The 2025 theme for National Hispanic Heritage Month is “Collective Heritage: Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future“. This theme highlights the shared histories, traditions, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino communities, while also focusing on how these cultural experiences can inspire and shape future generations.
Hispanic Heritage Month starts today. Here’s what it is, when it ends. National Hispanic Heritage Month is an annual observance in the U.S. from September 15 to October 15. The observance began as a week in 1968 under President Lyndon B. Johnson and was expanded to a month in 1988.
Honoring the Past:
Acknowledges the deep historical roots and the legacies of Hispanic and Latino Americans.
Inspiring the Future:
Looks forward to how these historical foundations and cultural strengths will influence and empower upcoming generations.
The event’s origins date back to 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week, expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to a 30-day period and enacted into law in the same year.
Hispanic American Veterans
Asked to serve their country in time of war, Hispanic Americans displayed courage and valor in the face of adversity. Familiar with discrimination back home, many saw their service as affirming the ideals of democracy. In this presentation, the Veterans History Project recounts their inspirational stories.
The contributions and experiences of Latinos in the United States are an essential part of our nation’s history and culture. The National Museum of the American Latino will showcase the achievements and contributions of Latinos to American history.
Smithsonian | National Museum of the American Latino
