Celebrating Honduran-Americans During Hispanic Heritage Month

Celebrating Honduran-Americans During Hispanic Heritage Month Tomás Ávila With a salute to the Mayas, Incas, Aztecs, Arahuacs, Tainos, Caribs and all the Americas Indigenous, and a bow to the many Hispanics in Rhode Island and the nation, Hispanic Heritage Month is once again upon us. In September 1968, Congress authorized President Lyndon B. Johnson to proclaim National Hispanic Heritage Week. The observance was expanded in 1988 to a month long celebration (September 15 – October 15). America celebrates the culture and traditions of U.S. residents who trace their roots to Mexico, the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America and the Caribbean and Spain.

September 15 was chosen as the starting point for the celebration because it is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively.

From the earliest days of our Republic, Hispanic Americans have written crucial chapters in our national story and local history. Hispanics have honorably defended our country in war and built prosperity during times of peace. They run successful businesses, teach our next generation of leaders, and pioneer scientific and technological breakthroughs. This month, America acknowledges these vital contributions and celebrates our Hispanic heritage.

Hispanic Americans represent an array of distinct and vibrant cultures, each of which enriches communities in valuable ways. Just as America embraces a rich blend of backgrounds, those who journey to our shores embrace America. Sharing the dream of equality and boundless opportunity, many Hispanics have marched for social justice and helped advance America's journey toward a more perfect Union.

Throughout our history, America's promise of individual freedom and opportunity has drawn millions upon millions of immigrants from across the globe. As these newcomers arrived, they gradually wove their own traditions into the tapestry of our Nation's culture and society. Hispanic Americans have made significant contributions to the American Armed Forces, with more than 40 Medal of Honor recipients dating back to the Civil War. During the Korean War, the Boriqueneers (Buccaneers) of the 65th Infantry Regiment, Puerto Rican National Guard, led the last recorded battalion-sized bayonet charge by the U.S. Army on two hills held by the Chinese 149th Division Feb. 2, 1951.

The Hispanic population of the United States as of July 1, 2012, is 53 million making people of Hispanic origin the nation's largest ethnic or racial minority. Hispanics constituted 17 percent of the nation's total population. The number of Hispanic-owned businesses in 2007, 2.3 million up 43.6 percent from 2002, $350.7 billion with receipts generated by Hispanic-owned businesses in 2007, up 58.0 percent from 2002.

One of our Nation's greatest strengths is its vast diversity. The mosaic of races, ethnicities, and religious groups that comprise America provides us with a powerful energy and an ability to see the world from many viewpoints. This year I’ve decided to dedicate this celebration to Honduran descent individuals that have made an impact in this country.

An estimated 702,000 Hispanics of Honduran origin resided in the United States in 2011, according to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Hondurans in this statistical profile are people who self-identified as Hispanics of Honduran origin; this means either they themselves are Honduran immigrants or they trace their family ancestry to Honduras. Hondurans are the ninth-largest population Tomás Ávila

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Celebrating Honduran-Americans During Hispanic Heritage Month of Hispanic origin living in the United States, accounting for 1.4% of the U.S. Hispanic population in 2011.

About two-thirds of Hondurans (64%) in the United States are foreign born compared with 36% of Hispanics and 13% of the U.S. population overall. Roughly eight-in-ten immigrants from Honduras (78%) arrived in the U.S. in 1990 or later. About two-in-ten Honduran immigrants (22%) are U.S. citizens. Hondurans are younger than the U.S. population and slightly older than Hispanics overall. The median age of Hondurans is 28; the median ages of the U.S. population and all Hispanics are 37and 27, respectively.

Since our country's inception, Hispanic Americans have always been an integral part of this great mosaic such as Honduran-Americans highlighted this year: Stephen "Steve" W. Van Buren (December 28, 1920 − August 23, 2012) born in La Ceiba, Honduras, but after he was orphaned as a boy, he was sent to live with relatives in New Orleans was a professional American football halfback who played for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL) from 1944–1951, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965.

