s idea spread to the president. On September 17th 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson officially declared Hispanic Heritage Week to start on September 15th. It eventually changed to a whole month, ending on October 15th.

But why does Hispanic Heritage Month start on the 15th? Shouldn’t it start on the first of September or October? Well, the reason why it officially starts on such this date is because all of the Central American countries that broke away from Spain on September 15th of 1821. These countries first joined Mexico, but, due to issues with the United States, they formed their own nation that only lasted a few years. Other hispanic countries like Chile and Equatorial Guinea also gained their independence during the September and October time period. 

The month is celebrated, but what is it to be "hispanic?" What’s the difference between Hispanic, Latino and Spanish? This answer depends on how it is being used. Spanish is broad and can describe any hispanic person, some people think that Latino only refers to the spanish speaking countries in North America and some people think that "hispanic" is broad enough to even fit the Philippines and United States. However, none of these scenarios are 100% true. People from Spain are also commonly called Spaniards. Hispanic, on the other hand, usually refers to all Spanish speaking countries, from Equatorial Guinea in Africa to Bolivia in South America, and Cuba in the Caribbean. Also Hispanic does not mean that one specifically speak Spanish. Finally, being Latino means any country that your heritage is from Central America, South America, or the Caribbean (Latin America). A common misconception is believing that Latino people have the same culture. That is wrong, many countries in Latin America are completely different from each other culturally. For example, the Taino people of the Dominican Republic and Caribbean had separate rituals, dishes, history and languages. Many latin countries don’t even speak Spanish, like Brazil, Suriname, and Belize. Hispanic Heritage Month refers to all people that have heritage in a country that primarily speaks spanish or were Colonized by Spain. The month of celebration occurs for all those that recognize and appreciate the accomplishments and cultural heritage no matter what it is called.