VOA文化艺术2024--What is Hispanic Heritage Month?

Celebrations across the United States are taking place to mark National Hispanic Heritage Month.

It is a yearly tradition that honors the diversity and culture of Hispanic people. The month-long period is a chance for many in the U.S. to learn about what Hispanics have given to American culture. It is celebrated¹ each year from September 15 to October 15.

The group includes people whose ancestors come from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. The latest census² estimates there are more than 65 million people identified as ethnically³ Hispanic in the U.S.

A long history

Before there was National Hispanic Heritage Month, there was Hispanic Heritage Week. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the law in 1968. The U.S. Library of Congress says every president since Johnson has issued a proclamation for National Hispanic Heritage Month. On September 13, President Joe Biden issued a proclamation recognizing September 15 through October 15, as National Hispanic Heritage Month.

Rachel Gonzalez-Martin is an associate professor of Mexican American and Latino Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. She said the celebration has grown over the past 10 years because of the larger number of Latinos in the U.S. She noted⁴ that Hispanic Heritage Month was an official recognition of belonging "that became really powerful."

Many holidays honored

September 15 is the date when some Latin American countries mark their independence days. The Central American nations of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica celebrate their independence on September 15. Mexico marks its national day on September 16.

Also, during National Hispanic Heritage Month, the South American nation of Chile observes its independence day on September 18.

Alberto Lammers is director of communications at the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute. He said, "It became a chance for people to know Hispanic cultures, for Latinos to get to know a community better and for the American public to understand a little better the long history of Latinos in the U.S."

Lammers said the four-week period is about honoring the way Hispanic populations have shaped the U.S. in the past and present.

"It gives us a chance to acknowledge how Latinos have been part of this nation for so many centuries," Lammers said. "I think that's what is great about this. It has allowed us to really dig deeper and a chance to tell our stories."

More than one label

Hispanic is a pre-existing term the federal government began using in the 1970s for people whose ancestors came from Spanish-speaking cultures. But some people do not like the term "Hispanic." They use other terms like "Latino" or "Latinx" which mean different things to different groups.

Events marking National Hispanic Heritage Month are planned in places from California to New York.

Words in This Story

census -n. an official count of a country's population

diversity - n. the state of having people who are different races or who have different cultures in a group or organization

1 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

2 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

3 ethnically   

adv.人种上，民族上

参考例句：

• Ethnically, the Yuan Empire comprised most of modern China's ethnic groups. 元朝的民族成分包括现今中国绝大多数民族。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• Russia is ethnically relatively homogeneous. 俄罗斯是个民族成分相对单一的国家。 来自辞典例句

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。