The United States has been formally celebrating the contributions and achievements of Hispanic Americans for nearly 60 years – building on decades of work by labor unions and other progressive organizations.
Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated each year from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, is a time to recognize the history, contributions, and leadership of Hispanic and Latinx members. It is also an opportunity to remember the history of the ongoing fight for workplace justice, equality, and dignity.
This year, more than ever, Hispanic Heritage Month reminds us that the history of the labor movement is also the history of Hispanic and Latinx workers who organized, stood together, and fought for fairness and dignity on the job. Their contributions have strengthened the fundamental principle of unionism: when workers stand together, we have the power to improve our workplaces, our communities, and our country.
AFGE’s Women and Fair Practices Department is committed to honoring and celebrating the contributions of all our federal and D.C. government workers. This commitment includes addressing workplace challenges, advancing fairness and opportunity, and building and empowering the next generation of workers and union leaders.
“This Hispanic Heritage Month, we celebrate the rich cultures, histories, and contributions of Hispanic and Latinx origin communities and honor the voices that continue to strengthen our workplaces and our nation,” said AFGE National Vice President for the Women and Fair Practices Department Kendrick Roberson.
For more than three decades, AFGE has recognized our Hispanic members through the AFGE Hispanic Coalition (AFGE HISCO). AFGE HISCO has been a vital and active coalition within AFGE, providing opportunities for professional advancement, leadership development, and education for AFGE members of Hispanic and Latinx origin. The coalition also plays an important role in strengthening AFGE’s political influence by promoting legislative and political action on issues that affect our members and their communities.
AFGE HISCO builds on the work of other organizations dedicated to supporting Hispanic Americans.
The oldest and most widely respected Hispanic civil rights organization in the U.S. is the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), which was founded in 1929 at a time when Hispanics were denied basic civil and human rights.
In 1968, at the height of the nation’s civil rights movement, President Lyndon Johnson first established the week of Sept. 15 as an annual recognition of Hispanic Americans. The week was expanded to a month by President Ronald Reagan in 1988.
Efforts to support Hispanic workers reached a critical point in 1972, when the AFL-CIO formed the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) as an official constituency group within the organization to educate, organize, and mobilize Latino workers within the labor movement to advance workers’ rights and political influence.
The current chair of AFGE HISCO, Tiffany Roman, also is president of the LCLAA Rocky Mountains chapter. Roman says the efforts of LULAC, LCLAA, and HISCO are critical in supporting Hispanic workers in the federal government and across the country.
“As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, we honor a powerful legacy of advocacy and labor leadership,” Roman said. “LULAC’s creation in the 1920s helped lay the foundation for organized Hispanic advocacy decades before the Civil Rights movement. The creation of AFL-CIO’s LCLAA in the 1970s strengthened Hispanic voices in labor, while AFGE HISCO founded in 1999 ensured continued representation at the leadership table.
“HISCO remains essential to advancing equity, opportunity, and a strong Hispanic/Latinx voice for federal employees and the communities we proudly serve.”
Roman will be leading a monthly meeting of AFGE HISCO on Sept. 17 – one of four events AFGE’s Women and Fair Practices Department is holding in recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month.
Here’s the schedule of events (all times Eastern):
7-8:30 p.m. Sept. 17 – AFGE HISCO Monthly Meeting with presentation from AFGE HISCO Chair and LCLAA Rocky Mountains Chapter President Tiffany Roman. Click here to register.
7-8:30 p.m. Sept. 30 – AFGE HISCO and AFGE PRIDE intersectionality panel event. Click here to register.
7-8:30 p.m. Oct. 7 – Tom Garcia: Community Activism and Inspiration. Click here to register.
7-8:30 p.m. Oct. 15 – AFGE HISCO Monthly Meeting with presentation by AFGE HISCO Chair Tiffany Roman on the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. Click here to register.
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