5 Impactful Action Items to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in The Workplace

^{_{September 15, 2022 by Stacey Joseph for ImpactEDI™}}

Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to learn about, reflect upon, honor, and celebrate the importance of Hispanic culture. Additionally, it’s a time to grow in the ways in which we support, form alliances with, and ally on behalf of our Hispanic friends and colleagues.

The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson as a result of Representative George Edward Brown’s submission. In 1987 , Representative Esteban Torres of California submitted H.R. 3182, a bill to expand Hispanic Heritage Week into a Hispanic Heritage Month. In his remarks, Torres noted that supporters of the legislation “want the American people to learn of our heritage. We want the public to know that we share a legacy with the rest of the country, a legacy that includes artists, writers, Olympic champions, and leaders in business, government, cinema, and science.” The month-long celebration, according to Torres, “will allow our Nation to properly observe and coordinate events and activities to celebrate Hispanic culture and achievement.” Although Torres’s bill died in committee, Senator Paul Simon of Illinois submitted S. 2200, a similar bill that amended P.L. 90–468. The Senate bill passed Congress and President Ronald W. Reagan signed it into law on August 17, 1988. and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, on the approval of Public Law 100-402. The Heritage Month begins specifically on September 15th because September 15th is independence day for five Spanish-speaking countries. In 1821, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua declared their independence.

This year, the theme for National Hispanic Heritage Month is “Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation,” to honor the cultures and contributions of both Hispanic and Latina/o/x Americans as we celebrate heritage rooted in all Hispanic/Latin American countries. In amplifying the voices of some of my closest and dearest family members, friends, and colleagues who identify as Hispanic, Latina/o/x, and AfroLatina/o/x, I’ve pulled together the below list of ten meaningful things that you can do to celebrate.

1. Learn the Preferred Terminology – Language is constantly evolving, and one of the simplest ways to be inclusive and show respect for one’s cultural identity is to learn preferred terminology. This is especially important when it comes to marginalized communities. Educating yourself and your team about appropriate and preferred respectful phrasing when speaking about cultural topics will help grow individual, team, and organizational cultural proficiency. Knowing the difference between Latino and Hispanic is a great start: In short, Latino means from Latin America. Hispanic means from a country whose primary language is Spanish. Instagram Influencer and Tiktoker@asif.tv has a great video about varying terminologies and their origins that helps understand the complexity of terminology and why asking “how do you identify culturally?” is important. This month, take some time during Hispanic Heritage Month to educate your team, so that everyone can have important conversations respectfully.
2. Feature an Hispanic American Heritage Month Book Club – I’ve heard it said that “Literature is an interpretation and criticism of life through writing…” Learning a language, becoming fluent in that language, and then becoming a great writer in that new language requires stretching yourself across cultures. It also provides a new and distinct lens through which one experiences, interprets, and critiques life. Reading works by Hispanic authors is a meaningful way to honor Hispanic Heritage Month. Use this month as an opportunity to start a team book club to bring Hispanic voices to the center of the conversation. First, put out an announcement about the book club. Second, have interested members research authors and provide suggestions for which book to read. Next – be inclusive! Take a vote on which book to select and together, set a reasonable date by which all readers should finish the book. Once everyone has completed the book, hop on a video call together to meet and discuss key aha moments and takeaways.
3. Donate – To show organizational support for the Hispanic community, make a donation to a Hispanic-focused nonprofit organization. Your donation can be a one time donation, or you can decide on a more impactful contribution by making a year long, monthly donation, or asking your coworkers and/or organization to match your donation. Donations are a powerful way to support the community with the challenges they face. Here are a few non-profits with missions of impact, that could use your support: National Alliance for Hispanic Health; Voto Latino; Safe Passage Project; Hispanic Scholarship Fund; and A Better Chance.
4. Commission a Work of Art – In 2020, Pew Research Center released results from a poll which revealed that just three percent of the Hispanic population in the United States identifies as Latinx. “The director of race and ethnicity research Mark Lopez explained that their rejection of the word had nothing to do with its inclusive framework, but rather its the limited means to describe the population as a whole. The outcome, he said, “reflects the diversity of the nation’s Hispanic population, and the Hispanic population of the U.S. thinks of itself in many different ways.” Not only does the Hispanic population think of itself in many different ways, they also express themselves and their culture in diverse ways. Art, is just one of the many ways in which the Hispanic community adds to our nation’s rich culture. Through art, Hispanic artists are able to bring to life, an array of cultural archetypes, histories, and experiences that are “carefully deconstructing persistent colonial power structures and demanding liberation from their grasp.” Many emerging Hispanic artists are “self-taught, raised on freestyling and graffiti, and powered by the sense of community that permeates daily life. From painting and collage to sculpture and installation, these artists dive into relational and conceptual territories unique to their cultural milieus, churning out provocative works of art that tell their stories with authority.” Commissioning a piece of artwork by an Hispanic artist, is a way to show meaningful support for the Hispanic community and the evolution of art. Exhibiting the artwork in a public space will also widen the reach of the artist’s work, while providing cultural enrichment to your workspace. Check out this article by Nicole Martinez to learn more about the 12 Emerging Latinx Artists to Discover.
5. Mentorship – Mentoring programs in the workplace leverage existing resources and key personnel to help employees grow and thrive. Mentorship programs are key for employee retention and satisfaction. In an effort to level the playing field, mentorship programs can help improve diversity in leadership. The sole existence of a successful program can serve to better attract, and of course, retain employees from all different backgrounds and walks of life. Take the next 30 days of Hispanic Heritage Month to work on creating a mentoring program. The Mentoring program can either be within your organization or as outreach with a local school or community college. If you’re feeling rather ambitious, you can do both! By 2030, Hispanic youth and other youth of color will make up more than half of the nation’s labor force. Despite making up about 17% of the U.S. workforce, Hispanic Americans currently hold just 4% of executive roles and 6.5% of STEM-related roles in the United States. Pew Research Center found that more than half of all Hispanics in the U.S. currently work in the retail, hospitality, food, construction or service industries—all fields that typically do not require a professional degree or internship experience. Without increased investment in this rapidly expanding Hispanic population, organizations will not be primed to be competitive or successful in a dynamic labor market. Through mentoring, you are making a commitment to invest in Hispanic youth and Hispanic leadership.

_{Stacey S. Joseph, CDP, ODCP, MBA – Stacey Joseph (she, her, hers, we) is a Certified Diversity Professional, Certified Somatic Practitioner, and Founder of ImpactEDI™. She facilitates trainings, workshops, and somatic healing sessions around diversity, inclusion, racialized trauma, and creating safe spaces of belonging. She is also a regular contributor to the ImpactEDI™ blog}. _{You can connect with her on Linkedin or email her at stacey.joseph@impactedi.com.}