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Over thirty–five years ago, responding to the growing demands for recognition by many Hispanic organizations, a Joint Resolution was approved on September 17, 1968 by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, 90th Congress.

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress  assembled, That the President is hereby authorized and requested to issue annually a proclamation designating the week including September 15 and 16 as "National Hispanic Heritage Week"

The time period was selected to tie in with the celebrations of Mexican Independence Day and other Latin American Independence Day celebrations commemorated in our country during September 15 and 16.

Twenty years after the first resolution was passed, congress expanded Hispanic Heritage Week to Hispanic Heritage Month on August 17, 1988.

It took over 400 years for the U. S. government to recognize the contributions of Latinos/Hispanics in America. Every American should know that the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the United States is St. Augustine, Florida (founded in 1565), and that Hispanic culture had a firm root in the Southeast and Southwest of what became the United States before the English arrived at Jamestown and before the Pilgrims dropped anchor in Massachusetts Bay. If, indeed, every American was taught these facts, he or she is unlikely to be taught much more about the Hispanic contribution to American civilization, however; it’s just not a part of today’s classrooms and textbooks. It is never brought home that Spanish, Hispanicized Africans and Native Americans and their mixed-blood descendants provided the basis for the development of much of American agriculture, mining, transportation grid, city planning, architecture and even law in the Southeast and Southwest. For example, such concepts as the right of women to inherit and own property, homestead rights, and the rights of adopted children to be treated the same as genetic offspring are examples of originally Hispanic legal principles that touch us today in the very heart of our existence: our families. Likewise, the Hispanic background of the United States helps us to understand the important role that Latinos have played throughout the 20th century in the development of this nation.

Hispanics have risen to great heights and established their mark on behalf of U.S. society in many fields of endeavor. There are literally too many distinctive landmarks of Hispanic progress during the past century to note.

The Latino Heritage Museum (LHM) takes on this task to research, document and educate Americans, Latinos/Hispanics and the world of these great accomplishments.

LHM realize the importance of this lost or forgotten history and showcases many surprising facts about the contributions of Latinos in the field of science, aerospace, communication medicine, and engineering. It also presents pioneers such as those who were the first in politics, education, entertainment, sports, media, cinema, and literature.

We celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month September 15 - October 15 to honor these achievements. The information LHM share is not just for Latinos but for everyone. It’s time that we as Americans understand that it took many different cultures to make this nation great. And as true Americans we celebrate Hispanic Heritage everyday!