El Hispanic Heritage
By Bohemian Babushka
HolaHolaHola Beautifuls!
In 1968 President Lyndon Johnson issued the first Hispanic Heritage proclamation, Presidential Proclamation 3869, which stated in part:
“Wishing to pay special tribute to the Hispanic tradition, and having in mind the fact that our five Central American neighbors celebrate their Independence Day on the fifteenth of September and the Republic of Mexico on the sixteenth, the Congress by House Joint Resolution 1299, has requested the President to issue annually a proclamation designating the week including September 15 and 16 as National Hispanic Heritage Week.”
After this it grew into Hispanic Heritage Month once the numbers of Hispanics grew, when the US Census included them in the questionnaire.
And so it has been done every year since then. Babushka gives thanks to this great country in recognizing the impact and importance our gente have made and do not take for granted the responsibility that comes with that. The richness of our cultura, the history of siglos and the strength and beauty of it all is for us to emphasis and not forget. To many, Hispanic Heritage Month is the only time our accomplishments are shared and we must take advantage of this.
The querido editor of Conexión, David Triana, acting as Master Of Ceremonies at the Hispanic Fest 2016, benefiting nonprofit United For a Good Cause Annual Emerald Coast Christmas Miracle Needy Children’s Fiesta, on the importance of the festival, announced this: “Our success is not based on how many Hispanics are going to show up — we know they’re going to show up — but by how many non-Hispanics show up,” he said.
Babushka wholeheartedly agrees with this statement and would even say this is true for all moments of Hispanic Heritage Month. The more we learn about our fellow Earth dwellers, their cultures, their customs, their beliefs, the less we fear and appreciate them and their offerings to our world. Pero BB would like to expand on this, take it deeper and even inward. For Hispanics/Latinos themselves this is the perfect momento for self-discovery. Take advantage of the topic and explore the richness and historia of our gente. From earliest civilizations– Aztec, Taino, the Spanish Golden Age– Cervantes, or Juana, to our part in US history, 1565 first European settlement, and even the early days of US citizenship, nuestra raza was a part of it all!
Ahora mismo, Mexico and Colombia are the only nations with larger Hispanic populations than the U.S. Not realize la fuerza de los siglos within us, not bring forth la potencia we US Latinos share? JU SO FONII!! A wonderful place for us to start is http://hispanicheritagemonth.gov/ . Here they showcase past and present, and events all over the globe. Whatever forma you decide to follow, be it your immediate familia’s history, or a particular subject, art form you enjoy, learn about your Hispanic Heritage. Porque Beautifuls, with Pride there is Power. Y somos dignos de both.
Learn, Educate, Live our raices. Comenzamos con un mes, y después toda una vida, para complementar y completar the enrichment of All. BB2U