By MELISSA CANTOR
HispanicOnline Staff

On September 15, schools began organizing essay contests with Hispanic themes, websites began publishing lists of Hispanic heritage events, and museums began hosting Hispanic-themed exhibitions, films, and programs. Hispanic Heritage Month had begun.

Despite the fact that the United States' Hispanic heritage reaches five centuries into the past, it was not until 30 years ago that the nation officially honored that heritage, and it wasn't until 1989 that the recognition evolved into a month-long celebration.

The request to celebrate Hispanic heritage on a national scale was first made by the Senate and the House of Representatives. Those bodies assembled in Congress on September 17, 1968, to authorize an annual proclamation making the week of September 15 and 16 Hispanic Heritage Week. In this same resolution, the Senate and the House of Representatives requested that the American people observe this celebration by organizing activities in accordance with the spirit of the week.

The designated week was selected because Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua celebrate Independence Day on September 15, and Mexico celebrates Independence Day on September 16.

However, it was soon clear that because the designated week fell at the beginning of the school year, educators were too occupied with the resuming school session to enthusiastically celebrate Hispanic heritage.

To encourage more participation from the educational community and the U.S. community as a whole, President Gerald R. Ford issued a call in 1977 to all schools and human rights organizations to more actively observe Hispanic Heritage Week. "When the Pilgrim Fathers landed at Plymouth Rock, Hispanic civilization was already flourishing in what is now Florida and New Mexico," Ford noted. "Since then, the Hispanic contribution to America has been a consistent and vital influence in our country's cultural growth."

Echoing Ford's earlier proclamation, and calling it an "honor well deserved," President Ronald Reagan further expanded the celebration in 1988 by authorizing a congressional request that National Hispanic Heritage Week be turned into Hispanic Heritage Month.

Latinos' impact and influence on the United States is, as former President George Bush once said, "a living legacy" that has profoundly impacted the history and development of the United States. As the president noted, "the values passed from generation to generation in Hispanic American families are values central to the American experience."

National Hispanic Heritage Month now officially lasts from September 15 to October 15, including October 12, known as Columbus Day in the U.S. and as El Día de la Raza in Latin American countries.