Hispanic Heritage Month:A Commentary for the Church

The month of October has plenty of things to celebrate or to observe: Columbus Day, World Communion Sunday, Protestant Heritage Sunday, Halloween, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Clergy Appreciation Month, Cookie Month, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Lupus Awareness Month, National Diabetes Month, etc. But as we move forward in our ministry to the community, I would like to highlight Hispanic Heritage Month, which as many of you know is a celebration that spans from September 15^th to October 15^th.

You might probably be thinking, why is this something to be mentioned in our Newsletter. Others might be asking: What is this Hispanic Heritage Month? Why are we U.S. Citizens asked to celebrate Hispanic Heritage? These are very good questions, which I proposed to answer the best I can.

You see Hispanic Heritage month was enacted by Congress by Public Law 100-402 in 1968, in order to honor the achievements of Hispanics in America. This law has authorized and requested the President of the U.S. to annually issue a proclamation designating September 15 through October 15 as “National Hispanic Heritage Month.”  As a country we celebrate the culture and traditions of those who trace their roots to Spain, Mexico, and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America and the Caribbean. The days for the celebration were picked as a way to celebrate the anniversaries for independence of 5 Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on Sept. 16^th and Sept. 18^th, respectively.
This population is not only in our midst but it is a growing population. As of April 2010 the Hispanic (Latino) population has reached 50.5 million, making this population the largest racial/ethnic minority in the U.S. (surpassing the African America population). This is without counting the 3.7 million residents of Puerto Rico, which is a U.S. territory (and, of course, the place where your pastor comes from). This population is also the fastest growing minority population in the country. The Hispanic population in the U.S. constitutes the second largest in the world, and thus making Spanish the second language spoken in the U.S. We are already a bilingual country. It is projected that this population will constitute 30% of the U.S. population by 2050.

You can see, hear, and taste the contributions of this population in American culture. The influence of Spanish language, flavors, and cultures has already left its indelible mark in all of us. We cannot think of having a party without tortilla chips and Salsa, guacamole, burritos, tacos, pastels, etc. Even our language has benefited from the exchange. As it is, there are many words in the English language that we assume are simply English when they actually come from Spanish: Alligator (el lagarto, the lizard), Booby (bobo, silly or selfish, from the Latin for stammering, balbus), Bronco (meaning wild or rough), Cafeteria (cafetería, a coffee shop), Cargo (cargar, to load), Cigar, Cigarette (cigarro), Comrade (camarada, old Spanish for barracks company or roommate), Guerrilla (a small raiding party or fighting force), Renegade (renegado, deserter or outlaw), Tornado (tornar, to turn, tronada, thunderstorm), and many more. There are other words from Spanish that have retained their meaning also in English such as: aficionado, armada, barracuda, mosquito, tobacco, and vanilla. Some of our States continue to reflect this heritage in their names: Colorado, Nevada, California, New Mexico, Texas, Florida, Arizona, Montana. There are 20 cities with Spanish names and many other towns.

The fact of the matter is that our country is becoming more multi-cultural and more diverse every year. Not only because of foods and languages but also because the number of people marrying across racial/ethnic lines has continued to grow: a record 14.6% of all new marriages in the United States in 2008 were between spouses of a different race or ethnicity; 2008 showed a spike of interracial marriages (9% of white newlyweds, 16% of blacks, 26% of Hispanics and 31% of Asians married someone whose race or ethnicity was different from their own).

As a matter of fact Hispanics/Latinos are so much a part of this country that there are over 1.1 million Hispanic/Latinos who are veterans of the U.S. Armed forces, and millions more are currently serving. We have been so much a part of this country that we are part of the great American family, an integral part of this country’s landscape. This is a reality that some of us experience in our own families and inside our congregations; it is a reality in our communities; it is an inescapable reality that we are living. We are your sons and daughters in law, we are your children, we are your grand children, and your great grand children, we are your husbands and wives, and are the grandparents as well.

Indeed: “[f]rom those who trace their roots to America's earliest days to those who recently came to the United States carrying nothing but hope for a better life, Hispanics have always been integral to our national story. As an American family more than 300 million strong, we constitute one people, sharing sacrifice and prosperity because we know we rise and fall together” (from President Obama’s 2011 Proclamation). Certainly, America is a richer and more vibrant country because of the contributions of Hispanics/Latinos. This is also where the future of the United Methodist Church lies.

We, Hispanic/Latinos, might not be the future of small local churches all over the country, but we are, indeed, the future that lies ahead of our Christian church, as well as the future of our country. As Paul keeps reminding the church in Ephesians: “For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made [everyone] into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, so that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of [many], thus making peace, and might reconcile [everyone] to God in one body.” (Eph. 2:14-16). Indeed, we are one people, as the body of Christ, and as a country.