Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. During National Hispanic Heritage Month, the countless contributions of more than 60 million Hispanic Americans to our culture and society are celebrated! Hispanic Americans are the largest minority group in the United States today, and generations of Hispanic Americans have contributed to our Nation beyond description. Hispanic Americans embody the best of our American values, including commitment to faith, family, and country. They serve in our military and protect us as members of law enforcement. The Hispanic-American community has left a lasting mark on our government, culture, and economy. The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16th and September 18th, respectively. Here at Hamama, we want to take a moment to celebrate our Hispanic employees’ contributions! We are so proud and happy to introduce you all to Barbara from our Customer Support Team & Hannah from our Warehouse Team! You may remember Barbara from an earlier post (found here)! Today, Barbara has graciously shared a little about her heritage. “I was born in Mexico but moved to the US when I was about 3 years old. Although I grew up in the US my parents did a great job of teaching us about our language, culture and customs. My mother especially thought it was super important to keep up our Spanish so that we could still communicate with family that still resides in Mexico! We celebrate Mexican independence day September 16th by dressing up in traditional clothing, dancing the Baile folklórico (Pics are of my sister because I can’t dance hehe) and performing “El Grito de Dolores” which is the famous battle cry given by a famed priest when we won independence from Spain.” Today, Hannah has graciously shared a little about her heritage. “My mother's hispanic and I've grown up with a large family and a lot of great food! Hispanic Heritage month is a reminder for me to be extra grateful for all of the hard work my grandparents put into giving our family California roots. They've always taught us to work hard but also have fun! I just want to make them proud while I put down some roots of my own.” We are so grateful for our Hispanic employees here at Hamama and are happy to celebrate you and your contributions!