Romeoville Library Honors National Hispanic Heritage Month

ROMEOVILLE, IL — To honor Hispanic Heritage Month, the White Oak Library District in Romeoville has a special display with books by Hispanic authors, including fiction, non-fiction, and even cook books.

Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period. It was enacted into law on Aug. 17, 1988, on the approval of Public Law 100-402.

The day of Sept. 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on Sept. 16 and Sept. 18, respectively. Also, Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, which is Oct. 12, falls within this 30-day period.

"When you read a book about a different culture, you don't just learn about that different culture. You learn about the similarities we all share and it is really an eye-opening experience," said Romeoville Library Branch Manager Beverly Krakovec.

The display at the library has been created by Alyssa Doot, adult services librarian, who said that she read up about this online and curated a collection of various kinds of books, especially cook books as food is a "good way to learn about different cultures."

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