By Bonnie and Bill Neely
Each year from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 we in the United States celebrate the contributions made to this county by Hispanic people. When it began in 1968 the observance was called Hispanic Heritage Week, but in 1988 it was officially expanded to one month. In 2021 President Biden made a proclamation stating, "National Hispanic Heritage Month is an important reminder of how much strength we draw as a Nation from our immigrant roots and our values as a Nation of immigrants," a reminder that most of us have immigrant roots and that someone in our past had to struggle to get to the United States and become a citizen."
Nationwide celebrations and activities include festivals, art shows, conferences, community gatherings and much more. We attended our first such celebration in Greenville, South Carolina, in 2022. The festival beautifully showcased such Latin American countries as Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Belize, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras and Spain.
This Hispanic Heritage Festival was presented by AHAM, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote higher education among high school students of Hispanic descent through educational scholarships in upstate South Carolina, and they will sponsor it again this year. Their goal is to raise money for educational opportunities for Hispanic students here.
The merriment included beautiful displays of items made in each home country, and some of them were for sale. Other artists demonstrated their handiwork, drawing and painting as the crowd looked on. Food booths and food trucks served up tasty foods from these countries, and there were also booths from colleges, businesses, attorneys, insurance agencies and other businesses that are willing to aid immigrants in their attempts to become citizens and beyond.
Visitors as well as local citizens clapped enthusiastically and moved to the music as dancers performed traditional dances. Mariachi band members in black suits and wide hats bedecked with silver ornaments played and sang. The performances concluded with a Parade of Nations.
Communities all over the country will be holding similar celebrations this autumn. We highly encourage you to find one and go.
WHEN YOU GO
To learn more about AHAM: www.ahamsc.org
To find a Hispanic Heritage Festival near you: www.sites.ed.gov/hispanic-initiative/national-hispanic-heritage-month
Bonnie Neely is the author of "Real Ventures: Did We Really Do That?" which is available at www.amazon.com. She and her husband Bill are freelance writers. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
A woman from Argentina displays her flag at the 2022 Hispanic Heritage Festival in Greenville, South Carolina. Photo courtesy of Bill Neely.
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