In this month's "Let's Talk Human Rights" blog:
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Latino & Hispanic Heritage Month by Sonia Reyes-Snyder
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The Iowa Latino Hall of Fame by Sonia Reyes-Snyder
Latino & Hispanic Heritage Month
 Iowa and the nation set aside time between September 15 and October 15 to recognize and celebrate the rich heritage, culture and the contributions made by Latinos and Hispanics during Latino & Hispanic Heritage Month.
This celebration started in September, 1968 when President Lyndon B. Johnson was authorized by Congress to proclaim national Hispanic Heritage Week, and directed that this week included September 15 and 16 to celebrate the anniversaries of independence for the Latin American countries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Mexico. In 1988, the National Hispanic Heritage Month was established.
Latinos are classified as individuals living in the U.S. whose ancestors originate from the Caribbean Islands, Central America, Mexico, and South America, all countries that were colonized by Spaniards and Portuguese. Latinos speak Romance languages: French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. Latinos are the largest ethnic minority population in Iowa and in the U.S.
The term Hispanic
refers to people whose heritage is derived from Spanish speaking countries -
the term is about language and doesn’t include people from Brazil who speak
Portuguese, French
Guiana, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Martinique, Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin who
speak French.
You can
celebrate Latino and Hispanic Heritage Month by learning more about Latino and
Hispanic history in Iowa. Great places to start are with Iowa Public Television at http://www.iptv.org/iowapathways/mypath/new-iowans-latinos
or the University of Iowa Women’s Archives’ Mujeres Latinas Project at https://www.lib.uiowa.edu/iwa/mujeres/. You can also experience contemporary Latino
and Hispanic culture by attending the different parades, street parties, and
festivals across Iowa.
Written by Sonia Reyes-Snyder, Office of Latino Affairs
The Iowa Latino Hall of Fame
The Iowa
Commission of Latino Affairs established the Iowa Latino
Hall of Fame to celebrate Latino heritage, honor Iowa's Latinos
that have made outstanding and significant cultural, political, social, and economic
contributions to Iowa and to pay tribute to their dedication, setting them
forth as role models for other Latino Iowans, ensuring that their legacy is not
forgotten.
The 2018 Iowa
Latino Hall of Fame Ceremony and Reception will take place Saturday, October 20,
2018 at the State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust in Des Moines from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. This
event is free and the public is invited to attend.
Written by Sonia Reyes-Snyder, Office of Latino Affairs
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