Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month by Honoring Hispanic Nonprofit Leaders

Yesterday was the first day of National Hispanic Heritage Month, which is observed every year from September 15 to October 15. According to the official website:

The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15.

The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September18, respectively. Also, Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, which is October 12, falls within this 30 day period.

Each year also has a different theme of celebration. This year’s theme is quite fitting for what I blog about here:

“Heritage, Diversity, Integrity and Honor: The Renewed Hope of America”

So this year, I’m excited to have the opportunity to once again be profiling the leadership stories of many amazing Hispanic nonprofit leaders who are making a difference in our sector and indeed, in our world.

2009 Interviews

I want to kick off the celebration here by showcasing the interviews I conducted last year with four Hispanic nonprofit leaders:

Hispanics in Philanthropy

I also want to highlight an important affinity group that supports Hispanic nonprofit leaders: Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP). HIP’s mission is to strengthen Latino communities by increasing resources for the Latino and Latin American civil sector; by increasing Latino participation and leadership throughout the field of philanthropy; and to foster policy change to enhance equity and inclusiveness.

HIP also publishes a fantastic monthly e-newsletter, HIP Headlines. The newsletter is sent to funders, grantees, members and others in HIP’s network across the U.S. and Latin America each month. HIP Headlines keeps HIP’s network informed of its work and of important issues effecting Latinos in the field of philanthropy. Sign up for HIP’s monthly newsletter here.

Stay tuned all this month for lots of interviews with inspiring Hispanic leaders from all corners of the nonprofit world as we celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month right here on rosettathurman.com!