There are about 62.1 million Hispanics in the United States as of 2020, making up 19% of the nation’s population. That a lot of people to celebrate!
So what does Hispanic mean? Hispanic is a Spanish-speaking person living in the US, especially one of Latin American descent. The best way to know if someone is Hispanic or not, is to let them tell you. We can't always tell from the outside, so it is important for us to allow others to tell us if they identify as Hispanic, but never force people to tell us.
FUN ACTIVITY #1 : Play loteria bingo! Learn some of the different Spanish words associated with photos you recognize by playing this fun game with your friends or family. If you aren't sure how to pronounce something, have an adult help you look it up online. Pronunciation is very important when it comes to learning different languages. Download your loteria bingo cards HERE
VIDEOS
BOOK SUGGESTIONS
When a girl is asked where she’s from—where she’s really from—none of her answers seems to be the right one.
Unsure about how to reply, she turns to her loving abuelo for help. He doesn’t give her the response she expects. She gets an even better one.
Where am I from?
You’re from hurricanes and dark storms, and a tiny singing frog that calls the island people home when the sun goes to sleep....
Yuyi Morales brought her hopes, her passion, her strength, and her stories with her, when she came to the United States in 1994 with her infant son. She left behind nearly everything she owned, but she didn't come empty-handed.
Dreamers is a celebration of making your home with the things you always carry: your resilience, your dreams, your hopes and history. It's the story of finding your way in a new place, of navigating an unfamiliar world and finding the best parts of it. In dark times, it's a promise that you can make better tomorrows.
When her family moved to the town of Westminster, California, young Sylvia Mendez was excited about enrolling in her neighborhood school. But she and her brothers were turned away and told they had to attend the Mexican school instead. Sylvia could not understand why—she was an American citizen who spoke perfect English. Why were the children of Mexican families forced to attend a separate school? Unable to get a satisfactory answer from the school board, the Mendez family decided to take matters into its own hands and organize a lawsuit.
Christmas Eve started out so perfectly for Maria. Snow had fallen and the streets glittered. Maria's favorite cousins were coming over and she got to help make the tamales for Christmas dinner. It was almost too good to be true when her mother left the kitchen for a moment and Maria got to try on her beautiful diamond ring . . .
This is the story of a treasure thought to be lost in a batch of tamales; of a desperate and funny attempt by Maria and her cousins to eat their way out of trouble; and the warm way a family pulls together to make it a perfect Christmas after all.
FUN ACTIVITY #2 : Visit one of the local Hispanic stores, and pick out a few foods or drinks to try! Have an open mind. Some things may taste different from what you are used to. Think about the tastes and textures, the smells and colors. Look at where the foods are from, and what types of foods other people eat! This gives you a great experience into what different cultures eat and enjoy, and also helps support local Hispanic businesses.
La Norteñita - 3001 London Rd, Eau Claire, WI 54701
Supermercado La Luna - 2824 London Rd, Eau Claire, WI
FUN ACTIVITY #3 : Learn some Spanish words and phrases! It's amazing when we get to learn something new. Especially a different language. There are so many Spanish speaking people in the United States, and all over the world. Try learning some new phrases or words.