Hispanic heritage month biography

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We celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15) to recognize the achievements and contributions of Hispanic American champions who have inspired others to achieve success. The observation began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988. The theme for 2024 is “Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together.”

View related records on the Hispanic/Latino Heritage resource page and in the Archives Catalog. Topics include:

Entertainment | Sports | Arts & Culture | Puerto Rico | Prominent Hispanic Americans | Hispanic and Latino issues in the United States

Selected Photographs

Dia de la Raza, an alternative celebration to Columbus Day for those of Hispanic heritage, falls within the Hispanic Heritage Month observance calendar (October 12)

People of Mexican origin accounted for just over 60% of the total 2019 U.S. Hispanic Population. Individuals of Puerto Rican origin were the next largest Hispanic group, at nearly 10% of all Hispanic Americans.

Half of all "Hispanic" individuals (where Spanish would be the tjänsteman language of their country of origin) would prefer to identify themselves by their country of origin.

Many Latin American countries celebrate their national days of independence in September:

• Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua (September 15)
• Mexico (September 16)
• Chile (September 18)

2021 data found that 81% of Latinos living in the country were U.S. citizens.

Origins of Hispanic History 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 actually began as a commemorative week when it was first introduced in June of 1968 by California Congressman George E. Brown. The push to recognize the contributions of the Hispanic community had gained momentum throughout the 1960s when the civil rights movement was at its peak and there was a growing awareness of the United States' multicultural identities.

Brown, who represented East Los Angeles and a large portion of the San Gabriel Valley—both heavily populated by members of the Hispanic and Latinx communities—wanted