Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month

Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month

By: Alexandra de Leon Date: September 16th, 2022

Originally posted to UW Medicine Huddle

September 15 – October 15 is Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month. This year’s theme is: Unidos (United): Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation. The theme recognizes that communities and this country are stronger when we make sure all voices are welcomed and represented. It also recognizes and celebrates the vast diversity and different perspectives within Hispanic and Latinx communities. The UW Medicine Community is invited to celebrate, recognize and honor the achievements, contributions, and heritage of Hispanic and Latinx employees and people around the world.

History of Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic American Heritage Month is from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 each year. It was first held in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week and expanded to a month-long observance in 1988.

While other cultural observance months start on the first of the month, there is a reason this one doesn’t. Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua all gained independence on Sept. 15; plus, Mexico’s Independence Day is Sept. 16 and Chile’s is Sept. 18.

Though the official name of the month does not include Latinx, making a distinction between Hispanic and Latinx communities is important because they are not the same. Hispanic refers to people who have ancestry in or are from a Spanish-speaking country, whereas Latinx refers to people who have ancestry in or are from a Latin American country. Read more about the UW Medicine Office of Healthcare Equity and the Cultural Observances committee’s decision to use the word Latinx, as well as the general usage of the term at The Huddle.

Join HMC as they raise the flag on Wednesday, September 14th at noon in View Park. This flag was designed by the UW Medicine Office of Healthcare Equity and the Cultural Observances committee and will be raised by all campuses at noon on September 14th.

Throughout the month look for special menu selections in and meal deals in the cafeteria, including delicious dishes representing the cuisines of Cuba, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru and Puerto Rico.

Parts of this story are taken from The Huddle. Read more about Latinx and Hispanic Heritage month over at The Huddle.

Additional Resources

Recommended Reading

  • UW graduate, Ada Limón, was named U.S. poet laureate in June 2022. Read her latest book, The Hurting Kind.
  • UW alum and Mexican American poet, Ricardo Ruiz, published his first book of poetry entitled We Had Our Reasons in May 2022.
  • Check out Solito by Javier Zamora, the memoir of a 13-year old El Salvadoran boy’s perilous migration to the United States.

Community Events