Honoring Hispanic Heritage: Voice Of The Township
We are celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month which falls in an unusual time frame on the calendar: from September 15th to October 15th. First signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson in 1968 was Hispanic Heritage Week which took place in the week that included both September 15th and 16th. In 1988, the commemorative week was expanded to a month, and that was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan. Since 1989, all Presidents have given a Presidential Proclamation to mark Hispanic Heritage Month.
September 15th was chosen as the starting point for the commemoration because it is the anniversary of the Cry of Dolores. On September 15, 1810 in Dolores, Mexico, Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rang the church bell giving the call to arms that started the Mexican War of Independence. The Cry of Dolores is known by the locals as “El Grito de Independencia” –The Independence Cry.
Every year on the eve of Independence Day, the President of Mexico re-enacts the cry from the balcony of the National Palace in Mexico City, while ringing the same bell Hidalgo used in 1810. During the patriotic speech, the president calls out the names of the fallen heroes who died during the War of Independence and he ends the speech by shouting “Viva Mexico!” three times followed by the Mexican National Anthem.
September 16th, the day after the Cry of Dolores anniversary, marks the start of the Mexican War of Independence which resulted, eleven years later in 1821, in independence from the Spanish Empire for the New Spain Colony (now Mexico and the Central American nations of Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Nicaragua) which became the Federal Republic of Central America. The 30-day period also includes many dates of importance in the Hispanic community: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua celebrate their anniversary of independence on September 15th; Mexico commemorates its independence on September 16th, Chile commemorates its independence on September 18th; and Día de la Raza (Race Day) is celebrated on October 12, recognizing the mixed indigenous and European heritage of Mexico—the mestizo character of its population—because many Mexicans object to honoring the controversial explorer and conqueror Christopher Columbus.
Here at the Wayne Township Trustee Office we proudly join in celebrating the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States commemorated during National Hispanic Heritage Month.
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