Hispanic Heritage Month started back in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988. Unlike other “national months”, Hispanic Heritage Month doesn't occur on a calendar month, but rather a 30-day period from September 15th to October 15th. This is because the date of September 15 is significant in the Hispanic community, being the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. So much to celebrate! The theme for 2022 is "Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation."
Greensboro has a vibrant Hispanic community, made up of people from many different countries from the Spanish-speaking world, including Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, and more. There are many different individual local cultures within the larger Latin culture that can be explored – the foods, language dialects, traditions, fashion – it's all good, and learning about it is fun and exciting!
Here are some upcoming events for Hispanic Heritage Month:
Saturday, September 24th
The Hemphill Branch of the Greensboro Public Library is hosting Unleash Your Hope, a LatinX Art Show from 3-5 pm, Saturday, September 24, 2301 W. Vandalia Rd. Sponsored by the Café con Libros Bilingual Book and Conversation Club the art show will feature works by noted artists Lina Fernández Giraldo of Greensboro and Gabriela Costas of Winston Salem, along with other LatinX artists from the Triad and North Carolina. https://www.greensboroartshub.com/event/visual-arts/hispanic-heritage-month-art-show/
CELEBRATION: Hispanic Heritage Month at Lebauer Park, downtown Greensboro – 6-8pm. This is a special and FREE event, to take place before the Mariachi Cobre concert with the Greensboro Symphony in Greensboro. https://www.facebook.com/events/324395643210932/
Mariachi Cobre and the Greensboro Symphony at the Tanger Performing Arts Center
Doors
open: 7pm
Showtime: 8pm
Greensboro Symphony
Orchestra
Michelle Merrill, conductor
Mariachi Cobre
Tickets start at $35 https://www.ticketmaster.com/mariachi-cobre-and-the-greensboro-symphony-greensboro-north-carolina-09-24-2022/event/2D005CDEB69234E0
Tuesday, September 27th
¡Descubra su herencia! Genealogy for Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month
Date:09/27/2022 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Location:Central Library
219 N. Church St.
Greensboro, North Carolina 27401
Cost: Free
Join us to explore resources to research your family genealogy. We will use Ancestry and other databases tailored to families of Hispanic/Latinx heritage. Instruction will be in English with assistance in Spanish if needed.
Space is limited and registration is required. For more information or to register, please email Beth Bowles, or call 336-373-7605.
https://www.greensboro-nc.gov/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/79154/23
Also,
check out Casa
Azul of Greensboro, Supporting
Latino Arts and Culture
https://casaazulgreensboro.org/
In
case you're wondering whether the terms “Hispanic” and “Latin
American” are interchangeable, they're actually not, although they
overlap a lot. Hispanic people are those whose native language
is Spanish, so that includes people from Europe as well as people
from the Americas. It doesn't include people from Brazil, though,
because Brazilians speak Portuguese. Latin American refers to
people from the countries in North and South America whose language
is derived from Latin – Spanish and Portuguese, but also French (so
French-speaking nations like Haiti and French Guiana are part of
Latin America). It goes all the way from Mexico in North America to
the tip of the South American continent, including islands such as
the Dominican Republic and Ecuador. This time, Brazil is included, as
Portuguese is derived from Latin.
Now, come on out and enjoy learning about culture - it never hurts to be more unidos (united)!
You can also find What's Good in Greensbroro? on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Whats-Good-in-Greensboro-848569635208317/ . See you there!
Image credit: https://www.pexels.com/photo/women-of-different-ages-dancing-in-traditional-costume-13347450/
