Hispanic Heritage Month
By: Nancy | October 09, 2008 | Category: General
I had no idea that it's been around for two decades already, but this is the 20th anniversary of National Hispanic Heritage Month. My life is filled with friends and coworkers who have been really generous in teaching me about the differences and similarities in their experiences as Americans with Mexican, Puerto Rican, South and Central American backgrounds. In celebration of them, I wanted to share with you some favorite National Hispanic Heritage Month websites:
Headed up by the Library of Congress, a group of government agencies created the National Hispanic Heritage Month homepage. It's filled with images and stories of Hispanic culture, politics and life in the US.
Each year, the National Register of Historic Places features historic properties, national parks and trails that are important to Hispanic history in America.
Some health issues affect everybody about equally, regardless of who you are or where your ancestors come from. And some health problems are more common in certain ethnic groups. The Medline Plus website from the National Institutes of Health has a great section on health issues that affect the Hispanic community.
My go-to place for numbers, the Census Bureau, has National Hispanic Heritage Month stats and facts about the Hispanic experience in the United States.
Even if you can't get to Washington, DC to visit in person, the Smithsonian Latino Center has a website filled with colorful art and engaging history exhibits.
The Information Please Almanac people have their own National Hispanic Heritage Month page with quizzes, a list of notable Hispanic Americans, a collection of American English words with Spanish origins and a lot more.
I'm a foodie, and I love eating—and trying to cook—foods with a Latino flavor. From plantains to paella, quesadillas to empanadas, they're all covered here, and categorized by country.
My favorite Hispanic website is created just a few doors down the hall from my office. GobiernoUSA.gov is the government's official web portal filled with links to the government's online resources in Spanish. The site isn't just a translation of its sister site, USA.gov. It features unique resources created especially for the Hispanic community, whether you're new to the U.S., just visiting, or you're running your own business.
I get
to work on the production of GobiernoUSA.gov's public service ads. It's helped me remember a lot of the Spanish I thought I lost between here and high school. And it's given me an even greater appreciation for the creativity and the spirit of America's Latino community.
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I am very proud of my Hispanic Heritage and welcome communication from other career diplomats such as myself, who would like to discuss ways to further promote hispanic culture around the world.
my email: roberto.torres@corpsdiplomatique.cd
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