September 15th all the way through October 15th is the wonderful celebration of Hispanic heritage month. Many people may have heard of this celebration but may not be certain of what it really is. Hispanic heritage month is a time to truly recognize significant people and/or contributions that Hispanic/Latino Americans have made in the United States. One thing that may stand out is that the celebration does not start of the first day of the month. This is because the day of September 15th is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. If you’re looking into ways to participate in this month of celebration, below are six ways to get yourself more involved.
Donate
When it comes to making donations, there are multiple nonprofit organizations that will accept donations towards the Hispanic/Latino communities. A couple are HHF (The Hispanic Heritage Foundation) and the HSF (The Hispanic Scholarship Fund). HHF is an award-winning nonprofit organization that encourages and helps Delos Latino leaders in various industries around the nation. This organization helps enforce leadership and workforce development programs, which is very beneficial and helps prepare young mentors and other professionals. The other nonprofit organization, HSF is a scholarship fund at was founded is 1975 with a goal of providing students with any resources they may need to complete their higher education. This scholarship fund as awarded more than $650 million in scholarships to over 65,000 scholars.
Educate yourself
Many people, especially those who may not be a part of the culture, may not know much or anything at all about what the Hispanic community is and what they value. One of the main values in this culture is family. Family is a huge part of everyone’s lives, especially in this community. People, especially those younger, are taught to value and respect their family, but most importantly their elders. The culture carries many traditions and celebrates in various ways. Whether it’s spending time with family, singing, dancing, or celebrating in a parade.
cook some traditional Hispanic recipes
Hispanic food is very popular and is rising in the United States, and no I’m not talking about Chipotle. Authentic Hispanic foods are made with love and pride and can be found at your local sit-down Mexican restaurant. Empanadas, Elote, Arepa, and Mole are just a small handful of popular recipes you could try making on your own time.
Create a playlist of Hispanic artists
Within the music industry, there are various artists that come from the Hispanic community. The best way to support them is by listening to their music. Whether you have Apple Music or Spotify, you can be sure to find almost any artist. If you’re looking for more upcoming and popular artists, I would personally recommend Bad Bunny, Kali Uchis, Omar Apollo, or J Balvin. If you’re leaning more towards an older taste, you might want to listen to either Selena, Shakira, or Enrique Iglesias.
Take up a salsa or flamenco dance class
Salsa and Flamenco dance styles are very popular in the Hispanic community, but these two dances are quite different from each other. Salsa is based off a Cuban and Puerto Rican style music while Flamenco is Spanish. In salsa, the music may sound more like jazz or pop while Flamenco has more of a western or conventional tone to it. Either way, these dances are very upbeat and fun to learn. Who knows, once you try it you might start to love it and it could be your new hobby.
Learn the language
The last way you can participate in celebrating Hispanic Heritage month is by simply learning the language. Many people may take up Spanish in high school and/or college, but there are still many people that may have never tried it before. Learning the language can be very beneficial when in the workforce and just to have more general knowledge. The Spanish language specifically is known as a romantic language, which can be seen as similar to Italian and even French. If you don’t have access to a teacher, you can download apps right on your phone or device that make it more accessible for you to have. One app that is increasingly popular in Duolingo. This app gives you lessons from a basic level all the way to an advanced level and teaches you all that you would need to know when speaking Spanish.