Photo: Utah State Capital by Michael Hard via Unsplash

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — On September 15, Governor Spencer Cox released a declaration that in accordance with National Hispanic Heritage Month, Utah will be holding a state-wide Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15 every year. The declaration was released in Spanish and English, with an introduction from Governor Cox, reading:

“During Hispanic Heritage Month, we recognize the Hispanic and Latino communities in the state of Utah, whose love of family, strong work ethic, and willingness to share their heritage and traditions have made our state a more inclusive state and a better place to live.”

A website from the state government goes into more detail about Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month. It explains that the dates chosen for the month are intentional; several Latin-American nations including Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and others have their national independence days within September 15 through October 15. It also lists that half a million (492,912) Utahns identify as Hispanic or Latino.

The website also has a brief explanation of different terms used:

“The term Latinx, Latino, Latina, and Latine refers to a person with heritage or origin tracing back to Latin America—regardless of race. Hispanic refers to people with a background from a Spanish-speaking country.”

One of the principle planned elements of Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month is the 2022 Utah Governor Latino Town Hall, scheduled for October 24. The town hall is designed to “help the Utah Governor’s Office and the Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs better understand the needs, goals, and priorities of the Latino Community.” Participants are required to register and submit their comments and questions by Wednesday October 19.

Other events include the Festival Latino de Payson on September 24 (Payson Latin Festival), the Ogden Hispanic Festival, Cache Valley Hispanic Festival, several music concerts, and Dia de los Muertos events.