¡Viva Mexico!: The History of Hispanic Heritage Month and Why You Should Care

Photo by Lara Ejzak

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To kick off the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, a two-day celebration took place right in Times Square. The festivities included a parade down Madison Avenue, authentic flamenco dancing, a mariachi band, and a sea of Mexican flags. Once you are one with the boisterous crowd, it is hard not to find yourself excited; you may not even see or hear the band on the stage. It is not uncommon to see flag bearers standing on top of crosswalk signs, lamp posts or anything else that may get them a better vantage point. It is so easy to get caught up in the passion and electricity that one must wonder: what exactly caused this excitement?

With Hispanics and Latinx being the second most populous ethnic group in the country, former President Lyndon B. Johnson started what we now call Hispanic Heritage Month in an effort to pay homage to the ethnic group and encourage everyone to recognize the culture and contributions of the Hispanic community to the United States. Starting as a week-long celebration back in the 1960s, observance has now evolved to span a whole month starting on September 15. This date may raise some questions among people—such as why the month begins in the middle of September and spills into October—but there is a very logical reason for this seemingly illogical day. Since the term “Hispanic” encompasses many nationalities, September 15 was chosen since it encompasses (or nearly encompasses) many different countries’ respective independence days. Countries such as Costa Rica and El Salvador gained independence on this specific date; Mexico and Brazil followed shortly after. 

While this past weekend acknowledged the accomplishment of independence for these citizens’ nationalities, there have been advancements aplenty within New York City that ought not to be ignored. Although it is tempting (and encouraged) to celebrate this month by eating some of the most delicious Hispanic dishes and—for the bolder individuals—trying out a salsa class or two, it is important to take this time to reflect on how this group of people has shaped the culture of New York, and how it seeks to evolve further. 

Given New York’s progressive immigrate-to-citizen policies in the 1940s and abundant opportunity, NYC has been able to attract an ever-growing Hispanic population. The Bronx boasts a stand-out majority Hispanic population, with statistics trending toward further increases in this demographic. The borough proudly recognizes its previous residents such as current Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, popstar Jennifer Lopez, and rap artist Cardi B. However, it took countless years of fighting and breaking glass ceilings for these successful figures to be in a position to achieve their status. 

Source: NYC Department of City Planning

As with any minority in the U.S., Latinos were not exempt from discrimination in New York, meaning they were subjected to everything from redlining to education inequality to pay gaps. The average Latino individual is paid “the lowest average earnings” among New Yorkers, a gap which Latino officials are striving to eliminate. This disheartening fact correlates with another that claims only about twenty-five percent of Latino New Yorkers own their home. New York has made efforts to correct this disparity through policies such as the New York Equal Pay Act (EPA). However, due to the difficulty minorities face in affording colleges, while the pay for a job may now be equal, most Latinos will not be able to secure said job without a degree they took on a substantial amount of debt to obtain.  

While white people still maintain a significant lead in percentage of college degrees earned, the amount of Latinos graduating with a college degree in New York is “3 percentage points higher” than that of the national average. Still, there is a considerable amount of room for improvement in promoting Hispanic and minority enrollment in university. Unfortunately, ever since the overturn of Affirmative Action, the outlook for Hispanic futures in higher education seems even more stunted. Luckily, we are still seeing growing numbers of minority applications to colleges. As Sotomayor puts it, “Until we get equality in education, we won’t have an equal society.”

To anyone living in NYC, there is no doubt of the influence of Hispanic presence in everything, whether that be art, music, or food. It may feel empowering to boast of being the birthplace of the first Hispanic female Supreme Court Justice, but it is equally sobering to remember that no others have been sworn in since. Hearing Cardi B’s expressive “Okrrr” on the radio is always a thrill, but one forgets the discrimination that mariachi artists received in our country’s history for expressing their culture.

I was lucky enough to go to the ¡Viva México! event in Times Square, but I was only made aware about it thanks to a friend in the community, and almost all other students at Fordham were not even aware of the celebration or start of this culturally important month. I was astounded by both my peers’ and my own ignorance of this monumental cultural time, and pitied those who were not able to enjoy a fresh churro. Given all the obstacles that this community has had to overcome, as well as our coexistence with the Hispanic body, the least that we all could do is take some time to recognize their heritage and progress. Instead of simply existing with this ethnic culture, we should take this opportunity to appreciate all that Latinos in this city have overcome and support them in their efforts to finally be treated fairly across all issues. Living in such a diverse environment is a privilege, and it is one that should be capitalized on.  

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This article was edited by Matthew Quirindongo and Sofia Roshan Hope Gellada.

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