Reflections on Hispanic Heritage Month

It appears that there is increased momentum about Hispanic Heritage Month. There were more festivals, more webinars, more speakers, more schools, and more companies involved. The 2020 U.S. Census showed that the Hispanic or Latino population, which includes people of any race, was 62.1 million. It grew 23% while the population that was not of Hispanic or Latino origin grew 4.3% since 2010. The group is now 18.7% of the population. Improved Race and Ethnicity Measures Reveal U.S. Population Is Much More Multiracial (census.gov)

Momentum at the National Level

I learned a lot listening to Claudia Romo Edelman (pictured above) talk about the population and economic power of the Hispanic community. Her organization. We Are All Human, seeks to strengthen the best of humanity. She shared information about Hispanic Star, to engage educators and the business community.  And, she will be the keynote speaker on Friday, October 29, 2021 for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro St. Louis Annual gala, the Adelante Awards.

Momentum at the Local Level

In addition to the event above, the Hispanic Leaders Group of Greater St. Louis hosted their Esperanza Awards last week and honored Sal Valadez and a committed local couple, Susan and Mauricio Gobbo. More of our local companies are emphasizing Hispanic Heritage Month, such as Emerson’s SOMOS Employee Resource Group. And there were so many local events, including Fiesta Cardinales at Busch Stadium! I expect this to keep growing. In fact, the Hispanic Heritage Month toolkit by the Hispanic Star will help more organizations plan for 2022. If an organization wants to hire more diverse talent and sell to this growing community, learning the lessons of this toolkit will be key.