In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, we are excited to continue celebrating the histories, cultures, and contributions of our associates. Do you know the history behind this celebration, what events and activities may be available for you to discover, and who some of the individual contributors now recognized during the celebratory month are?  

We've put together some awesome facts highlighting National Hispanic Heritage Month. Click on the links throughout to explore and discover more information. 

• The astronaut featured in our recent Coffee Talk video was Astronaut Hall of Fame inductee Franklin Chang Díaz, who also happens to be a physicist. Over his 25-year career at NASA, Chang Díaz used his knowledge of physics to invent a new space propulsion system used to drive space crafts. After Chang Díaz retired from NASA, he founded the Ad Astra Rocket Company based on his space propulsion invention. More heroes you should know about!
• The U.S. Hispanic population reached more than 62 million in 2020 and continues to grow! 
• Observation of Hispanic Heritage Month began as a week-long event in 1968 under President Lyndon Johnson, then expanded to a full month in 1988 under President Ronald Reagan. September 15th is significant, as the independence of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica is observed and celebrated on this day, followed by Mexico on September 16th, Chile on September 18th, and Belize on September 21st. For more details and historical resources, click here!
• This website provides information about educational opportunities and events throughout Hispanic Heritage Month. Learn about ways you can get involved! 
• We encourage you to celebrate diversity and post contributions to our Hispanic Heritage pages!  Support hispanic-owned businesses here.
• The Smithsonian Institute provides a virtual list of events to help make discovery and learning easy! 

Our DEI Action Team wants to include YOU as we plan, prepare, and celebrate our diversity throughout the year! To join the Action Team and share your ideas, connect with us at DEI@essex.com.