HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH SEPTEMBER 15 - OCTOBER 15
By: Danielle Cantrell
Why September 15th?
The date of Sept 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua and the anniversary of the start of the Mexican War of Independence. Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on Sept 16 and Sept 18.
September 17th, 1968: Lyndon B. Johnson enacted Proclamation 3869—National Hispanic Heritage Week. 20 years later it became “Hispanic Heritage Month”
What do we celebrate?
This is a time to recognize, honor, lear about and celebrate the many contributions, diverse cultures, and extensive histories of the American Latino community.
A Few Historical Figures:
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Born in 1989 in the Bronx, New York, into a Puerto Rican family, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez went on to become the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, at the age of 29.
Manuel Miranda was born in 1980 in Washington Heights, New York, and is a composer, actor, writer and activist. Writing “Hamilton”, best musical in 2016. He won Tony awards, an Oscar, a Pulitzer Prize, a Kennedy Center Honor, and was give the MacArthur Foundation’s genius grant in 2015. He is also notable for his disaster relief work in Puerto Rico.
Ellen Ochoa, born in 1958. She was the first Hispanic American woman to go to space when she joined the 9-day mission aboard the Discovery shuttle in 1993. She was the first Hispanic director of the Johnson Space Center.
Cesar Chavez (born in 1927) was a labor leader and civil rights activist. He ultimately worked with the Community Service
Organization (CSO) to get civil rights legislation passed for Latino people. He founded National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) with Dolores Huerta (born in 1930)
Dolores Huerta (born in 1930) was a leading civil rights activist, and with Chavez they formed the NFWA in 1962, she focused on her work for women's rights. Today, she is the face of Dolores Huerta Foundation and she continues to fight for rights to this day.
Sylvia Rivera, born in 1951, with the help of friends she formed Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), which supported LGBTQIA+ youth in Manhattan. Survivor and activist for the trans community after stonewall riots in 1969 the pair worked with Gay Liberation Front.
Roberto Clemente, born in Puerto Rico in 1934 became the first Latin American and Caribbean to win the World Series as a starting player in Baseball.
This is just a small peek into the important people of hispanic history. When we think about the world running, especially in a place like Chicago IL, we cannot look past the dirty and intense work that comes with a functioning city.
Here at Hope Hospice we strive to accept and honor all heritages, many of our clients and employees are of hispanic descent and we work to honor the life they have lived. The HOPE Hospice team works hard not only to accommodate the needs and wants of our patients, but also caters to our patient's loved ones by way of physical assistance, spiritual guidance and emotional support. We value comfort in life and help families to honor the time that was had, celebrate all the days that are left. We assist with the difficult things like funeral planning and working with long term care facilities
