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Celebrating many cultures during Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month
September 2, 2024
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The following article was written by Michael Tapia.
Hispanic. Hispano. Hispana. Latinx. Latino. Latina. Latine. Afro Latino. Afro Latina. Afro Latine. Latino Americano. Latino Americana.
All of the terms listed above are terms that describe people who are of Hispanic or Latino descent and who have cultural ties to one or more of over 20 countries or territories in North America, Central America, South America, Spain and beyond where most often Spanish is either the primary language or one of the most common languages spoken. Some of these descriptors or identity labels have created controversy recently but regardless, people may choose the one with which they feel most comfortable and identify with most closely.
National Hispanic Heritage Month began as a week-long celebration that was signed into law in 1968 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. By 1988, it evolved into a month-long recognition and celebration of the contributions of Hispanic/Latinx communities to American society at large. Sept.15 was selected as a start date because five Latin American countries celebrate their independence from Spain on that date: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico celebrates its independence one day later while Chile celebrates its on Sept. 18 and Belize, Sept. 21. This celebratory month ends on Oct. 15.
Here are some interesting data regarding U.S. Latinos gathered by the Pew Research Center:
  • The U. S. Hispanic population reached 63.6 million in 2022, roughly 20 percent of the country’s total population.
  • Hispanics have played a major role in U.S. population growth over the past decade, accounting for 53 percent of total increase in population growth.
  • The roughly 37.4 million people of Mexican origin in the U.S. represented nearly 60 percent of the nation’s Hispanic population in 2022.
  • Venezuelans have seen the fastest population growth among U.S. Latinos.
  • Hispanics are the largest racial or ethnic group in California and Texas; Latinos made up roughly 40 percent of California’s population in 2022.
  • Newborns, not immigrants, have driven the recent growth among U.S. Hispanics.
  • The share of Latinos in the U.S. who speak English proficiently is growing; in 2022, 72 percent of Latinos ages 5 and older spoke English proficiently.
It’s important to remember that Latinos are not a homogenous group with the same identity; we have diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Consider that in addition to many variations of Spanish, many indigenous languages have also been adopted as official languages. As with English, there are different dialects of Spanish in the U.S.; Spanish in the southwestern U.S. may be much different than that spoken in Florida.
Mexican American is one of the identities that I claim for myself and though it is “old school,” I prefer it because it is a reminder to me that my grandparents were born in Mexico and later came to the U.S. I am second-generation Mexican American with parents who were born in the states, one in Los Angeles and the other in a small Minnesota town.
While I was raised by bilingual parents, English was my first language and I learned Spanish formally beginning in the 5th grade in my elementary school and continuing through high school. Though I wish I could have been raised speaking both languages, my parents didn’t teach me Spanish because of fears of additional discrimination prevalent during the timeframe of my childhood. However, I am grateful for being raised in a home where my parents conversed with one another and my grandparents in Spanish, as it helped me learn to understand it and develop an ear for it. Later in life, I earned my BCLAD and it played a critical role for me as an educator.
Beyond language, I am grateful for experiencing a bicultural upbringing that included both Mexican and “American” traditions and foods. One of my grandmothers was responsible for butchering the chickens on her property for family meals when we were living in rural Sacramento around the time I was in kindergarten. Seeing that depicted in “Family Pictures/Cuadros de familia” by Carmen Lomas Garza brought back those memories each time I read it to my 2nd grade students. I appreciated my mother making flour tortillas from scratch during my childhood, and as an adult I learned how to make her version of Spanish rice and frijoles de la olla, though I never mastered her wonderful chilequiles!
I have fond recollections of helping my grandfather during the 6th grade after returning to southern California. He was a “jack of all trades” who could do carpentry, plumbing, masonry and gardening. I would assist “Grandpa Ernie” (always Ernesto to my grandma) on Saturdays when he served as a gardener for various customers. After work, Grandpa would treat us to hamburgers and root beer floats at the local A&W. I think working with him improved my skills and led to my love of gardening later in life.
As we prepare to celebrate Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month, it’s important to remember that many of us have other intersecting identities. I also identify as a cisgender, gay male. It’s interesting to note that in their 2022 report, Latinx LGBT Adults in the U.S., the Williams Institute at UCLA estimates that roughly 6 percent of U.S. Latinos also identify as LGBT. In an earlier Williams Institute study focusing on LGBT youth in California schools, over 50 percent of these students in the study were Latino.
The CDE Fingertips Facts for the 2023-24 school year shows that 56 percent of our student enrollment in California was Hispanic and the most current data available showed roughly 20 percent of the state’s teachers were Hispanic. It’s fair to say that there are Hispanics/Latinos residing, working or attending schools in every California county.
Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month is an especially important time frame to incorporate learning activities that focus on the many accomplishments of our community. You are probably aware of the value of providing students with mirrors, windows and sliding glass doors through the use of literature and other learning materials. Research supports the use of diverse and culturally relevant literature and texts, acknowledging their positive role in motivation, reading comprehension and literacy achievement. SB 48 also provides an expectation that among other groups, Hispanics/Latinx people’s contributions to California society are included in social science/history lessons.
Michael Tapia is a retired school administrator from Ventura.
FYI
Online Guide
National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated Sept. 15-Oct. 15. Find a Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month Resource Guide for educators at content.acsa.org/celebrating-hispanic-heritage-month-in-schools. The guide offers links to lessons, articles, booklists/materials and videos.