In order to recognize Evanston’s Hispanic community, the City of Evanston and ETHS will be observing Hispanic Heritage Month, which lasts from Sept. 15-Oct. 15. Evanston will be hosting its Hispanic Heritage Month Kick-off Celebration tomorrow from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Robert Crown Center.

“Latinos have a long history in Evanston,” said Aracely Canchola, social worker and sponsor of Latino QUEST, which helped organize Hispanic Heritage Month. “Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s much acknowledgement of that, but I think people are starting to realize it.”

The month kicked off at ETHS last week with several events, including the daily Hispanic trivia, “Trivia Latina,” in the announcements.

“ETHS needs Hispanic Heritage Month,” said Dulce Torres, senior and president of Latino QUEST. “It is a way for Latinos to express who we are, and for people to learn more about who we are.”

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, Evanston is 9.0% Hispanic, up from 6.1% in 2000. Additionally, 16.6% of ETHS students are Hispanic.

Hispanic Heritage Month will continue with many events throughout September and October. These include a District 202 school board proclamation on Monday and a celebration with music and food on Oct. 3. Meanwhile, the Evanston Public Library, which hosted a Hispanic literature discussion on Sept. 10, will be hosting another one on Oct. 8, as well as a discussion on Cesar Chavez on Oct. 3.

Hispanic Heritage Month began as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson, and was turned into a month by a law signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. Sept. 15 was chosen as the starting date due to it being the day of independence for five Latin American countries, and having a close proximity to three others.

Although the month ends on Oct. 15, the events do not. At the end of October, ETHS will have a “Day of the Dead” altar in the main lobby, and on Nov. 7, the Latino Heritage Festival will take place in the Auditorium.

“There’s a large and growing Latino population in Evanston,” said Canchola. ”I think it’s important for students — all students, not just Latinos — to be exposed to the Latino culture.”