Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated every year from September 15 – October 15. During this period, the cultures, histories, and contributions of Spanish-speaking Americans are celebrated. This group includes people whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central & South America. Hispanic Heritage Week was first observed in 1968, when President Lyndon Johnson signed it into law. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan extended the celebration to a full month. The timeframe of the celebration is significant, because many Central American countries celebrate their independence days within these dates.
Hispanic Americans have made their mark in many different fields, including government, sports, business, writing, music, and the visual and performing arts; some well-known names include Associate Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, baseball player Roberto Clemente, multi-talented celebrity Jennifer Lopez, poet Sandra Cisneros, songwriter and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, novelist and poet Julia Alvarez, and artist and children’s book illustrator Rafael López.
We encourage you to learn more about the culture and contributions of Hispanic Americans via the Library! On the second floor is a display of literary fiction, biographies/memoirs of Hispanic Americans, and a sample selection of Latin music CDs and DVDs featuring Hispanic American actors. If you have wanted to learn to speak Spanish, be sure to check out the study guides located in the Language Learning Collection (third floor), and try out the language-learning software Mango Languages available with your APL-issued library card. Finally, the Library is proud of the Spanish-Language Collection on the first floor, where patrons can browse titles written in Spanish, as well as Spanish and English/Spanish bilingual titles in the Children’s Department. ¡Feliz día de la independencia!
