Introduction
This fact sheet is designed to assist congressional offices with work related to National Hispanic Heritage Month, which is observed from September 15 to October 15. It contains links to census and demographic information, a CRS report, sample speeches and remarks from the Congressional Record, and presidential proclamations. It also contains links to additional cultural and historical resources and selected educational, cultural, and advocacy organizations.
National Hispanic Heritage Month started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson, and it was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day annual period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988.
P.L. 90-498. Authorized and requested the President to proclaim annually the week including September 15 and 16 as National Hispanic Heritage Week (82 Stat. 848; September 17, 1968).
P.L. 100-402. Amended P.L. 90-498 to provide for the designation of National Hispanic Heritage Month (102 Stat. 1012; August 17, 1988).
P.L. 105-225, §126. Requested that the President issue a yearly proclamation designating September 15 through October 15 as National Hispanic Heritage Month (112 Stat. 1259; August 12, 1998). The commemorative observance is codified in 36 U.S.C. 126.
In recent years, the Senate has passed resolutions recognizing National Hispanic Heritage Month:
CRS Report R47470, Membership of the 118th Congress: A Profile, by Jennifer E. Manning. The report provides a demographic profile of current Members of Congress, including the number of Hispanic and Latino Members, by gender and party.
U.S. House of Representatives, Hispanic Americans in Congress. From the Office of the Historian and the Clerk of the House's Office of Art and Archives, this website, based on the book Hispanic Americans in Congress, 1822–2012, contains profiles of former and current Hispanic Members of Congress, essays, images, and photos.
Two congressional caucus groups seek to advance and protect the interests of Hispanic Members of Congress. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus was founded in 1976, and the Congressional Hispanic Conference was formed in 2003. Historically, caucus participation was unified by cultural priorities and was mostly nonpartisan; in more recent years there may be some more correlation with political affiliation.
Selected Speeches and Recognitions
Members of Congress often make floor statements, issue press releases, or enter Extensions of Remarks into the Congressional Record to recognize federal holidays and observances. The following are some recent examples of such statements.
Representative Jason Crow, "Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month," Extensions of Remarks, Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 168, no. 163 (October 14, 2022), pp. E1045-E1046
Representative Dan Newhouse, "National Hispanic Heritage Month," Extensions of Remarks, Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 168, no. 159 (September 30, 2022), p. E1005
Senator Richard Durbin, "Hispanic Heritage Month," remarks in the Senate, Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 168, no. 157 (September 28, 2022), pp. S5170-S5171
Representative Tony Cardenas, "Hispanic Heritage Month," remarks in the House, Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 168, no. 151 (September 20, 2022), p. H7975
Representative Don Bacon, "National Hispanic Heritage Month," remarks in the House, Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 168, no. 148 (September 14, 2022), p. H7792
Senator Benjamin L. Cardin, "Hispanic Heritage Month," remarks in the Senate, Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 167, no. 177 (October 7, 2021), pp. S6995-S6996
Senator John Cornyn, "Hispanic Heritage Month," remarks in the Senate, Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 166, no. 166 (September 24, 2020), pp. S5848-S5849
One of the many uses of a presidential proclamation is to ceremoniously honor a group or call attention to certain issues or events. Some recent proclamations commemorating Hispanic Heritage Month from the Compilation of Presidential Documents include the following:
Presidential proclamations and remarks from 1993 to the present are available through the govinfo service on the Government Publishing Office website. Earlier remarks are available through The American Presidency Project, established by the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Many federal agencies and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) maintain statistics on Hispanics, including the following:
U.S. Census Bureau, Facts for Features, Hispanic Heritage Month 2023. Quick statistics on population, states and counties, businesses, families and children, language, income, poverty, health insurance, education, jobs, voting, and national service.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health, Profile: Hispanic/Latino Americans. Broad profiles on language, education, income and employment, insurance coverage, and health.
Pew Research Center, Key Facts About U.S. Latinos for National Hispanic Heritage Month. Interactive statistical profiles of the Latino population in the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on Pew Research Center tabulations of the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), the Current Population Survey, and the U.S. Decennial Census.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health of Hispanic or Latino Population. Information and statistics on health issues from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics.
Cultural and Advocacy Organizations
Many other resources provide information on the history and culture of Hispanic Heritage Month.
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI). Internships, fellowships, scholarships, and educational publications and resources.
Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino. Exhibitions, research, collections, and educational programs promoting Latino heritage and culture in the United States.
League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). An advocacy group that "advances the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, health and civil rights of Hispanic Americans through community-based programs."
UNIDOS US. A national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy group (formerly NCLR) that provides a Latino perspective in seven key areas: assets and investments, civil rights and criminal justice, education, employment and economic status, health, immigration, voting, and youth.
Educational, Historical and Cultural Resources
Numerous government and other organization resources provide information on the history and culture of Hispanic Heritage Month. Some of these include the following:
National Hispanic Heritage Month. Provides images, collections, and audio and video on topics such as Spanish missions, Hispanic veterans, history, and art. This is a collaborative project of the Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, and U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
National Geographic, "National Hispanic and Latin American Heritage Month." Celebrates the history, contributions, influence, and accomplishments of Hispanic, Latino, Latina, and Latinx people in the United States through educational resources.
Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino, "Hispanic Heritage Month Resources." Exhibitions, research, collections, and educational programs promoting Latino heritage and culture in the United States.
Library of Congress, Hispanic Reading Room. Serves as the primary access point for research relating to parts of the world encompassing the geographical areas of the Caribbean, Latin America, and Iberia; the indigenous cultures of those areas; and peoples throughout the world historically influenced by Luso-Hispanic heritage, including Latinos in the United States and people of Portuguese or Spanish heritage in Africa, Asia, and Oceania.
National Park Service, "National Register of Historic Places Program: National Hispanic Heritage Month." Highlights several locations that exemplify Hispanic culture and achievement, including the Lamesa Farm Workers Community Historic District in western Texas.
U.S. Department of Education, "National Hispanic Heritage Month." Provides links to a range of federal agencies observing National Hispanic Heritage Month.
Smithsonian Insider, "Latino Experience is in Focus at African American History and Culture Museum." An interview with Ariana Curtis, the curator of Latino studies at the Smithsonian African American History and Culture Museum. It includes an introduction to the term Afro-Latino.