In September of 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law National Hispanic Heritage Week to honor the heritage and contributions made by members of the Hispanic community. In 1987, U.S. Representative Esteban Torres (D-California) submitted H.R. 3182, which was a bill to extend Hispanic Heritage Week into a Hispanic Heritage Month. Torres’s bill died in committee, but a year later Senator Paul Simon of Illinois submitted S. 2200 which was amended to P.L. 90-468 and signed into law by President Ronald W. Reagan on August 17, 1988. This new law officially expanded Hispanic Heritage Week to Hispanic Heritage Month.

Latinx Heritage Month begins, officially, on September 15, which is the anniversary of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, and runs through October 15. Although Latinx Heritage Month begins officially on September 15, multicultural programs at Missouri State University is hosting a variety of events you can join in to observe the month and learn more about Latinx heritage. 

You have the opportunity to attend movie screenings, listen to a keynote speaker, learn more about appropriation versus appreciation, partake in a networking reception, and attend the Latinx Heritage Month Banquet. Regardless of your familiarity with the Latinx heritage, these events are a small way to aid in your growth to becoming a culturally aware and competent citizen.

To find more specific information regarding the events happening this month check out the Multicultural Programs on Missouri State University’s website. (missouristate.edu/multiculturalprograms/)