What is Hispanic Heritage Month and why is it celebrated? Each year, American’s observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

Hispanic people who made history

Jovita Idar
As the proverb goes, when you educate a woman, you educate a family. Jovita Idar believed that wholeheartedly. While working at her father’s newspaper, La Cronica, she used the platform to speak out against racism and in support of women’s and Mexican-Americans rights. After writing an article condemning Woodrow Wilson’s decision to send U.S Troops to the border, The Texas Rangers show up at her door to shut down the paper. But she refused to let them in, literally putting her body between them and the door, and they left. Although the rangers eventually succeeded in shutting down the paper, Idar continued to stand up for women and Mexican-Amerians her entire life, Idar died in San Antonio in 1946.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Sworn into office at the age of 29, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the youngest woman to ever be elected to congress, and her win was a historic victory for women in government, particularly women of color. Representing New York’s 14th Congressional district, Ocasio-Cortez is originally from the Bronx and is of Puerto Rican descent. Along with Senator Ed Markey, Ocasico-Cortez sponsored a bill known widely as the green new deal, aimed at addressing climate change and creating economic prosperity through environmentally sustainable jobs.

Emma Gonazalez
Emma Gonzalez was only 18 years old when 17 of her fellow classmates were killed in a school shooting at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2017. The experience caused several of the students to become outspoken advocates for gun law reform and they took their cause to social media and organized the march for our lives event in 2018. A Latina American of Cuban descent, Gonzalez gave a powerful speech before hundreds of thousands of attendees and criticized politician for their lack of action on gun law reform, repeating the words, “we call B.S.” She then stood in silence for a tearful and heart-wrenching six minutes and 20 seconds to mark the time of the parkland murderer’s shooting spree.

Ellen Ochoa
Born in Los Angeles raised in La Mesa, California, Ellen Ochoa, Ph. D, was the first Hispanic woman in space. After earning her doctorate in engineering from Stanford University, Ochoa joined NASA in 1988 as a research engineer and was selected to be an astronaut in 1990. Her first mission in space was aboard the Shuttle Discovery in 1993. She went out to serve three more missions, spending almost 1,000 hours in orbit. She was the 11th director of the Johnson Space Center and the center’s first Hispanic Director.
These women are some of many people who have helped earth in many different ways. This Hispanic Heritage Month we focused on the newer Hispanic people learning and showing newer ways to help change the world and make it more equal.