September 15 to October 15
National Hispanic Heritage Month
Latinos: Driving Prosperity, Power, and Progress in America,
Initiated in 1968 under President Lyndon Johnson and expanded into law in 1988 during President Ronald Reagan’s administration, this 30-day period celebrates the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.
Hispanic and Latino Americans are the largest ethnic minority in the United States, comprising 18.9% of the population, and the fastest-growing racial and ethnic group in the U.S.
In Florida, 26% of the populace is Hispanic or Latino (U.S. Census Bureau). Also in Florida, 20.5% of the eligible voters are Latino (according to the Pew research Center, 2022), which is higher than the national average by 6%.
A very diverse group in terms of ancestry, Floridians of Cuban descent represent the single largest Latino ancestry group (28%), while Puerto Ricans (21%), South Americans (18%), Mexicans (14%), and Dominicans (4%) round out the top 5 groups by origin. In contrast, nationally, Latinos are majority Mexican (62%).
The Hispanic population in Florida is younger compared to the rest of those living in the State, with a median age of 35 vs 42. Almost a quarter of Florida Latinos are college educated, slightly higher than the national average, with Latino women completing more bachelor’s degrees then Latino men.
Nationally, nearly one of every 10 voters was Latino in November 2022, a steadily upward trend. In Florida, Hispanics comprise 17% of registered voters—nearly 476,000 voters in 2020.
https://hispanicheritagemonth.gov/about.html
https://www.archives.gov/news/topics/hispanic-heritage-month
https://www.census.gov/newsroom/stories/hispanic-heritage-month.html
https://latino.ucla.edu/research/15-facts-latinos-florida/
See theme graphic on next page, obtained from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/our-2023-hispanic-heritage-month-toolkit-ready-claudia-romo-edelman
PBS is airing multiple programs in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. The listings can be found at: https://www.pbs.org/articles/celebrate-hispanic-heritage-month/?gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwl8anBhCFARIsAKbbpyR2WQQFsTQx42UmoUfKGQgvKmckqaRZaPa5WdrEX2J3it0gc5PIbpgaArzVEALw_wcB