5 Ways Your Company Can Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month
Understanding the history of this holiday and how your company can foster inclusion, respect, and a sense of celebration in the workplace.
History of National Hispanic Heritage Month:
National Hispanic Heritage Month (or Mes Nacional de la Herencia Hispana) celebrates the history and contributions of Hispanics and Hispanic Americans across the nation. It is observed in the U.S. from September 15 to October 15.
The holiday was started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded to a 30-day period under President Ronald Reagan in 1988.
It is observed as a way to celebrate the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens with ancestors from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
September 15 is a significant date because it is the independence anniversary for the following Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Additionally, Mexico and Chile observe their independence days on September 16th and September 18th, respectively.
How Your Company Can Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month:
- Host an event celebrating this holiday. Your event can include hosting local speakers and community members to share their experiences, traditional recipes, a short and inclusive slide deck on the history of the holiday, or any number of other activities that foster inclusion and respect.
- Share educational resources with your employees. To show your employees that diversity and inclusion is a priority within your organization, provide information and educational resources on this holiday. Resources can be communicated through an internal email to employees from a member in Leadership, shared in a company-wide newsletter, or through your company’s social media accounts.
- Offer your employees an employee resource group or affinity group to ensure employees feel valued and respected within your company and during their day-to-day activities.
- Host a meeting with a local Hispanic Chamber of Commerce representative to foster a culture of learning and community-centered involvement.
- Explore some of the valuable resources in the Smithsonian Institute’s Heritage and History Month Events, which features performances, lectures, and family-friendly activities.
No matter how your company chooses to celebrate, the priority is to demonstrate inclusion, recognition, and respect within the workplace, in celebration of this holiday and beyond.