From Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 of every year, Americans celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month by honoring the histories, cultures and accomplishments of Americans with ancestors in Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and South America. During this month, the U.S. recognizes the contributions and the important presence of Hispanic and Latin Americans in the U.S.

The celebration historically began with President Lyndon Johnson establishing the celebration in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week. President Ronald Reagan expanded it in 1988 to a 30-day period beginning on Sept. 15 and concluding on Oct. 15. On Aug.17, 1988, it became a law after Public Law 100-402 was approved.

The chosen month was selected according to important historical dates in the Hispanic history and culture. Sept. 15 is noteworthy because it marks the anniversaries of the independence of Nicaragua, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala. On Sept. 16 and Sept. 18, respectively, Mexico and Chile commemorate their independence days while the date of Oct. 12, also known as Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, falls inside this 30-day Heritage month.

President Joe Biden wanted to remark the importance of the Hispanic heritage in American history so he made a proclamation about national Hispanic heritage on Sept. 14.

“During National Hispanic Heritage Month, we reaffirm that diversity is one of our country’s greatest strengths,” Biden said. “We also acknowledge the Hispanic leaders who have stayed in the struggle for equal justice to ensure that everyone in this nation can contribute their talents and have the opportunity to thrive.”

Hispanic professors at SUNY Oswego maintain that while Hispanic population is one of the biggest in the American continent, the U.S. knows little about their actual culture and most of their knowledge is based on stereotypes.

María Briones Domínguez, a SUNY Oswego student from Spain majoring in political science and international relations, was surprised when she came here and realized that people from the U.S. treat all Hispanic people like if they were all from the exact same country.

“The Hispanic culture is so big and diverse that I can’t understand how they can reduce most of our culture to popular stereotypes, sometimes I feel like for them we’re all Mexicans,” Briones said. “Even though I think it’s great that there’s a month to celebrate our heritage, I think it should integrate completely to American history instead of having just a month like If our culture wasn’t part of America. Hispanic population is the biggest one in the continent, and we should be proud of our roots and diversity of all the Hispanic countries and cultures that surround us.”

Dr. Celinet Duran is a professor in the Criminal Justice Department at SUNY Oswego and is from the Dominican Republic. She has worked at John Jay college, which is a Hispanic minority serving institution and researches about Environmental and Animal Rights Extremist Groups, Criminological Theory and Ideological Violence. She said that she did not celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month as a kid because her family did not see it as necessary. 

“To be honest I didn’t really think a whole lot about the Spanish Heritage Month until I started higher education just because I’ve lived in predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods,” Duran said. “I’m Dominican and both my parents are Dominican, we immigrated here so my entire life every day I am Hispanic, so I didn’t really see much of a not a need, but it was something that was celebrated in my life all along.”

However, Duran said her vision of the Hispanic Heritage month changed while she was growing up. She said that as a Hispanic person you have to face several stereotypes and preconceptions from people around you that could make your path challenging and sometimes even desperate. Duran explained that she is very pleased about the efforts that the students and the direction of SUNY Oswego does for the Hispanic community.

“I think that especially within the last few years it’s become something that’s even more important especially for being able to dispel some of the more negative stereotypes surrounding the Hispanic and Latino community,” Duran said. “I’ll say that at the college, when I first got here in 2021, one of the students reached out to me for a Hispanic care teacher profile and it was very special to me. Previously, I was at John J College, which is a Hispanic minority serving institution, so having students here that recognize that felt really important … I really appreciate everything that the school is doing.”

Duran said she is crystal clear about her stance on the effort and implication of the U.S. administration with the Hispanic community. She considers that the administration is doing marketing rather than real steps to the materialization of equality for the Hispanic community.

“Honestly, I think more can be done,” Duran said. “There’s a difference between highlighting and celebrating all of the marketable aspects of it so I do realize that with a lot of diversity celebration a lot of it comes with a marketing strategy, but there’s a lot more to it than that. Also, that sometimes means recognizing some of the not so pretty aspects of our history and our culture. In the Dominican Republic, that means really understanding the relationships that exist and the tensions that arise between Dominican and Haitian people while also recognizing that we’re all from the same island. We have a shared history but not shying away from  some of the darker aspects of wide historical past [is] perfect.”

Duran made a petition about what she would change about the Hispanic Heritage month and what would be better to focus on, not only for the Hispanic family but also for the Black people in America.

“I’d like for it to be more than just a month,” Duran said. “I think all history should be recognized all year long, especially when we look at the implications of colonialism [on] a lot of Latin-American and Hispanic economies. Being able to understand and not just celebrate the cultural aspects but … understanding the famine in Venezuela, understanding the economic crisis that is still going on in Nicaragua, understanding the people in Puerto Rico that are undergoing one natural disaster after another … I think understanding those perspectives [is extremely important].”

Photo via Pexels