¡Viva Los Hispanicos!

Wednesday was a really big day for America, and it wasn't because it was Breakfast Pizza day at HCHS (though I would definitely argue that it was a close second). No, the real importance of Wednesday, September 15th, lays in its date. Beginning yesterday, and carrying on until mid-October, it is Hispanic Heritage Month. As a Puerto Rican American, I really value this. Clearly, since I'm not completely Puerto Rican (it's not like my ridiculous whiteness gives it away or anything), I haven't really been exposed to be Hispanic Heritage. So, it's a good excuse to learn more about my Hernandez family history. But more importantly, and probably a lot more interestingly to you, what is the history of Hispanic Heritage Month?

So, here's how the story goes... Way back in 1968 Lyndon Johnson approved a Hispanic Heritage Week. Alas, Hispanics have played a huge part in America. Do the states Calfornia, Florida, Texas.... New MEXICO mean anything to you? All of these territories were first settled by the Spanish, and some remained under Mexican control for quite a while. So, in 1988 Ronald Reagan expanded it into an entire month of heritage celebration. That's more like it! But why does it fall on September 15th? That seemed awfully random to me, and probably to you readers out there too. But the 15th is not just some random day. The anniversary of five, count them FIVE, Latin American countries' independence that day. And three more Hispanic countries' celebrate theirs in the next several days. Pretty awesome choice of a date, if you ask me.

Speaking of 'if you ask me', you're probably wondering what exactly the term 'Hispanic' refers to. What's the difference between a Hispanic, Mexican, and Latino? Well, by definition, Hispanic means "of or relating to a Spanish-speaking people or culture." Meaning, people from Spain, Mexico, Cuba, or Peru, for example, are all examples of Hispanics. Latinos are people hailing from Latin America, specifically. And well, Mexicans are obviously just people from Mexico. There's your nifty little explanation.

So, what's the feeling about this around HCHS? There are Hispanics among us! So, what do the readers have to say? Do you feel that Hispanic Heritage Month is a great thing, and why? Leave me a comment! This has been Danielle Hernandez for School News. To learn more about Hispanic Heritage Month, click here.