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Today is the start of Latinx Heritage Month. This month corresponds with Mexican Independence Day, which is celebrated on September 16, and recognizes the revolution in 1810 that ended Spanish dictatorship.  Former President Ronald Reagan dubbed September 15-October 15 as National Hispanic Heritage Month in 1988. It’s meant to celebrate the history of Latinx culture in the U.S. Latin influences are seen all over the country and world.

As a whole we’re moving in the direction of better representation, which means understanding the difference in terms such as the use of “Hispanic” vs “Latinx”. Click here to learn more about these terms.

Please join in celebrating Latinx Heritage Month! This can be through some good reads, podcasts, or supporting Latinx business.  Here are some ideas:

Books

Dreamers By Yuyi Morales.  Kids book that  is a celebration of making your home with the things you always carry: your resilience, your dreams, your hopes and history. It’s the story of finding your way in a new place, of navigating an unfamiliar world and finding the best parts of it. In dark times, it’s a promise that you can make better tomorrows.

A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende. A novel spanning decades and crossing continents follows two young people as they flee the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War in search of a place to call home.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia. This book tells the story of the rise and fall, birth and death of the mythical town of Macondo through the history of the Buendia family. Inventive, amusing, magnetic, sad, and alive with unforgettable men and women—brimming with truth, compassion, and a lyrical magic that strikes the soul—this novel is a masterpiece in the art of fiction.

In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez.The voices of all four sisters–Minerva, Patria, María Teresa, and the survivor, Dedé–speak across the decades to tell their own stories. Through the art and magic of Julia Alvarez’s imagination, the martyred Butterflies live again in this novel of courage and love, and the human costs of political oppression.

I am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter By Erika L. Sánchez. A poignant but often laugh-out-loud funny contemporary YA about losing a sister and finding yourself amid the pressures, expectations, and stereotypes of growing up in a Mexican American home.

Podcasts 

Yea No, I’m Not OK (Host: Diane Guerrero from Orange is the New Black) is here to open up the conversation about mental health. Every week they explore issues that youth face all over the world (addiction, depression, anxiety, suicide, radical self love, and much much more) through conversations with friends, colleagues, activists, artists and health care professionals, all people who have gone through something life-changing and are now healing from it.

Latinx TalX (Host: Will Ortiz-Febus). “Through this podcast we aim to create a space where we can share who we are, where we are and how we got here. We also encourage LatinX individuals to be involved in their community, educate our audience against LatinX stereotypes in order to help understand our culture and assist in engaging LatinX culture in our every day surroundings.”

Websites

National Archives Hispanic Heritage Month Site   Discover documents, exhibits, films, blog posts and more from the National Archives and Presidential Libraries that highlight Hispanic culture.

Do you know someone struggling with feelings of depression or contemplating suicide.  Reach out to them and let them know you care.  And help them get connected to resources where they can get help. If you or someone you love is struggling, it is ok to ask for help.