Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated nationally from Sept. 15 – Oct. 15
Community leaders say there’s plenty to celebrate this Hispanic Heritage Month but urge people to support the community year around. The annual celebration of Hispanic and Latino culture, heritage and contributions runs Sept. 15 through Oct. 15.
“It’s also important in this political climate to give our culture and our people a positive spotlight, while so much of our administration is harmfully and wrongfully targeting our families,” said Walter Topete with Vamos Outdoors Project, adding that “it’s important for the broader community to stay informed on current events and the ways that local politicians are leaning in regard to these issues.”
Whatcom County has stood out as a hotspot for ICE activity, with the owner of a popular Bellingham coffee shop owner being the latest ICE detainee.
Cof& owner Oscar Quintero Frias was detained on the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport after visiting Chicago for work. Cof& serves specialty Columbian coffee and food, serving as a little corner of Colombia in Bellingham.
Quintero, who immigrated from Columbia to Bellingham with his wife and three children in 2021, is asking for the community’s help to support his business, family and legal fees while he remains detained.
“My greatest wish right now is to be reunited with my children and to have the opportunity to continue working, contributing to my community and building the life I have worked so hard for throughout these years,” reads a GoFundMe for Quintero.
Topete encouraged community members to volunteer with or support local organizations that are advocating for and supporting immigrant families at a time of increased ICE activity, such as Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network, Latino Advocacy & Leadership Association, A Watered Garden and C2C.
“Leaving your family, career and belongings behind in another country for a chance at a better life is not an easy decision for anyone, and we just try to make the transition more manageable with friendly faces that understand the struggle,” Topete said.
Community to Community Development, also known as C2C, is a grassroots organization focusing on immigrant and farmworker rights. Its leaders said that while the organization is not hosting any particular events relating to Hispanic Heritage Month, the Hispanic community deserves support year round.
“As a farmworker organization, we believe that cultural pride, awareness and empowerment should not be limited to one month, and we continue to celebrate and push for structural change throughout the year,” C2C member Ellen Torres wrote in a statement to Salish Current.
How to celebrate
Hispanic Heritage Month was first federally recognized with weeklong observance in 1968 and was then expanded in 1988. The month’s start date falls on a number of Latin American counties’ independence days, specifically Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Meanwhile, Mexico, Chile and Belize celebrate their independence days on Sept.16, 18 and 21, respectively.
The United States’ Latino population is over 60 million and makes up the largest racial or ethnic group, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Locally, the Hispanic population is 8.3% of San Juan County, 11.7% of Whatcom and 20.8% of Skagit — more than the statewide average of 15.5%.
Topete said Hispanic Heritage Month is also a chance to highlight the community in a way that contrasts much of the negative rhetoric surrounding immigrants.
“Hispanic Heritage Month is important because it’s an opportunity for there to be more avenues of conversation and discourse surrounding the complex challenges of being an immigrant,” Topete said. “And most importantly, it’s a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and uplift the beautiful and vibrant cultural impact of Hispanic and Latine communities.”
Vamos Outdoors Project — a nonprofit helping Latino, immigrant and multilingual kids in Whatcom and Skagit counties — held a market event celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month before the month officially kicked off on Sept. 15, as did a few other organizations. The organization will continue its regularly scheduled programming for youth and families including boating, biking and family camping.
The Bellingham Public Library is celebrating Latino heritage with a mix of book displays, reading lists, staff recommendations and digital archive of personal stories. The library also offers a variety of books, movies, music magazines and other materials in Spanish. Bellingham Library cards are free for individuals who live, work, own property or attend school in Bellingham or Whatcom County, while limited library access is available for anyone who lives in Washington state.
Western Washington University is celebrating the month with the theme “Fuerza es Unidad: Creciendo juntos, Uplifting Every Latine Experience.” Its offerings include:
- Third Annual La Bienvenida: A welcome reception that centers Latine communities and families
- Con Ganas Sin Miedo Photo Reception: An unveiling of a gallery from a photo series done last year by a WWU alumni. The photos will be housed in La Plaza
- La Plaza & WWU Athletics Collaboration for a soccer game, where many student clubs will be fundraising
- Connected Through Rice: A student-led celebration of the shared importance of food
- 3rd Annual Joteria Loteria Drag Show, a collaboration with La Plaza and LGBTQ+ Western.
- WWU Libraries event with New York Times best-selling author and illustrator Raúl The Third, whose work explores the modern Mexican-American experience.
—By Sydnee Chapman