Norfolk District to celebrate America's cultural diversity

Posted September 9, 2010
By Jerry Rogers
Norfolk District Public Affairs

09/09/2010 - Norfolk District salutes Hispanic American Heritage Month with a special celebration Wednesday, Sept. 15, at 1:30 p.m., in the multipurpose room of the Waterfield Building.

Luis A. Rivera, an educator and former TV news reporter, is the featured guest speaker.

Hispanic American Heritage Month, Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, with its theme, "Heritage, Diversity, Integrity and Honor," recognizes the contributions of Hispanic Americans to the United States, as well as a celebration of Hispanic heritage and culture.

The observation started as Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968, under President Lyndon B. Johnson. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan expanded the celebration to cover a 30-day period.

September 15 is the starting point for the celebration because it is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Each country declared its independence in 1821. In addition, Mexico, Chile and Belize celebrate their independence on Sept. 16, 18 and 21, respectively.

The term Hispanic, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, refers to Spanish-speaking people in the United States of any race. The estimated Hispanic population of the United States as of July 1, 2009, was 48.4 million, making people of Hispanic origin the nation's largest ethnic or race minority. Hispanics constituted 16 percent of the nation's total population. In addition, there are approximately 4 million residents of Puerto Rico, a Caribbean U.S. territory.