Hasta La Bandera

Hispanics make up almost one fourth of the US population, to celebrate their culture and accomplishments, September 15th to October 15th is considered Hispanic Heritage Month.

Hispanic Heritage Month is a great opportunity to shine some light on the importance of hispanic heritage in America and the struggles that they face everyday.

According to The Hispanic Marketing Council, Latin American culture deeply affects  not only American food and music, but also beauty standards, sports, politics and fashion. Hispanics are responsible for many inventions used to this day; such as the ballpoint pen, designed by Argentinian László Biró, and the X-Ray microscope, invented by Mexican American Albert Beaz. 

However, even with all their accomplishments, negative stereotypes are heavily portrayed in the media often justified as comedy. Disney Channel is a predominant example, with characters such as  Estaban from Suite Life of Zack and Cody and Deuce Martinez from Shake It Up, playing into the stereotypes of long complicated names, and big families. Even though many times these jokes might seem harmless, it can have a huge impact on people’s perception of latinx people. 

In this upcoming Hispanic Heritage Month, instead of only celebrating the food and the music, let’s also celebrate the accomplishments the Hispanic community has brought us and the importance they have in this country.

Sources:

Lewis, Rachel. “What Is Hispanic Heritage Month?” Time.com, 15 Sep. 2017, https://time.com/4943371/what-is-hispanic-heritage-month/

“Hispanic Heritage Month” nps.gov, https://www.nps.gov/subjects/npscelebrates/hispanic-heritage-month.htm

“The Hispanic Influence on American Culture” Hispanic Marketing Council, https://www.hispanicmarketingcouncil.org/Portals/0/Research/The%20Hispanic%20Consumer/Power,%20Influence%20&%20Behavior/The%20Hispanic%20Influence%20On%20American%20Culture%202012.pdf  “National Hispanic Heritage Month” U.S. Department of Education, https://sites.ed.gov/hispanic-initiative/national-hispanic-heritage-month/