Celebrating Our Friends and Neighbors

 

Here we go again. It wasn’t on my calendar. National Hispanic American Heritage Month had somehow never penetrated my consciousness. Social media posts from the Howard County Library and the Howard County Local Health Improvement Coalition got my attention. In case you haven’t heard, here’s some background from the National Hispanic Heritage Month website:

Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, on the approval of Public Law 100-402.

Here are some offerings from the Howard County Library System:

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! From September 15 to October 15, HCLS is honoring the achievements and contributions of Hispanic Americans who’ve enriched society. We’re celebrating the cultures, traditions, and people from more than 20 different Latin American countries and territories. Here are seven fun (and free!) ways to learn more about the Latinx community with your library card this month:  

• Explore titles from our collection for children & teens about Hispanic heritage  
• Browse nonfiction titles for adults including cookbooks, documentaries, memoirs, and more  
• Check out adult fiction by Latinx authors  
• Research almost 90 different prominent Hispanic Americans online with Gale in Context: Biography  
• Children under 6 can learn Spanish language skills with short videos from Little Pim  
• Students ages 6 to 10 can learn Spanish language skills with interactive online lessons from Muzzy  
• Teens and adults can brush up on their Spanish language skills with the free Mango app 

The Howard County Local Health Improvement Coalition clued me in to this event on October 6th:

In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month @HCPSS Hispanic Achievement Program will be hosting a county-wide Resource Fair on October 6, 2022. The event will be from 6pm-8pm at Deep Run Elementary School 6925 Old Waterloo Road, Elkridge, MD, 21075. Consulates of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador will offer resources and information. In addition, local agencies and non-profit organizations will be onsite, offering resources available in Spanish to you and your family.

Years ago, my family attended the International Night at the old Talbott Springs Elementary School. I remember sitting in the cafeteria/auditorium and listening to performers from the community sing song after song in Spanish. What moved me was seeing how many in the audience sang along. We were surrounded by people who knew these songs by heart and sang with emotion. 

It was a celebration of something particularly special to them, to where they came from, who they were, their memories and their dreams. I felt a sense of awe to be in a community with these families. It was a window for me to learn about people whose backgrounds I did not know, connected by a love of something we shared: music.

Have you seen any other local events celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month? Let me know.