Hispanic Heritage Month in Your Workplace & Beyond

Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 to October 15 each year as a way to recognize, honor and celebrate Hispanic cultures, histories and contributions. These particular 30 days are also important as they cover the Independence Days for several Latin American countries, Columbus Day and Dia de la Razza.

Pre-COVID-19, many organizations celebrated Hispanic Heritage month with activities onsite. However, in today’s virtual workspaces some of those activities might not be feasible, but that doesn’t mean you set aside any type of observance or celebration of this month. Here are six suggestions for virtual celebrations and recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month.

1. Invite a virtual guest speaker. Liven up a team video call with a knowledgeable guest speaker. A guest speaker can bring fresh energy and unique expertise to your virtual meeting. Expand your perspectives by hearing from someone new. Be sure to send out your guest speaker’s bio ahead of the meeting, so everyone can get a sense of what to expect. Additionally, include plenty of time for a Q&A session at the end!

2. Learn the preferred terminology. Language is always shifting. To be respectful and inclusive, it’s important to learn the preferred terminology—especially when it comes to marginalized communities. Help your team understand the most respectful phrasing when speaking about cultural topics. For example, does your team know the difference between Latino and Hispanic? In short, Latino means from Latin America. Hispanic means from a country whose primary language is Spanish. You might also want to highlight different countries and share information about them. Take some time during Hispanic Heritage Month to educate your team, so everyone can have important conversations respectfully. Or take the opportunity to host a DEI training session to refresh everyone.

3. Purchase Hispanic-Owned.This Hispanic Heritage Month, put your money where your mouth is and support Hispanic-owned businesses. For example, you can create a list of Hispanic-owned restaurants, companies, and shops. Ask everyone on your team to share their suggestions to include. If your team is scattered across the globe, you can also include online stores and even Etsy shops. Throughout Hispanic Heritage Month (and beyond!), this list will be a handy guide for business partnerships, team lunches, client gifts, holiday gifts, etc.

4. Learn about important Hispanic people who impacted our lives. For a meaningful team experience, take some time to learn about important Hispanic figures in history. For example, you can host a special video call with your team. During the call, ask each team member to present short 5-10 minute stories on an influential Hispanic person or famous Hispanic public figure. They can prepare a brief slide deck to share what they’ve learned. Or encourage creative presentations. For instance, try poetry readings, or a short video clip. As an example, a few noteworthy people to learn about include Romualdo Pacheco and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. A word of caution here: If you are not Hispanic, do not try to portray a Hispanic person in some type of skit. 

5. Start a Hispanic Heritage Month Book Club. Reading works by Hispanic authors is a meaningful way to honor Hispanic Heritage Month. This fall, start a team book club to bring Hispanic voices to the center of the conversation. First, have club members vote on the book before the month starts. You can take team members’ suggestions to create a list of books for everyone to vote on.

Second, set a date for all readers to finish the book. Be sure to give at least a week. After all, many employees may be busy and have only a few moments a day to read!

Then, hop on a video call together to meet to discuss the group’s takeaways.

• What was your favorite part of this book?
• Did you learn anything new while reading this book?
• What quote or passage stuck with you the most?
• Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why, or why not?
• What do you think is the primary message or theme the author is trying to communicate?

6. Donate to a Nonprofit. To show your organization’s support for the Hispanic community, donate to a Hispanic-focused nonprofit organization during the month. After all, this is a powerful way to support the community with the challenges they face. Decide as a team what organization(s) you would like to support. When your employees have a say in what cause(s) your organization’s donation will support, they are likely to feel more connected to the initiative. Many employees say it’s important to them that their employer is creating a positive impact in the world.

As you may know, I am not a big fan of “designated months” because I believe we should continually give recognition to all groups of people that have contributed to society in a meaningful way.  However, for now, it is important to give this special recognition to our Hispanic colleagues in a meaningful way.