LatInx & HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

September 15th through October 15th marks Latinx and Hispanic Heritage Month. This month we celebrate the culture and accomplishments of people of Hispanic and Latinx descent by highlighting stories, artists and thinkers that will inspire you.  

From your favorite pop-stars to iconic civil rights heroes, athletes, writers, scientists and visual artists, Hispanics/Latinx have shaped American history and culture from the beginning. (Hispanic refers to people who trace their heritage to a Spanish- speaking country. Latinos/Latinx refers to people who are from or are descendants of a Latin American country.) Although often left out of our historical and literary canons, the enduring contributions of Hispanics and Latinx to American society are easily uncovered.

resources

The following are a few resources to get you started on this learning journey.

• Our Hispanic Roots on PBS
• National Hispanic Heritage Month: A collaborative project of the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.
• The Latino Experience from the official guide of NYC & Co.

ARTS AND CULTURE
Common Sense Media’s Wide Open Schools, has a wealth of learning activities covering a variety of topics as well as guides to help parents support their learners.

Latino Cultures in the US,  from Google’s Arts & Culture hub, focuses on the contributions and experiences of Latinos in the United States.

EDUCATION
Before the landmark Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education (1954), Mexican American families in southern California successfully advocated for school integration and equal opportunity in education in ​Roberto Alvarez v. the Board of Trustees of the Lemon Grove (CA) School District (1931) and Mendez v. Westminster (1947). Following the Mendez ruling, California Governor, Earl Warren (later becoming Chief Justice of the U.S.), pushed state legislators to repeal laws segregating Asians and Native American children. Sylvia Mendez, the named plaintiff in the class action, received the Medal of Freedom in 2011. You can learn more about the Mendez case and the struggle for integration that paved the way for Brown v. Board of Education at the links below.

• U.S. Court House, Los Angeles – American Latino Heritage 
• The Journal of San Diego History: The Lemon Grove Incident
• ​History of American Latino Education - The National Park Service

SUPPORT
This past spring, Hollaback offered free online bystander intervention and de-escalation training in support of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. They have launched a new training focused on supporting the Latinx community that will be offered on October 4 and 26, 2021.

LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
NYC Arts