Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month(s)

There are many misnomers about what we call Hispanic Heritage Month. For one, it doesn’t mark the celebration of Mexican heritage only, but all Latin American countries across the world. Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Salvador, Uruguay and Venezuela are included.

Second, the term Hispanic is not accepted by all communities, and so the word “Hispanic” is often dropped in favor of Latino/a/e/x instead. Latino being a culture and people that is more widely accepted by those whose families and origins come from all over North, Central, South America and parts of the Caribbean.

Finally, Hispanic Heritage Month doesn’t take place in one month, but spans over two months, from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. This was intentional, as the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month coincides with the national independence days in many Latin American countries such as Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, each of whom celebrates their independence day on Sept. 15. Mexico celebrates its independence day on Sept. 16, Chile on Sept. 18 and Belize on Sept. 21.

This month ABIDE (Asante Belonging, Inclusion, Diversity and Equity) would like to recognize and honor Hispanic/Latino/a/e/x Heritage Month. We would like to celebrate all the staff who identify as Hispanic/Latino and their contributions to our organization.

We also would like to celebrate the work and dedication of our Medical Interpretive Services team who works tirelessly to provide interpretive services for our patients who speak Spanish and other non-English languages.

In addition, ABIDE is excited to be a part of the Multicultural Fair on Saturday, Sept. 30 at Pear Blossom Park. Please stop by the Asante booth to visit, chat or spin the wheel for fun prizes. The Asante Pharmacy team will be on hand to provide our community with Brown Bag sessions.