National Hispanic Month is currently being celebrated through Oct. 15. Texas teachers have a number of resources available to teach the contributions and culture of Latinos and Hispanics. | Pixabay
National Hispanic Heritage Month has arrived, offering an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans whose culture has had a rich impact on the State of Texas.
President Lyndon Johnson, one of the state’s greatest political figures, began the observation with National Hispanic Week in 1968. President Ronald Reagan expanded it into a month, from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 the Association of Texas Professional Educators reported on a blog. It was enacted into law Aug. 17, 1988. The date Sept. 15 was not chosen by chance but by design as it marked the day of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico celebrates its big day Sept. 16 followed by Chile on Sept. 18. Belize has its celebration Sept. 21.
According to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Latinos make up 41% of the Texas population.
For those uncertain how to present the celebration of Hispanic and Latino Americans through Oct. 15 in an education format, there are resources available, according to the blog. Among the recommendations are to visit hispanicheritagemonth.gov. The U.S. Department of Education has also compiled a list that will be useful at its website.
Other sites to visit include Pew Research Center, the U.S. Census Bureau, Statistics in School, Texas Highways Magazine and the Texas Historical Commission.
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