As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, the National Endowment for the Humanities is sharing new resources to teach about the rich and varied history of Latin America. We’re also looking ahead to the opening of a new Smithsonian museum on the National Mall in 2020 that will showcase the stories of Americans with Latino and Caribbean roots.
Hispanic Heritage Month is observed each September to recognize the enduring contributions of people with ancestors from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean islands and Central and South America. There are more than 65 million Hispanics in the United States, making up the country’s fastest-growing racial or ethnic group.
Whether you refer to them as Hispanics or Latinos, there’s no doubt that they make a vital contribution to the American way of life. In addition to contributing to the economy and culture, Hispanics have shaped the nation’s military, politics and religion.
Hispanics and Latinos have been a part of the United States from its beginnings, and continue to shape it today. Their contributions to our society are as diverse and rich as the countries from which they come.
But the term “Latino” is still a bit of a mystery for many people. And therein lies one of the challenges: It’s difficult to define a word that describes people with such a wide range of origins and experiences. That’s why people use words like Latina, Latino, Hispanic, and the non-gendered terms Latine and Latinx. People also add on other descriptors, such as Afro-Latino, Chicano, Tejano, Isle
The confusion about the term isn’t surprising. During the 1930s, when the Census Bureau asked people at door-to-door what their race or ethnicity was, many answered “Mexican.” That’s because in those days, Mexicans were considered a subset of Latino. The NEH’s Hispanic Heritage collection (Opens in a new tab) includes books, videos and educational materials on topics ranging from music to art to history and more.
In addition to the collections, there’s a new Hispanic Heritage Month webpage and a page on our digital library, Sora, with more resources. And, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery is teaming up with Lil’ Libros, a bilingual children’s book publisher, for a series of family activities highlighting photographs and stories of Hispanic and Latino American heroes in Washington, D.C.
The National Endowment for the Humanities is proud to partner with a variety of organizations and individuals to elevate these stories and to support the development of new sources of knowledge about the history and culture of Latin America and its Americans. We look forward to continuing to build this collection of resources for all of you. Please share your suggestions with us.