From September 15th to October 15th we celebrate the culture and contributions of Hispanic Immigrants and American citizens whose ancestors come from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America. During this time period seven of those countries celebrate their Independence Day.
At the Ohio SBDC Latino Center at Columbus State we work with entrepreneurs from all of those countries and would encourage our readers to support your favorite Latino business this month as many of them are participating in the festivities around our metropolitan area.
When we think of the contributions from Latinos we easily remember big names like singer and actress Jennifer Lopez, singer Selena, journalist and TV anchor Jorge Ramos, actress Salma Hayek, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, fashion designer Carolina Herrera, Olympic gold medalist in boxing Oscar de la Hoya and so many more… But right here in our own backyard Latinos are contributing to our economy and quality of life through the work they do every day through their small businesses. According to the 2016 American Community Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau there are over 16,000 Hispanic owned businesses in Ohio with $2.8 billion in receipts!
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month I would like to celebrate and invite you to experience all the wonderful food and culture Central Ohio’s Hispanic-owned businesses have to offer. Starting with the Ohio Latino Affairs Commission has compiled a calendar with some of the Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations across Ohio.
Locally the weekend opened with the Caribbean Festival downtown to celebrate culture with food and music, El Festival para la familia at the Columbus Zoo a festival to celebrate the Latino Family, El Festival del Libro at the Columbus Metropolitan Library a great event showcasing local and national Latino authors of books for children, fantasy, poems, self-improvement and so much more, and impressive collection of books both in English and Spanish.
I’ll share with you some of my favorite celebrations that are yet to come in Columbus such as the Columbus Crew Hispanic Heritage Month Game on September 22nd, the 3rd Latino Night in Whitehall on October 11th, the Family Breakfast with Coco at the Columbus Museum of Arts on October 13th and closing off this year with the documentary Being Enye at the Lincoln Theatre on October 15th.
If you haven’t participated in the past I encourage you to celebrate our Diverse Hispanic Culture during this Hispanic heritage month!
Feliz Mes de la Herencia Hispana!!!