Virginia Elenor "Ginny" Montes (1943–1994) born in Guanaja, Honduras was a civil rights activist and feminist who was the first Latina to become a national officer of the National Organization for Women(NOW). Her family moved to Tampa, Florida when she was ten years old. She graduated from Jefferson High School in Tampa, and attended the University of Florida, receiving a B.A. with a major in Sociology in 1968. Ginny Montes became active with the Gainesville Women for Equal Rights (GWER) while still a student. She eventually was elected president of GWER. Abraham Laboriel (July 17, 1947) is a world renowned bassist and the founder of the band KOINONIA. He was born and raised in Mexico City where he received his earliest musical training from his Honduran born father Juan Jose Laboriel, a gifted guitarist and composer. His first recording was at age 10 as part of a "rock and roll" group called "Los Traviesos". After performing in Mexico thru his teen years as both a musician and an actor, he moved to Boston where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Composition from the Berklee School of Music in 1972.

Renán Almendárez Coello El Cucuy de la Mañana (born November 18, 1953 in Honduras) He had an estimated audience of about three million daily listeners. For six years, "El Cucuy" was the mostlistened-to voice on L.A. radio, surpassing the ratings of Rick Dees and Howard Stern. Renan hosted the morning show on KLAX-FM in Los Angeles, California.

Daniel Zacapa (born 1954 as Garret Pearson in Honduras and raised in the San Francisco Bay area) is an American trilingual actor and community activist who dreamed of playing baseball for the San Francisco Giants. Zacapa played the role of Detective Taylor in the 1995 David Fincher film, Seven. He has worked steadily, amassing a number of television credits and a role in Up Close and Personal.

Jose Francisco Avila (born 1954, Trujillo, Honduras) A Senior Tax Accountant with Thompson Reuter, and founder of the New Horizon Investment Club.in New York City with the objective of pooling their financial resources to learn how to invest in the stock market and subsequently become active participants in the economic development of the Honduran Community Residing in New York City, teaching members how to become successful strategic long-term investors.

Tomás Ávila

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Celebrating Honduran-Americans During Hispanic Heritage Month Miguel Angel Estrada Castañeda (born September 25, 1961, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras) is an attorney who became embroiled in controversy following his 2001 nomination by President George W. Bush to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Senate Democrats, claiming Estrada was a conservative ideologue with no experience as a judge, and unable to block his nomination in the Senate Judiciary Committee after the Republican Party took control of the Senate in 2002, used a filibuster to prevent his nomination from being given a final confirmation vote by the full Senate.

Gerald Anthony Young (born October 22, 1964, in Tela, Honduras) is a former professional baseball outfielder. He played all or part of eight seasons in Major League Baseball, primarily as a center fielder.

He is the first person born in Honduras to play Major League Baseball. Young was drafted in the 5th round of the 1982 MLB amateur draft by the New York Mets. He was, along with Rafael Palmeiro and Dwight Gooden, part of a draft class that set a major league record for a single team when 12 of those players reached the major leagues.

Carlos Mencia (born October 22, 1967 in San Pedro SULA, Honduras), born Ned Arnel Mencia, is an American comedian, writer, and actor. His style of comedy is often political and involves issues of race, culture, criminal justice, and social class. He is best known as the host of the Comedy Central show, Mind of Mencia. Mencia was a quick success at such venerated LA stand-up venues as The Comedy Store and The L.A. Cabaret. This led to appearances on The Arsenio Hall Show and Buscando Estrellas, where he attained the title "International Comedy Grand Champion." Then, in 1994, Mencia was chosen to host HBO's Latino comedy showcase Loco Slam.

