National Hispanic Heritage Month doesn’t take place until next fall. But after their successful Fiesta Friday in October in honor of the month, Kennedy High School organizers are still glowing over the success of the event.
Fiesta Friday was a celebration where students and teachers brought cultural foods that originated from Latin America, and supported small businesses like food trucks. There was also a talent show, music, and other activities. It was held Oct. 11 on the school campus in Richmond.
“I think that this year we were more organized. We had the support of the leadership class and we started planning things from last year,” said Hilda Cristina Huerta. She teaches Spanish for different grade levels at Kennedy High.
Huerta added that she “liked the fact [that] this year more than previous years we were able to showcase foods from other countries. Students can see the variety of countries that represent the Spanish-speaking community in the U.S.”
Moreover, “the one thing I thought that was really successful from this event was seeing community members coming together and celebrating,” Huerta said.
National Hispanic Heritage Month takes place Sept. 15 to Oct.15. This period coincides when several Central America and South America countries celebrate anniversaries of their independence.
In 1968, the U.S. Congress approved Public Law 90-48, which made Hispanic Heritage Month official. It started off with a week of celebration until President Ronald Reagan extended it to a month in 1988. It is intended to recognize Hispanic Americans’ many contributions to style, music sounds, instruments, food, languages, animals, traditions, and holidays. It also highlights many Latino figures and movements such as Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, La Raza, and the Chicano Movement.
The month shows how Latino cultures and traditions have crossed over the border with other ethnicities and acknowledges countries that don’t normally get mentioned.
Janelle Galvez Mejia is a 9th grader at Kennedy High School in Richmond. An earlier version of this story originally appeared in the Daily Eagle school newspaper.