Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15) by celebrating the cultures and contributions of American citizens who came from — or whose ancestors came from — Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. Here are some selected resource links on Hispanic Heritage Month.

U.S. Government

White House Proclamation: National Hispanic Heritage Month
“We honor Hispanics for enriching the fabric of America, even as we recognize and rededicate ourselves to addressing the challenges to equality and opportunity that many Hispanics still face,” says the National Hispanic Heritage Month 2010 presidential proclamation. President Obama also proclaimed National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week. Each year, the president welcomes distinguished Hispanic leaders, educators and artists to the White House.

The Census Bureau offers resources on Hispanics and Latinos through its Minority Links and Facts for Features.

The Federal Citizen Information Center has links to federal resources and information in Spanish.

The U.S. Department of Education runs a program that assists Hispanic-serving institutions — nonprofit institutions that have at least 25 percent Hispanic enrollment. The National Center for Education Statistics has published Status and Trends in the Education of Racial and Ethnic Minorities and Status and Trends in the Education of Hispanics, plus Fast Facts on trends in U.S. education.

Federal Resources for Educational Excellence offers teaching and learning resources from U.S. federal agencies on Hispanic Americans, the U.S.-Mexican War and the Spanish-American War.

The Library of Congress offers a Web portal on National Hispanic Heritage Month. It also sponsors StoryCorps Historias, which collects oral histories from Latinos in the United States. Also see the Veterans History Project: Experiencing War: Hispanic Americans’ Service to the Nation and Experiencing War: Hispanics in Service, as well as a guide to the records of Hispanic veterans.

The National Park Service devotes a Web page to Hispanic Heritage Month. It includes the story of Freedom Tower — the entry point for thousands of exiled Cubans into Miami, now a national historic landmark — and a list of properties significant for Hispanic heritage on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Smithsonian Institution celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month and also has the Smithsonian Latino Center, which focuses on Latino heritage and culture in the United States.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) publishes Welcome to the United States: A Guide for New Immigrants in English (PDF, 1.56MB), Spanish (PDF, 1.64MB) and 12 other languages. An English-language brochure (PDF, 7.47KB) is also available.

Organizations/Resources

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that aims to develop the next generation of Hispanic leadership. See President Obama’s remarks at the 2010 CHCI Awards Gala.

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities works to assure Hispanic success in higher education.

The mission of the Latin American Network Information Center (LANIC), which is affiliated with the University of Texas at Austin, is “to facilitate access to Internet-based information to, from, or on Latin America.”

Major national advocacy organizations serving the Latino community include League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), and the National Council of La Raza.

The Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the nonpartisan Pew Research Center, “seeks to improve understanding of the U.S. Hispanic population and to chronicle Latinos’ growing impact on the nation.”

The Population Reference Bureau recently published Immigration in America 2010, an update of the 2006 Population Bulletin, Immigration: Shaping and Reshaping America.

Scholastic, publisher of children’s books and educational technology, provides teachers with resources for Hispanic Heritage Month.
Read more: http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/article/2008/09/20080924171356xlrennef0.9809948.html#ixzz4GTmalJLu