Hispanic Heritage Month kicks off today to celebrate the cultural legacy of Hispanic and Latine communities, as well as honor their contributions to U.S. history. Why does Hispanic Heritage Month begin in the middle of September? The starting day on September 15 coincides with the national independence days of Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Costa Rica, and the following month overlaps with the independence days of Mexico (September 16), Chile (September 18) and Belize (September 18).
Hispanic Heritage Month should also be a moment to highlight the continued inequities faced by Hispanic and Latine populations in the U.S. A 2021 McKinsey & Company report found that Latine workers are collectively underpaid by $288 billion a year, less likely to have non-wage employer benefits, and particularly vulnerable to disruption (such as being disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic) — all of which holds Latine communities back from building intergenerational wealth and achieving upward economic mobility. The report defined a ‘parity scenario’ in terms of both representation parity (i.e. Latine workers being represented in each occupational category at the same rate as the Latine share of the U.S. labor force) and pay parity (i.e. eliminating current differences in median wages paid to Latine and non-Latine white workers within individual occupations), and stated:
“In aggregate, Latino workers as a group receive just two-thirds of what they would in a parity scenario.”
Additionally, Latina women have the lowest earnings of any intersectional race/ethnicity and gender group — and the pay gap for Latinas has barely budged in 30 years.
Stats like these are why Syndio is committed to providing solutions that drive data-backed action towards improving workplace equity outcomes related to pay, representation, and opportunity. To commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month, our team has collected this list of memoirs, novels, poetry collections, documentaries, movies, and tv shows that uplift Hispanic and Latine perspectives, experiences, and voices.
Nonfiction books
My Beloved World
by Sonia Sotomayor
Finding Latinx: In Search of the Voices Redefining Latin Identity
by Paola Ramos
When I Was Puerto Rican
by Esmerelda Santiago
Solito: A Memoir
by Javier Zamora
Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America
by Juan Gonzalez
Days and Nights of Love and War
by Eduardo Galeano
I Got This: To Gold and Beyond
by Laurie Hernandez
Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood
by Danny Trejo with Donal Logue
Crying in the Bathroom: A Memoir
by Erika L. Sánchez
Inclusion Revolution: The Essential Guide to Dismantling Racial Inequity in the Workplace
by Daisy Auger-Dominguez
The Labyrinth of Solitude and Other Writings
by Octavio Paz
Fiction books
One Hundred Years of Solitude
by Gabriel García Márquez
The House on Mango Street
by Sandra Cisneros
The House of the Spirits
by Isabel Allende
Ficciones
by Jorge Luis Borges
Like Water for Chocolate
by Laura Esquivel
Leaving Tabasco
by Carmen Boullosa
Woman of Light
byKali Fajardo-Anstine
Esperanza Rising
by Pam Muñoz Ryan
How the García Girls Lost Their Accents
by Julia Alvarez
Love in the Time of Cholera
by Gabriel García Márquez
Poetry & graphic novels
Madwomen: The “Locas mujeres” Poems of Gabriela Mistral
by Gabriela Mistral
Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair
by Pablo Neruda (translated by W.S. Merwin)
Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide
Written by Isabel Quintero, illustrated by Zeke Peña
America Chavez: Made in the USA
Written by Kalinda Vazquez, illustrated by Carlos Gomez
Documentaries
Rita Morena: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It
Watch on: Netflix, PBS Passport
30 for 30: Brothers in Exile
Watch on: ESPN+
Roberto Clemente
Watch on: PBS Passport
Lorena, Light-Footed Woman
Watch on: Netflix
Jennifer Lopez: Halftime
Watch on: Netflix
Los Tigres del Norte at Folsom Prison
Watch on: Netflix
Pelé
Watch on: Netflix
Carlos Almarez: Playing with Fire
Watch on: Netflix
A Tale of Two Kitchens
Watch on: Netflix
Movies
Frida
Watch on: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, HBO Max
Coco
Watch on: Disney+
Selena
Watch on: Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Apple TV
In the Heights
West Side Story (1961)
Watch on: HBO Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime
West Side Story (2021)
Roma
Watch on: Netflix
Encanto
Watch on: Disney+
Real Women Have Curves
Watch on: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, HBO Max
A Fantastic Woman (Una mujer fantástica)
Watch on: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play
I’m No Longer Here (Ya no estoy aqui)
Watch on: Netflix
TV Shows & Comedy Specials
Selena: The Series
Watch on: Netflix
George Lopez: We’ll Do It for Half
Watch on: Netflix
Vida
Watch on: Hulu
Cristela Alonzo: Middle Classy
Watch on: Netflix
Street Food: Latin America
Watch on: Netflix
Ugly Betty
Watch on: Hulu, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video
Gentefied
Watch on: Netflix
