This month is Hispanic Heritage Month, which recognizes and celebrates the contributions that Americans tracing their roots to Spain, Mexico, Central America, South America and the Spanish-speaking nations of the Caribbean have made to American society and culture. The observance was born in 1968 when Congress authorized the president to issue an annual proclamation designating National Hispanic Heritage Week. Just two decades later, lawmakers expanded it to a month-long celebration, stretching from September 15 to October 15. 

The timing of Hispanic Heritage Month is significant. The month kicks off on September 15th, the day that marks the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. The designated period is also a nod to those from Mexico and Chile, which celebrate their independence on September 16th and 18th, respectively. 

Heritage months are not only to celebrate, but also to educate on contributions to American History, as well as an opportunity to reflect on our relationships with groups that may be under-recognized or historically marginalized. The Hispanic population in the US is quickly growing, and is now the largest racial or ethnic group in California. Contributions to American History by those of Hispanic heritage are innumerable, and include the activist Cesar Chavez, the author Julia Alvarez, the astronaut Ellen Ochoa, and the United States Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Over the last three years, Fueled has made it a pillar of our hiring program to have a team that accurately reflects the world around us. That means increasing our headcount of groups who are statistically underrepresented in tech, including those of Hispanic/Latinx heritage. Currently, 6% of Fueled team members identify as Hispanic or Latinx, and we are actively working to increase that number. 

We are working with Techqueria, a nonprofit that empowers Latinx professionals with the resources and support that they need to thrive and become leaders in the tech industry, and  Latinas in Tech, another non-profit organization with the aim to connect, support, and empower Latina women working in tech. We not only hope to build a diverse company to reflect the world around us, but to make an impact in communities underrepresented in the tech industry.

But staffing is only one of several ways that Fueled is working to equitably support the Hispanic/Latinx community. This month we are donating $5000 to RAICES, an organization dedicated to providing legal services to both documented and undocumented refugees and immigrants, and matching all employees' donations to any organization whose mission is to support the Hispanic/Latinx community. Some of these organizations include:

• Voto Latino 
• United We Dream
• Hispanic Heritage Foundation
• Hispanic Scholarship Fund
• National Alliance for Hispanic Health
• Safe Passage Project
• Latino Community Foundation

We have also put together a list of businesses in the New York city area that you can support not just this month but all year around. We have put together a wide range of resources such as films and books to not only educate yourself on the history and culture of the Latinx community, but to celebrate the many artists and intellectuals that have come from the greater community. 

" Not only do we believe it is our responsibility to accurately represent and support the world around us, we find the value of working with a diverse team is absolutely essential to providing the highest quality of company services and personal growth. " - Aubryn Thompson, Managing Director