SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — There’s a lot of weight carried by the word “Hispanic.” It’s sometimes mistakenly used interchangeably with other terms, like Latino.
As ABC 10News brings you coverage of Hispanic Heritage Month, we wanted to understand where the word comes from and the history behind the month-long celebration of the community.
In 1968, then-President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaimed the week of Sept. 16 as National Hispanic Heritage Week. The move was made possible by a joint resolution sponsored by a group of congressmen, including two Latinos from California and Texas: Edward R. Roybal and Henry B. Gonzalez, respectively.
The president’s proclamation read in part, “The people of Hispanic descent are the heirs for missionaries, captains, soldiers, and farmers who were motivated by a young spirit of adventure, and a desire to settle freely in a free land. This heritage is ours.”
It was later extended by President Ronald Reagan to last 30 days from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. The dates were picked because several Latin American countries celebrate the anniversary of their independence on Sept. 15, including El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico celebrates independence on Sept. 16, and Chile on Sept. 18.
San Diego State University Anthropology […]
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