September 15 kicked off the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, but here are some facts you might not know…
1. The timing: why the middle of September? Because of days like Tuesday: September 16 was Mexican Independence Day! On Tuesday, many Central American countries also celebrated their independence–all in the middle of the month…
2. The numbers: 54.1 million–that’s how many Hispanics live in the United States. Over half of that population live in California, Texas, and Florida alone…that’s a buying power of over a trillion dollars!
3. The people: from astronauts to senators to athletes and a Supreme Court Justice, Hispanics have risen to the top in all walks of American life.
4. The music: who doesn’t love the sounds of Celia Cruz, Cachao, Vicente Fernandez, Tito Puente, Arturo Sandoval…just to name a few!
And of course with Latino music…comes the dancing, as José demonstrated on the TODAY Show earlier this month…
A Great to work with marvelous people .. And salsa dancers! #VivaTODAY placer trabajar … http://t.co/brTDCFzOk7 pic.twitter.com/OAQ5fUSHCx
— jose diaz-balart (@jdbalart) September 6, 20145. #WhatLatinoMeansToMe: BuzzFeed kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month by asking Latinos across the country to self-identify and tell them what being Latino means for them.
Via @jdbalart: #WhatLatinoMeansToMe http://t.co/WecLzMhPF6 pic.twitter.com/AdeQ06p8x0
— José @ msnbc (@JDBmsnbc) September 16, 2014
Have a response? Share yours on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter with the hashtag!
the Jose Diaz-Balart staff