Did you know that Hispanic Heritage Month was once known as Hispanic Heritage Week? This month-long celebration highlights the many achievements and traditions of Hispanics and Latinos throughout the community.
In June 1968, the celebration went from a week to a month filled with colors, traditions, danzas (dances), and highlighting the culture itself.
During the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, CA Congressman George E. Brown introduced the idea of Hispanic Heritage Week, which was later proclaimed and effective on Sept. 17, 1968, by President Ronald Raegan. This was known as Public Law 90-48.
This law helped the small-known event that helped acknowledge the role of Hispanics, especially in CA, transform into a national seven-day celebration that recognizes the efforts, cultures, traditions from many Hispanic and Latinos through America.
Senator Paul Simon of IL helped introduce a version of this bill. It was one of the few events that helped recognize the contributions of minorities across America and really recognized America’s growing movements around this time.
Some, though, strongly felt that this weeklong celebration wasn’t enough. In1988, another CA congressman, Esteban E. Torres, introduced bill H.R 31.82, which further helped establish what is known now as Hispanic Heritage Month.
In Sept. 1989, President George H. W Bush became the first ever president to officially declare the current 31-day celebration. Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 was then set to be Hispanic Heritage Month.
This event helps focus on the impacts and efforts of Hispanics and Latinos have had in a wide array of fields, from businesses, politics, and education to art, music, food, and literature.
The reasoning for the specific dates results from the marks of Independence Day from different countries like El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico celebrates its independence on Sept. 16; El Salvador’s Independence Day is on Sept. 15; and other countries’ Independence Day spans Sept. 15 through Oct. 15.
Locally, during this time of celebration and recognition, the city of Tifton has a festival known as Fiesta del Pueblo that celebrates and brings together the Latin community to help recognize the rich culture, traditions, danzas, art, music and food.
The festival takes place Sept. 27, 2025, in Fullwood Park.
With Hispanic Heritage Month unfolding, it holds as a reminder that honoring culture and remembering the history helps strengthen the bonds of our rich community throughout this 31-day celebration.