Hispanic Heritage Month, established in 1968 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, was created to honor the contributions and civil rights struggles of Hispanic American movements like César Chávez’s marches and La Raza Unida party. While the month has a noble purpose, it has always felt underappreciated to me, along with my own feelings of being trapped between two worlds.
One reason why it has always felt undervalued to me is its timing. Hispanic Heritage Month begins on Sept. 15 and runs through Oct. 15, which makes it less visible compared to other commemorative months. It wasn’t until high school that I even knew that Hispanic Heritage Month existed. Growing up in the San Fernando Valley, with a largely Hispanic population, it was disheartening to see how little celebration or recognition the celebratory month received. There were no school events or community festivities to honor our heritage, leaving me feeling like the hard-fought battles of past generations had been forgotten.
My family had a similar experience with Hispanic Heritage Month. My mom and grandparents, including my grandfather who marched with César Chávez, didn’t know about Hispanic Heritage Month until I learned about it in school and told them. My mom was part of desegregation busing in the San Fernando Valley and didn’t know its significance. Kids back then like her need to be acknowledged for their life experiences.
César Chávez holds a very special place in my family’s heart for the work he did and the impact he has had. He was a Mexican-American labor leader who co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) with Dolores Huerta. He’s most famous for leading the 1965 Delano Grape Strike, which my grandpa proudly marched in, where he stood up for farmworkers to get better pay and conditions by organizing peaceful protests and boycotts. However, I felt sad to realize that even those who lived through key moments of Hispanic history weren’t aware this time is meant to celebrate our culture and contributions.
This lack of acknowledgment made me feel like my heritage wasn’t important enough to be recognized. While I celebrated and knew other cultural holidays like Día de los Muertos, César Chávez Day and Cinco de Mayo, none of them felt like they fully represented me. In fact, Cinco de Mayo feels like a watered-down excuse for people to drink and party; it has become completely detached from the actual history behind it. Many people don’t realize that Cinco de Mayo isn’t even Mexico’s Independence Day, which is actually celebrated on Sept. 16. The celebration of Cinco de Mayo today highlights the lack of true understanding and respect for our culture.
One can say that there is an appreciation for Hispanic heritage through cultural foods, like tacos and burritos, with “Taco Tuesday” becoming a popular weekly tradition. It isn’t enough to acknowledge that you like our food; there needs to be true acknowledgement of us as a people. There is also plenty of food the Hispanic community has created that many people enjoy besides tacos and burritos, including tortas, pupusas, ceviche, bacon wrapped hot dogs and flan — if you are from Los Angeles you know what I’m talking about.
Recently, I’ve noticed a positive shift though. Since the pandemic, there’s been a growing awareness and recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month. More schools and local governments are starting to celebrate it, and that’s a step in the right direction. However, the core issue for me remains: this feeling of not fully belonging. As a Mexican-American who barely speaks Spanish and has been told I’m “too whitewashed” to be considered Mexican, I’ve often found myself caught between two worlds because I am also considered too Mexican to be American, which doesn’t make sense to me. I’m not fully embraced by either American or Mexican culture. Hispanic Heritage Month being celebrated between the middle of September and early October is a perfect analogy for what it feels like to be in these two worlds.
To me, Hispanic Heritage Month is a reminder that I don’t fit in one identity. But now that I know it exists, I will do my best to promote the month because it gives us the space to honor our past, reflect on our present and carve out a future where our stories are celebrated.
