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September 15 kicks off National Hispanic Heritage Month, an annual celebration of the history and culture of Hispanic and Latino communities in the U.S. Its timing coincides with the Independence Day celebrations of several Latin American nations: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua (Sept. 15, 1821; from Spain); Mexico (Sept. 16, 1810; from Spain); Chile (Sept. 18, 1810; from Spain); and Belize (Sept. 21, 1981; from Great Britain). In the U.S., the month honors the contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans.

In Woods Hole, the Diversity Advisory Committee (Woods Hole DAC) is sponsoring a series of events for Hispanic Heritage Month, starting with a Fiesta on Saturday, Sept. 21 from noon to 3pm in the MBL courtyard. Enjoy food, salsa dancing classes, a salsa (food) competition, trivia, and music!

Interested in joining WHOI’s Latinx Affinity Group? Contact Isabela Le Bras (ilebras@whoi.edu), Laura Motta (laura.motta@whoi.edu), or Paloma Lopez (paloma.lopez@whoi.edu).

What’s the difference between Hispanic and Latino(a/e/x)?

Hispanic generally refers to a person who is from, or a descendant of someone who is from, one of the 21 countries that have designated Spanish as their national language.

Latino/a/e/x generally refers to a person who is from, or a descendant of someone who is from, Latin America, which includes Central America, South America, and many Caribbean nations. Most people from certain Caribbean countries, such as Jamaica (where the official language is English) and Haiti (where the official language is French) tend not to identify as Latino. There are also numerous Indigenous peoples throughout Latin America who may not identify as Latino.

Neither term necessarily refers to race: Someone who identifies as Hispanic or Latino could be White, Black, Indigenous, Asian, or any other race. However, many people–Hispanic and Latino–view those backgrounds as part of their racial identity.

Want to dive deeper? Check out this book.

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