2020 Hispanic Heritage Month

September 15 - October 15, 2020

Hispanic Heritage Month is an official celebration of American citizens whose ancestry can be traced back to Spain, Mexico, Central and South America

and the Caribbean. Hispanic Heritage Month “pays tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society,” according to the official website - HispanicHeritageMonth.gov.

Did you know the term "Latinx" refers to people of Latin American descent. It is a gender-neutral alternative to Latino or Latina. The term first appeared in 2004 and has grown in popularity. Many are referring to this month as "Latinx Heritage Month."

It particularly celebrates Hispanic arts and culture and is therefore supported by: The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. There are many Hispanic-American contributions to recognize and to celebrate including sports, business, music, and our military.

The festival now lasts from September 15 to October 15 every year, but it first started out as just a week long celebration of in 1968. Twenty years later, in 1988 it expanded to dedicate a whole four weeks for the celebration of being Hispanic.

The celebration starts in the middle of the month, as opposed to the end, because the 15th marks the independence days of five Latin America countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico, Chile, and Belize follow shortly after, on the 16th, 18th and 21st.

Celebrate 2020 Hispanic Heritage Month & see how Fort Worth is paying tribute to our Hispanic American culture - http://fortworthtexas.gov/library/programs/hispanicheritagemonth/.