One month not sufficient for Hispanic Heritage. We live their contributions daily | Opinion

Bienvenido to Hispanic Heritage Month! Of course, we’ve been enjoying this rodeo 365 days a year because the United States’ melting pot now includes a rich blend of Latino culture, gastronomy and creativity.

Every day is Latino, Hispanic or Latinx Day. Almost 1 of every 5 residents – or 62.5 million – fit one of those identities, according to the Census Bureau. Latinos are the largest minority group in the country.

Fourteen states have a population of more than 1 million Latinos. And you can bet it is more than just Latinos who have expanded Taco Tuesday to the other six days of the week. Or contributed to a 30% increase in the consumption of tequila from 2015 to 2020. How’s that for assimilation? Or sharing?

What started as Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968 under President Lyndon Johnson was expanded to 30 days (Sept. 15-Oct. 15) by President Ronald Reagan to celebrate the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Latin American nations.

Imagine what the U.S. would be without the contributions of these immigrants and their descendants.

No cowboys, no John Wayne. Spaniards and Mexicans introduced the charro and horse-riding skills in the American Southwest. Imagine tending cattle the old way … on foot!

No spice. Jalapeños, avocados, chocolate, tacos and margaritas wouldn’t be on our diet. Nor would peanut butter or popcorn.

Arnold Schwarzenegger would have to look elsewhere for his “Hasta la vista, baby” catchphrase.

These are contributions that have threaded themselves into the everyday fabric of America.

Celebrate a birthday? Grab a Modelo or a Corona (among the top 4-selling beers in the U.S.), or perhaps a Dos XX (No. 10). Dance to ‘Despacito,’ the most-streamed song ever at 4.6 billion and counting.

Cinco de Mayo has become a greater celebration in Uncle Sam’s world than in México.

Latinos and their contributions can be found at the presidential level (Julia Chávez Rodríguez is Biden’s re-election campaign director), at the movies (Mexican movie magicians Alejandro González Iñárritu, Alfonso Cuarón and Guillermo del Toro have combined for 10 Oscars), or at the ballpark (Latino players are common on baseball teams).

Spanish-language television stations rank first in many markets. Los Tigres del Norte are as likely to sell out a concert in North Carolina as in Fresno. More than 3.5 million boys in the last 200 years in the U.S. have been named Juan (That’s a lovely name!).

But everything is not all roses for Latinos. There are still problems of economic stability, education achievement, and health. But those are being addressed.

Latino influence not appreciated by all

Unfortunately, not every person appreciates the Latino influence. In 2005, Dr. Samuel P. Huntington argued in his book “Who Are We?: The Challenges to America’s National Identity,” that “the persistent inflow of Hispanic immigrants threatens to divide the United States into two people, two cultures, and two languages.”

“Unlike past immigrant groups, Mexicans and other Latinos have not assimilated into mainstream U.S. culture, forming instead their own political and linguistic enclaves – from Los Ángeles to Miami – and rejecting the Anglo-Protestant values that built the American dream,” wrote Huntington.

Hogwash!

I present Dr. David Hayes-Bautista, a respected UCLA researcher who believes being Latino and being American go hand in hand.

“Being Latino is like being a Texan: It’s a distinctive way of being American. Every Texan is American, but not every American is Texas,” he said during a 2005 presentation in Visalia.

“Unlike Huntington, rather than seeing Latinos as a threat to American identity, I say Latinos have contributed and created the basics of American identity.”

Happy Hispanic Heritage Year! Pass the popcorn and a cold Modelo!

Juan Esparza Loera is editor of Vida en el Valle.