Honoring the contributions of the Hispanic/Latino community
Community, family, and tradition are the heart and soul of Hispanic/Latino people. With a culture rich in history, customs, and contributions, we are proud to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.
A community of contributions
In the U.S., Latinas and Latinos have held significant roles throughout our country’s history. As business owners, activists, artists, athletes, politicians, entertainers, and more, Latinas and Latinos have been and continue to be strong leaders and change makers.
Roberto Clemente – Hall of Fame baseball player
Celia Cruz – Singer
Gloria Estefan – Musician
Dolores Huerta – Women’s labor rights activist, co-founder of the UFW with Cesar Chavez, and leader of the civil rights movement.
Carolina Herrera – Fashion designer
Judy Baca – Civil rights activist and fine artist
Isabel Allende – Writer
Isabel Allende – Writer
Lin-Manuel Miranda – Playwright/Composer
Rita Moreno – Pioneering actress, dancer and singer, renowned for her roles in movies, theater and television, who achieved the EGOT: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards, and was awarded the Presidential Meda lof Honor in 2004
Dr. Ellen Ochoa – First Latina in space
Marcelo Balboa – Professional footballer and former captain of the United States men’s national soccer team
Sylvia Rivera – Gay and transgender rights and activist
Helen Rodríguez Trías – Physician, children’s health activist and former president of the American Public Health Association
Early Spanish explorers reach America.
Settlers from central New Spain (modern Mexico) established a settlement in what is now Los Angeles.
Mexico wins independence from Spain in the Mexican War of Independence.
Joseph Marion Hernandez becomes the first Latino member of Congress.
Mexican-American War takes place resulting in a border between Texas and Mexico, also giving America control of California, New Mexico, Utah, a majority of Colorado and Arizona, and part of Oklahoma, Wyoming, and Kansas.
New Mexico enters the union as an official bilingual state, granting funds for bilingual education and voting.
Puerto Ricans granted U.S. citizenship.
Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo of New Mexico is sworn in as the country’s first Latino senator.
Multiple organizations combine to create League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the largest and longest lasting Latino civil rights group in the U.S.
Supreme Court prohibits segregation for Mexican-American students, seven years before the historic Brown v. Board of Education case.
Cesar Chavez, director of the National Farm Workers Association, leads an historic strike that would last 5 years and 26 days and culminate in the formation of the United Farm Workers Union.
Dr. Lauro Cavazos becomes the first Latino appointed to a presidential cabinet when President Ronald Reagan names him Secretary of Education.
Sonia Sotomayor is sworn in as the first Latina Supreme Court Justice.
The U.S. Census Bureau reports the Latina and Latino population at 50.5 million or 16% of the U.S. population.
Latina and Latino voters became the second-largest voting bloc in the country, changing the landscape of voting in the U.S.
Did you know...
In addition to historical milestones that shaped our country, Latinos have been at the forefront of these ground-breaking inventions that have shaped the world:
Fritos
The deliciously addictive corn chip recipe was created by Mexican-American restaurant owner Gustavo Olguin, who sold the recipe to the Doolin family in 1932. Since 1961, the curly, fried chips have been produced by the Frito-Lay division of PepsiCo.
Beauty Blender
A revolutionary invention in the makeup industry, the Beauty Blender was the first sponge of its kind to reproduce an airbrush-effect when applying foundation to skin. It was created by Latina makeup artist and entrepreneur Rea Ann Silva.
Life-long nickel-hydrogen batteries
Olga D. Gonzalez-Sanabria a chemical engineer from Puerto Rican descent and her team at NASA created the batteries which are used in space satellites to improve their performance.
Apple’s Emojis
Angela Guzman is a Colombian-American UX designer who co-created the original set of Apple emojis in 2008. 😊
X-ray reflection microscope
Mexican-American physicist Albert Vinicio Báez was the co-creator of the X-ray reflection microscope which uses X-rays to produce enlarged images of small or distant subjects. Thanks to this invention, we have the ability to examine things as small as living cells and as far away as galaxies.
My Community
M&T honors and celebrates our Hispanic/Latino employees who come to work each day as their authentic self, sharing their culture and experiences. Hear from our employees on what Hispanic Heritage Month means to them:
Dianechka Vidal Ortiz
Business Operations Apprentice/ Buffalo Promise Neighborhood
"For me Hispanic Heritage Month, it is not just a month but a whole year, we celebrate because we all have our story to tell and we feel proud to be able to raise the flag high and say that we made it, for our ancestors and our future. Being Hispanic is not just a name, it is a feeling that no one can take away from you."
Yarelis Torres
Bilingual Universal Banker
"Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to honor where I came from and everything that makes our culture rich, joyful, and strong. It’s a reminder of how far we’ve come as a community, and how much pride and resilience lives in our stories, music, language, and traditions."
Dulce De Leche Bakery
Established in 2007, Dulce de Leche Bakery is a modern Argentinian bakery and café that began as a small family-run business. Now with four locations, we continue to offer the same high-quality products and exceptional customer service that defined our beginnings.
