By Shana Thornton
September 15 marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States. For twenty years, Hispanic Heritage was observed as a week-long celebration, after being first acknowledged by Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968, when he was president. Twenty years later in 1988, then-President Ronald Reagan changed the observance to a full month.
Reagan insisted on the month-long observance in order to honor the independence celebrations from many Hispanic countries. There is a reason why it begins on Sept. 15, mid-month, and continues through October 15. First, a few Hispanic countries celebrate their independence on Sept. 15 – Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico’s independence follows on Sept. 16, and Chile celebrates on Sept. 18. In order to include Cuban independence from Spain, which is celebrated October 10, and honor the island’s pre-Castro government, the month-long observance goes through October 15 every year.
Hispanic Heritage Festival & Miss Hispanic Pageant Details
Clarksville’s Hispanic Heritage Festival for 2025 is an event for the whole family and is free and open to the public. The festival will take place from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Sunday, October 12, 2025, at the Wilma Rudolph Event Center. Businesses, musicians, craft vendors, educators, food vendors, and more will be at the event.
The Miss Hispanic Heritage Pageant will also take place on Oct. 12 in the Wilma Rudolph Event Center. The address is 8 Champions Way, Clarksville, TN.
Clarksville’s Hispanic Heritage Festival’s first celebration took place in 2021. Created by the Clarksville Hispanic American Family Foundation, the mission of the festival is two-fold: “We launched this festival to celebrate and raise awareness about the diversity of different Latin American cultures. We understand how much of an impact the Hispanic population has on our city of Clarksville.”
Image from Clarksville Hispanic American Family Foundation.
Clarksville Hispanic American Family Foundation (C.H.A.F.F.)
Founded in 2017, the Clarksville Hispanic American Family Foundation is committed to empowering the Hispanic American community to develop a unified voice, defend their rights, and create an atmosphere where they are recognized, accepted, and integrated. “Our desire is for everyone to be part of the community. C.H.A.F.F. provides the education, tools, and resources that make families productive members and citizens in our community.” – from the C.H.A.F.F. website here
Image from Clarksville Hispanic American Family Foundation.
References:
- Clarksville Hispanic American Family Foundation (C.H.A.F.F.) website
- C.H.A.F.F. Facebook page
- National Hispanic Heritage Month Fact Sheet, Library of Congress.
Shana Thornton is the Managing Editor of Second & Commerce, the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center’s arts, history, and culture magazine. She is an author and publisher, Founder of the Clarksville-Montgomery County African American Legacy Trail, and the Montgomery County Deputy Historian.