National Hispanic Heritage Week was established by legislation and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968. Originally, it took place on the week of September 15. In 1988, the commemorative week was expanded to a month (September 15 to October 15) by legislation and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, on the approval of Public Law 100-402.
September 15 was chosen as the start date because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively.
In this month’s Affinity newsletter, we celebrate Hispanic history and culture as well as the impact Hispanics have had on the United States of America.