9/14/2026

Dear Campus Community,

Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) runs from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15. Each year, a heritage month provides us with a chance to reflect, recognize, celebrate, and learn about the diverse cultures in our region. Washington is one of just 16 states in the U.S. with more than a million Hispanic residents, and the Census estimates that 15% of our state’s population is Hispanic or Latino. Last year, 11.7% of the Puget Sound student body was classified as Hispanic/Latino. 

A central component to building belonging in a community is the recognition of cultural wealth. Education scholar Tara Yosso developed the community cultural wealth framework to help recognize the various forms of capital that students bring with them to college from their home communities and that far too often are overlooked resources to their academic success. Cultural wealth can be seen in their community's skills, competencies, and historic legacies of brilliance, achievement, and leadership. An appreciation for cultural pluralism and a sense of cultural humility are also important in developing an understanding and appreciation for cultural wealth.

Over the next several weeks, there will be a number of regional and national conferences and events focused on the needs and concerns of the Hispanic community. Scholars and administrators from across the nation will be heading to Denver, CO for the annual conference of the National Latinx Psychological Association, while others will travel to Long Beach, CA for the SACNAS conference, which is described as “the leading multidisciplinary and multicultural STEM conference in the country.” Some will head to Chula Vista, CA for the 40th annual conference of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU).

Here in Washington, the Commission on Hispanic Affairs is organizing a series of events for HHM that can be found on their website. On Oct. 1, the Tacoma Public Library is hosting an event at the University of Washington-Tacoma campus featuring Daisy Hernández, author of the book Citizenship: Notes on an American Myth. Hernández will be in conversation with Tacoma Mayor Anders Ibsen. The Washington Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (WALAS) will also be hosting their annual conference on Oct. 23-24 in Kennewick, WA. 

As we usher in Hispanic Heritage Month, let us all commit to living our mission by developing a richer “knowledge of self and others” and an increased “appreciation of commonality and difference” by engaging with any number of resources that can expand our awareness and respect for the more than 70 million people in the U.S. population who are defined as Hispanic. Explore our undergraduate program in Hispanic Studies, visit the UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute, or check out NYU’s The Latinx Project. It is important to take time to honor the rich histories that shape who we are. Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) offers just such an opportunity. 

John Johnson, Ph.D. | Interim Vice President Institutional Equity and Diversity