Not Every Day Is Always the Same: How to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Intention

It’s that time of the year. You will see endless LinkedIn posts and social media mentions about Hispanic Heritage Month. You will find some new-to-you data points and others that will make you do a proverbial eye roll and think “I knew that already.”

Growing up in El Salvador, my father who was rather dry and a pragmatist, would always respond with a “thank you. Every day is the same, son” when my brothers and I would wish him a happy birthday. I learned that, in his mind, that was a way for him to transfer some of his pragmatism to us. But one day in my early college years, both of my brothers and I failed to wish him a Happy Birthday, only to find out late at night -when wishing a happy birthday was close to useless anymore – that we had seriously let him down. Worse, we hurt him. He eventually forgave us, and we all learned a valuable lesson: not every day is always the same.

So, on the occasion of a new round of Hispanic Heritage Month posts, videos, promotions, happy hours, etc., if you feel tempted to think it makes no difference to honor Hispanic Culture, keep in mind that culture, like birthdays, is deeply personal. So much so that it defines who we are, how we think, how we feel, how we relate, and who we create bonds with.

Celebrating and honoring Hispanic Culture needs to be an intentional thing, though, because if it isn’t, meager efforts will be called out by Hispanics as disingenuous and useless (like my late-in-the-day birthday wishes years ago)), or worse: they will hurt your relationship with them. And that’s a very costly mistake for any organization or brand that wants to succeed in today’s world.

Engage intentionally, or bust

And I’ll add this: Hispanic Heritage Month is just that, a month. But Hispanics are Hispanics 24/7, 365. Your company’s commitment to them should reflect that reality. By all means, go ahead and loudly celebrate this month and launch promotions, do happy hours, launch a new commercial, etc. But don’t do it just this month. Do it in a way that your impact is intentional and lasts as close as possible to 24/7, 365.

Speaking of intentionality, here are some ideas of things you can consider doing either personally or as a brand to show intentionality when embracing Hispanic consumers and their culture, sourced from real consumers, with their voices clamoring for more genuine commitments and hoping for longer-lasting impact.

• Invest in the Hispanic community locally, at the neighborhood level if possible. Every time we ask Hispanics (and other people of color, by the way) about what brands can do to have a better relationship with them, THIS IS WHAT THEY SAY AND WANT!  Either through a donation to a cultural center or a contribution to a scholarship, or the beautification of a park or a school resource. They see it and recognize it when brands do this.
• Hire and empower Latinas/Latinos/LatinX.  Not only will you be changing lives you will strengthen your brand and your company because diverse groups breed creativity and fuel growth. That’s why Amazon sells more than books; it diversified, and look at it now!
• Fight for diverse and accurate representation in your communications and advertising. Hispanics want to be seen in your messages, but they want to be seen like their real selves, with depictions that are not inflated or deflated. To do so, you need to invest in understanding what their lives are like.
• Mentor a Hispanic student or many (and Black, LGBTQ+, Asian American, and White ones too), and open your company’s mind to including them in your internship programs. I can guarantee you, at the very least, they’ll broaden your worldview.
• Buy Hispanic. Have a group outing as a team? Consider doing it at a family-owned Hispanic restaurant. Catering for your company’s party? Go the extra mile and find out about Hispanic-owned businesses in your area: help them grow, and help your team learn about culture through food.

Here are a few data points to remind everyone why you should be investing in Hispanics, not just this Hispanic Heritage Month, but year-round:

• 63+ Million Strong! 1 in every 5 people in the US is Hispanic or traces their heritage to Hispanic ancestry.
• $3.4 Trillion… yes, with a T. That’s the estimated buying power of U.S. Latinos, according to the 2023 Latino Donor Collaborative.
• Census data reveals that between 2010 and 2020, Hispanics accounted for 53% of the U.S. population growth.
• We are a mosaic: nearly 60% are of Mexican heritage, but there’s more, so many more cultures including Puerto Rican, Salvadorean, Cubans, Dominicans, Guatemalans, Venezuelans, Colombians, etc… and we all feel proud of who we are, both as Americans and as Latinas/Latinos/LatinX.

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month Year!

PS. As for my father, we never again failed to wish him a Happy Birthday, because not every day is always the same.