September 21, 2020

Hispanic Heritage Month is an official celebration of American citizens whose ancestry can be traced back to Spain, Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean.

Over the course of the month we are going to spotlight some of our Hispanic team members making an impact at TriHealth and on our community. We’ll finish the month with a special Hispanic Heritage Town Hall on October 20th at 12pm, livestreamed on Facebook and Bridge. This next DEI Town Hall conversation will feature a panel of Hispanic leaders, physicians, and community members sharing their experiences and stories - be sure to tune in! 

Hispanic Heritage Month is Celebrated

• The celebration starts in the middle of September, as opposed to the end, because the 15th marks the independence days of five Latin America countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico, Chile, and Belize follow shortly after, on the 16th, 18th and 21^st, respectively.
• September 15^th - October 15^th the four weeks is dedicated to the celebration of being Hispanic.

Who Celebrates

Hispanic Heritage Month “pays tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society.” Hispanic American men and women embody the American values of devotion to faith and family, hard work, and patriotism through their countless contributions as leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, and members of our Armed Forces.

We Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

• Hispanics or Latinos have contributed to American life since the American Revolution, fighting in every war since then.
• Latinos today continue to advance communities across the country as small business owners, veterans, teachers, and public servants, among many other professions.
• Hispanic Heritage Month allows us to recognize their achievements and contributions to our national story.

The Observance Started

• U.S. Congressmen Edward R. Roybal of Los Angeles and Henry B. Gonzales were among those who introduced legislation on the topic in 1968. President Lyndon Johnson implemented the observance as Hispanic Heritage Week that year.
• President Ronald Reagan implemented the expansion to Hispanic Heritage Month. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988.

Culture

• As a strong relationship-based culture, Hispanic Americans tend to live close-by to family and friends. Therefore, 7 cities in the USA have close to half of all Hispanics in the country, and 10 states have more than one million Hispanics each.  This is an extension of the friendly concept “MI CASA ES SU CASA” - “MY HOME IS YOUR HOME”.
• Hispanic Americans value personal and warm communications. Expressive direct and non-direct ways of communications are very important.  In this COVID-19 pandemic situation there is greater value even more on checking-in via text messages and WhatsApp on family or friends’ groups.
• Respect for authority!  Hispanic Americans strongly respect their elders!  This includes grandparents, older relatives, religious, civil and union leaders, teachers, etc.  There is also great respect for hierarchical organizational structures.
• Hispanic Americans are “optimist”.  There is a strong belief about the work-hard mentality.  This is inspired by a strong desire that the next future generations will have an easier life than this current generation.  This is demonstrated by the fact that, as of 2019, there are more than 4.4 million Hispanic-owned businesses in the country.

This Is the Fastest-Growing Group in American Society 

• In 2019 there were 60 million Hispanics in the country or approximately 19% of the USA population. This is by far the largest minority group in the country, with a median age of 29.5 years.
• In the greater Cincinnati region, the Hispanic population is approximately 60,000 people strong. This vibrant population offers a workforce in the entire spectrum of job possibilities; from seasoned professionals across all industry sectors to recent college graduates, as well as people that do hard physically demanding jobs.

Celebremos nuestras raices! Felicidades.
Posted by: Marta Perez on September 23, 2020
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Feliz día de la independencia
Posted by: Mardia Shands on September 21, 2020
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