JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
To celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, the 93rd Signal Brigade hosted an observance at Wylie Theater on Sept. 22, 2016, here.
According to the Library of Congress, NHHM was initially observed as National Hispanic Heritage Week in September 1968. The commemorative week included September 15 and 16, and also celebrated the independence anniversaries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.
In 1988, Congress passed Public Law 100-402, which requests and authorizes the President of the United States to annually proclaim September 15 through October 15 as National Hispanic Heritage Month. President George H.W. Bush issued the first proclamation in 1989.
“In celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, we honor the contributions Hispanics have made throughout our history, and we highlight an important part of the rich diversity that keeps our communities strong,” said President Barack Obama, as part of the 2016 National Hispanic Heritage Month presidential proclamation.
This year’s theme is “Hispanic Americans: Embracing, Enriching and Enabling America.”
As of July 1, 2015, the Hispanic population of the United States totals 56.6 million, and 1.2 million Hispanics or Latinos ages 18 and older are veterans of the U. S. armed forces, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2015 American Community Survey.
In honor of NHHM, the Joint Base Langley-Eustis Hispanic Heritage Committee will host a luncheon from 1130 a.m. to 1 p.m., Oct. 14, at the Bayview Commonwealth Center at Langley Air Force Base.
Tickets are $18 per person and attendees are asked to R.S.V.P. by Oct. 12. For more information about the Hispanic Heritage Month luncheon, contact HHC lead at 764-7795.