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The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino honors the dreams, challenges, and triumphs of U.S. Latinos, elevating our stories within the nation’s narrative. We create transformative experiences, foster a deeper understanding of American history and culture, and connect communities nationwide.
The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society.
S.2200 - A bill to amend Public Law 90-498 to provide for the designation of National Hispanic Heritage Month.
Sponsor: Sen. Simon, Paul [D-IL] (Introduced 03/21/1988)
The dates for Hispanic Heritage Month were chosen to coincide with the Independence Day celebrations of many Latin American nations that declared their independence from Spain on September 15, 1821. In all, Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates communities with roots in 20 Latin American countries and territories who make up over 19% of the U.S. population.
Latinx Heritage Month Teaching Resources to Use All Year Long
Hispanic Heritage Month officially lasts for 31 days, but that doesn’t mean we should limit our celebrations of Latinx heritage to this month alone. Instead, we can use this month as a reminder to reconsider our goals related to equity for Latinx communities, gather resources to help us build our understanding and toolkit, and set a plan to meet our equity goals during the year ahead.
Though backgrounds, cultures, and histories are a part of our classrooms every day, September 15-October 15 is officially National Hispanic American Heritage Month. Teachers can use this opportunity to shine a light on the critical contributions, rich culture, and long history of Hispanic and Latino Americans. With these resources, students can read, listen, watch, and go off-screen for activities that will give them a window into the enormous impact that Hispanic and Latino people have had on our world. They have broken their list down into grade bands, and by activity type, so you can check out the resources most relevant to your classes first. But be sure to check out all of the resources, since there's plenty of overlap between grade levels!
Historias de Resistencia
Historias de Resistencia
Historias de Resistencia #1: Dolores Huerta and the Plight of the Farm Workers & Union Organizers is a graphic history that includes many people, facts, and details from the past. The stories in this series will highlight the dynamism of the Latino community in the United States, a larger community whose story must be told!
Each day, tens of thousands of farmworkers do backbreaking work to provide the food for tables all over the United States. The comic you are about to read was written by Henry Barajas, illustrated by Louie Chin, and colored by Gab Contreras. J. Gonzo created the cover art. This comic introduces you to the woman who is most responsible for organizing and fighting for the rights of farmworkers, Dolores Huerta. Huerta is one of the most significant warriors in labor history! In an effort to guarantee safe working conditions and a fair living wage for workers, Huerta co-founded the United Farmworkers Association (which later became the United Farmworkers of America). She has been battling for the rights of workers and all people for more than seven decades.
Thanks for reading Civics for All Comics Group comics and Historias de Resistencia!
Additional Resources
Additional Resources
The National Educator’s Association (NEA) has assembled resources by grade level to use for your Hispanic Heritage Month lessons and celebrations.
Check out the New-York Historical Society’s Nueva York, a curriculum guide dedicated to Hispanic history in our region from 1613–1945.
There are a number of useful resources from the Smithsonian and the National Museum of American History, including:
The Smithsonian Learning Lab, which features a collection of Hispanic Heritage Month learning resources
Lessons on the history of Latinos in baseball called ¡Pleibol! which is accompanied by an online exhibition that was previously featured in the National History Museum.
Learning modules from the Smithsonian’s History Explorer, including Latino Family Stories Through Art (grades 4–8), the Bracero History Archive (grades 6–12), A Nation of Immigrants: Latino Stories (grades 9–12), and much more.
Students can read the stories of immigrants from Mexico, Cuba, and other Latin American countries, and view objects related to the journey to America with America on the Move: Latino Stories, lessons from the Smithsonian Museum of American History. Students can also learn about the experiences of workers in the mid-twentieth century Bracero guest worker program.
Teaching for Change, who host Teach Central America Week, have provided resources to use in the classroom during their initiative, and beyond.
Explore digital teaching and learning resources from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino.
Learn about the how the history of school segregation impacted Latino communities in the United States by exploring primary sources from the seminal Supreme Court case Mendez v. Westminster School District, often considered a precursor to Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, with the Learning for Justice toolkit called “Why Mendez Still Matters.”
Students can further engage with the Mendez case with a reenactment activity available on the United States Federal Courts’ website.
Access a range of relevant K–12 lesson plans from the National Endowment for the Humanities on history, literature, culture, and more.
Teachers and students of all grade levels are invited to explore the history, people and issues chronicled in the PBS series, Latino Americans, through a collection of classroom resources connected to the documentary.
Students in grades 6–12 can learn more about identity, intersectionality, and Latino culture with the short film “Bibi” alongside the accompanying learning guides from Learning for Justice.
Explore a wide range of teaching resources from Facing History & Ourselves about Latinx history, art, and culture.
For more information about Hispanic and Latino music, the New York Times Learning Network has several lessons on reggaeton, Cuban music, and the musical legend Selena.
Teach about the Young Lords Movement in New York City with materials from the Museum of the City of New York.
El Museo del Barrio has several resource guides available for educators to use, in addition to video and audio resources available on their website.
The National Park Service’s American Latino Heritage Theme Study, available in both Spanish and English, explores Latino history and culture with essays and other resources that reflect Latino American experiences across different eras, topics, and regions throughout the United States. For more NPS resources, check out their Hispanic Heritage Month page, along with Telling All Americans’ Stories: American Latino Heritage, also available on their website.
Students can learn more about Hispanic Americans in Congress with resources from the U.S. House of Representatives Archives.
Students can access National Archives records related to Hispanic and Latino Heritage online to research a wide range of topics with primary sources.
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