Today’s episode is a bit on the informative side, but for good reasons. On this show, as you can tell, we’re proud to be Latino, Latina, Latin, Hispanic, LatinX, Latine, whatever! (We’re gonna use Latino and Hispanic interchangeably just to make it easier but we recognize that there are nuances and individuals can identify differently). As Boricuas we have a lot in common with our Spanish-speaking sisters and brothers around the world, and we’re being celebrated and acknowledged during the month between September 15 and October 15.
We’ll take you through a bit of history and why those specific dates, and give you some ideas of how you can celebrate whether you’re Hispanic or not! Because our show focuses on Puerto Rican culture, we will spotlight Puerto Rican people and events, not to exclude anyone or favor anyone, but because there are so many countries and notable Latinos that we would be here forever.
First a few stats (we’ll link to where we got these in the show notes).
Did you know that Latinos are the largest ethnicity in the United States? Mexicans are the largest group, followed by Puerto Ricans.
To be more specific. As of January 1st, 2023, the total population of the United States was 334,233,854.
As of July 2022, there were 63.7 million Latinos in the United States. That’s technically 19% of the total population.
As for Puerto Ricans, the last population stat we could find was from 2021, and it fluctuates by several thousand each year because we go back and forth between the island and the mainland. But to give you a general idea, in 2021 there were 5.8 million Puerto Ricans living in the United States. This included people who were born in Puerto Rico as well as people like us who were born in the US but whose family is from Puerto Rico. This represents 9% of the U.S. Hispanic population. On the island itself there are around 3.3 million residents (yes, more Boricuas in the 50 states than in Puerto Rico itself. That’s due to a number of reasons we aren’t able to get into here because it’s beyond the scope of the episode). Anyway, if you add both populations, 5.8 plus 3.3 million, that’s now 9.1 million which is 14 percent of the US Hispanic population.
One more fun bit of info. As of 2021, there were 13 states with a population of one million or more Hispanic residents. I’m only surprised at two of these. The 13 states are: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina (wow – Northeast takeover LOL!), Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington (oh wow how on earth did we find ourselves in the PNW?). The median age is 30.7 years young.
Between 1990 and 2009, Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama issued annual proclamations for National Hispanic Heritage Month. This year, President Biden’s White House also issued a formal proclamation, and called for “all Americans to observe this month with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs that celebrate Hispanic heritage and recognize the impact Hispanic peoples have had on our Nation.”
Many government organizations make efforts to highlight Latin Americans in their respective areas. Just to name a few, the Library of Congress, the National Gallery of Art, the National Park Service, and the Smithsonian, among others, provide a lot of information online, spotlight contributions of Latin Americans in diverse fields, and commemorate prominent Latinos (for example, the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum issued a Tito Puente stamp in 2011). They also sponsor a number of events such as film screenings, poetry readings, museum tours, cultural festivals, and workshops. Some of the in-person events are also streamed or published online. We will include links to various resources if you’re interested in checking these out.
The theme for 2023 is “Todos Somos, Somos Uno: We Are All, We Are One.”
So what can you do to celebrate? Here are some ideas, courtesy of Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino. We’ll give a couple of examples where applicable for Puerto Rico, but please do check out all the other countries if you can, especially any you’re unfamiliar with!
1. Latino Culture: Learn about the diverse Latino culture and how it has contributed to the society and culture of the United States. From Roberto Clemente to Bad Bunny, countless Puerto Ricans have influenced not only US culture but international culture!
2. Latin Independence Days: Learn about the different Independence Days across Latin America and how they are celebrated and honored each year. So this one doesn’t apply for Puerto Rico, but they have Constitution Day which is July 25th.
3. Latin Food: Explore Latino recipes and learn about special events that Latino dishes are a central part of. For Puerto Rico, check out mofongo, pasteles, and coquito at the very least!
4. Famous Latinos: Learn about famous Latinos and Latinas who have helped to shape the history and culture of the United States. Some you may know, like Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice. You can read her opinions online. Some you may not know, like Olga E. Custodio, born January 22, 1953, (she’s now 70) who was the first Latina US Military pilot. She served in the US Air Force for 24 years, and afterwards founded a production company and the Ballet Folklorico Borikèn.
5. Latino Art: Discover Latino artists who have used their unique experiences to help shape American culture through creative forms. For Puerto Rican musicians, think Willie Colon, Tito Puente, Marc Anthony, Ivy Queen, Olga Tanon and yes, Jennifer Lopez, still a hot, modern triple threat! In show business, check out the works of Benicio del Toro, Raul Julia, Aubrey Plaza, Rita Moreno. And in the art world, which I (Nancy) know nothing about, look up José Campeche, a master of the Rococo style of painting who lived from 1751-1809; Francisco Oller, who painted in the Impressionist style and lived from 1833-1917; and Miguel Pou (1880-1968), another impressionist who along with the previous gentlemen is considered one of the island’s greatest masters. For modern artists, I did a quick search and again art is not my forte, but these acclaimed artists popped up with some interesting art: Fernando Mora and Paola Zayas-Bazán among others.
https://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/
https://guides.loc.gov/latinx-studies/nhhm
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2023/09/14/a-proclamation-on-national-hispanic-heritage-month-2023/
https://www.census.gov/newsroom/facts-for-features/2023/hispanic-heritage-month.html
https://www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/fact-sheet/us-hispanics-facts-on-puerto-rican-origin-latinos/#:~:text=An%20estimated%205.8%20million%20Hispanics,Census%20Bureau's%20American%20Community%20Survey.
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/npscelebrates/hispanic-heritage-month.htm
https://www.si.edu/search?edan_q=Hispanic%2Bheritage&
https://www.si.edu/events/hispanic-heritage-month
https://latino.si.edu/hispanic-heritage-month
https://www.state.gov/hispanic-heritage-month-2023/
https://guides.loc.gov/supreme-court-nominations/sonia-sotomayor/
https://latino.si.edu/hispanic-heritage-month
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olga_E._Custodio#
https://learninglab.si.edu/news/top-8-reasons-why-and-how-we-celebrate-hispanic-heritage-month