Hispanic Heritage Month is a celebration that runs from mid-September, through mid-October and offers many opportunities to connect with your community as a volunteer. Originally commemorated as Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968 by President Lyndon Johnson, the event was expanded in 1988 under the Reagan administration to cover the dates of September 15th through October 15th. This 30-day period includes the independence day celebrations of Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua. It also includes Día de la Raza (Columbus Day). Here are 5 ways to celebrate and get involved as a volunteer.
Learn the history
Take a closer look at the history of Hispanic Heritage Month. Then visit the Smithsonian website to connect you with performances, lectures and family activities as part of the celebration, and they are always looking for volunteers.
Share with the classroom
Hispanicheritagemonth.org has a full list of activities and ideas to celebrate with grades K-12. Teachers can find even more resources to educate students about Hispanic heritage, here.
Connect with the community
As a volunteer with the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families, you’ll have opportunities to host or participate in career day events for students, fundraising campaigns, social media communication and more. And if you speak fluent Spanish, you can join the team at standwithimmigrants.org as a translator or interpreter.
Join the fiesta
Many communities have Hispanic Heritage festivals or events to commemorate the holidays. Check with your local cultural center for more information, or simply conduct a web search. Then reach out to see how you can get involved as a volunteer.
Día DIY
If you can’t find a celebration close to home, you can do a little research and do it yourself. The National Hispanic Cultural Center has an entire section dedicated to Día de Los Muertos. While the holiday is celebrated a few weeks after Hispanic Heritage Month, you can learn about the celebrated ritual today, and how to build your own altar or “ofrenda.”
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