Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month 

United: Inclusivity for a Stronger UG2

Let’s celebrate! September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month. This serves as a time to honor the culture, history, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino/a or Latinx Americans. Hispanic heritage is a rich and widely diverse subject with many different layers. Plus, did you know that the U.S. Hispanic population is this country’s largest minority? 

First, let’s go over some definitions. 

Hispanic refers to a person who is from or is a descendant of a Spanish-speaking country. Latino/a or Latinx refers to someone who is from or is a descendant of a country in Latin America.  

Officially, Hispanic heritage recognition actually only started as a week-long observance.   The celebration was first introduced in June of 1968 by Congressman George E. Brown. With the Civil Rights Movement in full swing, more Americans began to recognize the numerous multicultural groups in the United States, including the country’s Hispanic population. Hispanic Heritage Week was brought to a national scale the same year by President Lyndon B. Johnson. It was not for 20 more years until the week was extended to a 30-day celebration under President Ronald Reagan. It was enacted into American law under Public Law 100-402 on August 17, 1988. 

So, you might be wondering why the celebration does not begin on the first of the calendar month. Well, September 15 serves as an important date for many Latino cultures. It is the independence anniversary of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Chile and Mexico’s independence days as well as Día de la Raza (Columbus Day) also fall during the month. 

UG2 relishes the celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month each year.

This year’s theme—Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation—is particularly fitting for our organization and mission. Diversity, Equity, and inclusion is a part of our core values: “Our employees’ breadth of ethnicities, backgrounds, languages, and identities make for a diverse culture that is one of the most enriching, robust aspects of UG2.” 

We are thrilled to again join the effort to honor and promote the history, culture, and contributions of Hispanic Americans. Inspired by the theme of National Hispanic Heritage Month 2022, we have adapted the theme United: Inclusivity for a Stronger UG2 to capture and celebrate the ways our diverse workforce has made for a stronger foundation since UG2’s inception.  

Every day, in all we do, we benefit from the contributions of a diverse community of employees nationwide who take tremendous pride in their Hispanic heritage. These employees are part of the fabric of our organization, and we are grateful to have the benefit of a wide range of perspectives, experiences, skills, and talents.  

Our philanthropic efforts from coast to coast include support for organizations that help our Spanish speaking employees with everything from English-as-a-foreign-language classes to professional development, civic and business education. UG2 is proud to support a breadth of organizations that support Hispanic communities like  English for New Bostonians which recognizes ESOL leadership in businesses and the community 

Internally, the UG2 family supports our employees with robust training, professional development and leadership opportunities and an emphasis on promoting from within. We are committed to continuing to honor the countless contributions of our Hispanic American employees with a warm and welcoming workplace that invites our employees to share their culture and traditions.