Harold "Hype" Williams (born 1970 in Queens, New York City, NY), previously known as HYPE, is an American music video and film director. Williams first displayed his work by tagging local billboards, storefronts, and playgrounds using HYPE as his graffiti tag. He is of African and Honduran descent. He later attended Adelphi University. Williams' big break came when he began working with Classic Concepts Video Productions. Lionel "Vid Kid" Martin & VJ Ralph McDaniels created Williams' first opportunity with the "Filmmakers With Attitude" moniker (FWA), which was Williams' first video company.

Abe Laboriel Jr. (1971, Los Angeles) is an American session drummer. A highly sought after session drummer, Abe Laboriel, Jr. is the son of veteran bassist Abraham Laboriel, Sr. and grew up surrounded by music. He was playing drums by the age of four, and studied with several high-profile drummers, including Jeff Porcaro, Chester Thompson, Bill Maxwell, and Alex Acuña, who had formed the band Koinonia with Laboriel, Sr. in the 1980s. After graduating from high school, Laboriel immediately enrolled in the Berklee College of Music, graduating from there in 1993.

Georgine America Ferrera (born April 18, 1984) is an American actress, the youngest of six children, was born in Los Angeles, California. Her parents, América Griselda Ayes and Carlos Gregorio Ferrera, were originally from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and immigrated to the United States in the mid 1970s. She is best known for her leading role as Betty Suarez on the ABC television series Ugly Betty (2006–2010).

Her portrayal garnered critical acclaim, and she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy, the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series, and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

David James Archuleta (born December 28, 1990) is an American singer-songwriter and actor born to Lupe Marie (née Mayorga), (Honduras), and Jeff Archuleta (Spain). At ten years old, he won the Tomás Ávila

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Celebrating Honduran-Americans During Hispanic Heritage Month children's division of the Utah Talent Competition leading to other television singing appearances.

When he was twelve years old, Archuleta became the Junior Vocal Champion on Star Search 2. In 2007, at sixteen years old, he became one of the youngest contestants on the seventh season of American Idol.

In May 2008 he finished as the runner-up, receiving 44 percent of over 97 million votes.

Satcha Preto (born April 5, 1980) is an Emmy award-winning Journalist and news co-anchor of the Univision Network's popular morning show Despierta America.was born in La Paz, Honduras, the daughter of Honduran Liz Padilla and Panamanian Rolando Pretto. Pretto studied in bilingual schools in Honduras. Satcha's excellent academic record earned her a scholarship in 1998 to attend Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas. In 2001, she graduated with a B.A. in Communications. She started her professional career as a television journalist in Midland-Odessa, Texas as a reporter and anchor of the late night newscast of KTLE-Telemundo.

Raquel Roxanne Diaz (born November 17, 1983, Tegucigalpa, Honduras) better known by her stage name Rocsi, is a television personality of BET's 106 & Park and hosts her own daily nationally syndicated radio show, Rocsi on the Radio. She moved with her family to New Orleans, Louisiana where she attended West Jefferson High School in Harvey, Louisiana and later be a DJ on a Boston radio station. On 2004, she was moved to Chicago, Illinois. And hired as midday-hour DJ at Power 92 WPWX-FM Chicago radio station.

Hispanics make up 17 percent of the U.S. population and about 9 percent of the overall federal workforce, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the Office of Personnel Management.

Hispanic Heritage Month climaxes with el dia de la Raza or Columbus Day that celebrates the fusion of three cultures, the Indigenous People of the Americas, the European Spaniard and African. HispanicAmericans can look back and acknowledge the impact that Spanish explorers and Africans had over the Americas and the birth of the Hispanic culture throughout the continent.

In many ways, one month seems paltry when you consider the contributions made by Hispanics over the course of over 500 hundred years of history. From the earliest mission towns to modern day Miami, the vitality of the Hispanic community has always been evident. And as our presence grows we are slowly infusing America with our culture even as we in turn become more Americans. Hispanics are changing the face of America even as they are being changed by their new homeland.

Felﾃｭz Hispanic Heritage Month to all!!

Tomﾃ｡s ﾃ」ila

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