President Lyndon Johnson proclaimed National Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968. The commemoration was expanded to a month in 1988. September 15 is the first day because it marks the anniversary of Independence for five Latin American countries.
Latinos are the fastest growing “minority” group in the United States. Their population increased 107 percent from 1998 to 2008, compared with 14 percent for the non-Latino population and 22 percent for the total population. Only Mexico has a Latino population larger than the United States. The buying power of Latinos in the United States, a $1 trillion in 2010, is larger than the entire economies of all but 14 countries in the world. It’s projected to increase 50 percent by 2015, almost double the 27 percent national projected growth rate.
Courtesy of: Diversity Inc.