National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated every year from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, and to celebrate its fifty-seventh anniversary, families are celebrating their cultures and histories of their past relatives who came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. 

In 1968, during the Chicano Movement and push for cultural recognition in America, President Lyndon B. Johnson established a seven-day period for Hispanic Heritage Week. Eventually, under President Ronald Regan, it was expanded into 30 days spanning from mid-September to mid-October. 

The celebration starts on Sept. 15 because in many Spanish-speaking countries, that day represents when many countries gained independence, including Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Nicaragua.

Some ways people celebrate their Spanish heritage is by listening to Spanish music, attending festivals or parades, cooking Spanish foods, and spending time with their loved ones. 

For people who aren’t of Latin descent, there are still ways to celebrate and recognize National Hispanic Heritage Month. 

Activities such as reading Spanish literature to gain insight into the culture and history, watching movies, or looking at art always helps one gain a new perspective of Hispanic heritage. Another way to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month is to support local Latin businesses. 

This year, it has been especially hard for many cities to host celebrations for Hispanic Heritage Month. According to the Associated Press, some hosts were afraid to put together any gathering following President Donald Trump’s executive orders about immigration, particularly about the Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids targeting people who may be undocumented.  

Recently, the fear of ICE raids in public places has caused a Mexican independent festival in Chicago to be postponed due to the risk of a raid during the festivities. 

Students on campus expressed their frustration with the recent events. One student, senior Michael Zeeb, expressed how disappointed he is over the recent events.

“It’s really sad that we came to the point that this is a thing that people have to be afraid of,” Zeeb said.

Other students like senior David Ani, have also shared their opinion, pointing out the unfairness and discrimination that is happening in America.

“I think that it’s very unfortunate that they can’t hold the Hispanic heritage festivals because of the fear of ICE, and I think they need to rethink the Supreme Court’s decision on deportation because it’s racially discriminatory and basically denies Hispanics the rights to their culture,” Ani said.

Ani proceeded to explain why he feels what ICE is doing right now is unconstitutional.

“It’s also unconstitutional and violates one of the main themes of the Declaration of Independence, which is freedom,” Ani said.

Despite the fear, Hispanic heritage remains a symbol of tradition and strength not only in Latin countries but also in the United States.