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Detail of Hispanic Heritage Select Photos by David Valdez

Estamos Unidos Americanos

By Andrew Guest - September 15, 2021

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From September 15–October 15, we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. This encompasses the panoply of hispanic peoples who have made their home here in California and in the rest of the United States.

Being a Californian means having a front-row seat on cultural diversity, as it ranks Number One in diversity metrics. It’s also no surprise that California boasts more people of Hispanic heritage than any other state, given its rich cultural history before it joined the Union.

National Hispanic Heritage Month History

The celebration started in 1968 as National Hispanic Heritage Week. In 1988, it was expanded to a month-long period, which includes Chile’s Independence Day on September 18 (El Dieciocho) and El Dia de la Raza on October 12.

Unmet Diversity Goals

This month celebrates the achievements and contributions of Hispanic American champions who have inspired others to achieve success. As a learning institution, we still struggle with our diversity goals: The latest data from 2020 shows lagging diversity on campus.

That said, it’s important to recognize that however diverse a society we are, there is more work to be done.

There has been recent success, with 2020 seeing the largest number of Hispanic students admitted to UC Berkeley.

Striving for HSI Status

A Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) is defined as an institution of higher education that has an enrollment of undergraduate, full-time-equivalent students who are at least 25-percent Hispanic. Sadly, UC Berkeley does not yet meet those modest requirements, despite Chancellor Carol Christ marking it as a “boldest goal” for the institution.

This year on September 13, President Joe Biden issued a Proclamation on National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week (Sept. 12–18, 2021). Hopefully, we can join the HSI ranks in the near future.