Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month
Established in 1968 , Americans celebrate the period from September 15th to October 15th as National Hispanic Heritage Month . The following are but a handful of great Latino American contributors to our great American culture .
Simon Bolivar : The Liberator
Born in Venezuela and educated in Spain , young Bolivar came under the influence of a new breed of colonial , independence seekers . He became a Freemason in Cadiz , Spain in 1803 . Notable Freemasons included great independence fighters : George Washington , Miguel Hidalgo , Jose San Martin , Bernardo O ’ Higgins and Francisco de Miranda . Inspired by them and others , he returned to his homeland with a passion to rid the entire continent of Spanish rule .
Forming an army of Creoles ( Spaniards born in the colonies ), Bolivar masterfully directed military victory after victory until his armies had successfully liberated Venezuela , Colombia , Ecuador , Peru and Bolivia . He was so revered that he was chosen to serve as president of each of those newly formed countries ( except Ecuador ).
“ Proper morals , and not force , are the bases of law ; and to practice justice is to practice liberty .”
Eva Peron : Political Leader
Eva Peron was one of the most influential women in Latin American history . Born poor in a small town in Argentina in 1919 , she grew up struggling to find a better life for herself . As a teenager , she drew upon her beauty and her cunning to lure her way to Buenos Aires where she became an actress and a singer . In 1945 she married Juan Peron who , with her help , became president of Argentina a year later .
Evita , as she was affectionately known , used her position as first lady to fight for women ’ s rights and the lives of the poor . She took to the streets and worked tirelessly with those in need of her help . Her efforts made her one of the most beloved women in history . Upon her sudden illness and death at the age of only 33 she was given a “ head of state ” funeral .
“ I have one thing that counts , and that is my heart ; it burns in my soul , it aches in my flesh , and it ignites my nerves : that is my love for the people and Peron .”
Roberto Clemente : Athlete
Born in Puerto Rico in 1934 , Roberto Clemente had two passions : baseball and humanitarianism . He signed a professional contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates when he was only 20 years old . In his career he played in 15 All Star games , won two World Series and was voted the Most Valuable Player in the National League once . In 1971 he was the Most Valuable Player in the World Series leading his Pirates team with a blistering . 414 batting average . In 1972 , in his last game ever , he got his 3,000 base hit .
That put him in the company of the likes of Babe Ruth , Lou Gehrig and Ty Cobb .
Roberto died in a plane crash on December 31 , 1972 while helping survivors of an earthquake in Nicaragua . The following year major league baseball waived its five year rule and elected him to the National Baseball Hall of Fame . He became the first Latino inducted into the Hall .
“ If you have a chance to help others and fail to do so you ’ re wasting your time on this earth .”