Hispanic Heritage Month, Friday, September 15 through Sunday, October 15, celebrates the history and culture of Latino and Hispanic communities in the US, commemorating how those communities have influenced and contributed to American society. Hispanic Heritage Month will be observed through displays and activities at CJ Logistics America’s corporate headquarters and locations across the country.
The timing of Hispanic Heritage Month coincides with the Independence Day celebrations of several Latin American nations. September 15 was chosen as the kickoff because it coincides with the Independence Day celebrations of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Those five nations declared their independence from Spain on September 15, 1821. Mexico declared its independence from Spain on September 16, 1810. Chile also celebrates its independence during that week (September 18, 1810, from Spain). Belize, which declared its independence from Great Britain on September 21, 1981, was subsequently added to the list of nations specifically celebrated during what is now Hispanic Heritage Month.
The term Hispanic or Latino (or the more recent term Latinx) refers to a person’s culture or origin—regardless of race. On the 2020 Census form, people were counted as Hispanic or Latino or Spanish if they could identify as having Mexican, Mexican American, Chicano, Puerto Rican, Cuban, or “another Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin.”
Hispanic Heritage Month began as a commemorative week when it was first introduced in June of 1968. On September 17, 1968, Congress passed Public Law 90-48, officially authorizing the president to issue annual proclamations declaring September 15 and 16 to mark the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Week. President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first Hispanic Heritage Week presidential proclamation the same day. On September 14, 1989, President George H.W. Bush declared the 31-day period from September 15 to October 15 as National Hispanic Heritage Month.
