Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month presents an opportunity for the LRC to explore the significance of Hispanic Americans in legal history. Check out the resources on this page for a sampling of the great resources about this topic online and in the LRC's collection. 

In this Oct. 13, 2019, file photo, participants march down 5th Avenue in New York holding flags of nations of hispanic
heritage during the 55th Hispanic Day Parade in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month; credit: NBCUniversal Media.

Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. The celebration starts mid-month to celebrate the anniversaries of for the Latin American countries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua on Sept. 15, as well as Mexico’s independence on September 16, and Chile's on Sept. 18.  Many Spanish-speaking countries also celebrate Día de la Raza (known elsewhere as Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day) on Oct. 11 which celebrates the Hispanic heritage of Latin America and honors many of the traditions and cultures that were wiped out because of Columbus’ colonization.

• Latino Americans (PBS six-hour documentary series, 2013) - Premiering in 2013, The Latino Americans was the first major documentary series for television to chronicle the rich and varied history and experiences of Latinos, who have helped shape North America over the last 500-plus years and have become, with more than 50 million people, the largest minority group in the U.S.
• National Hispanic Heritage Month
• ABA: Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month 
• PBS Specials: Hispanic American Heritage Month
• Latino USA (NPR, podcast) - Hosted by Maria Hinojosa, NPR’s Latino USA podcast is the longest-running Latino-focused program on U.S. public media. Each episode offers insight into the lived experiences of Latino communities and is a look at the current and merging cultural, political and social ideas impacting Latinos and the nation.