The City of Cedartown has a lot of reasons to celebrate many months of the year, but National Hispanic Heritage Month is one that is particularly important over recent weeks, and with the proclamation read during the City Commission’s October session provides plenty of proof why Cedartown is at the center of Hispanic culture locally.

Commission Chair Matt Foster – who has previously also marked the month during his tenure at Northside Elementary School and continues at Cedartown Middle School – read aloud the celebration of the month in words for the record, and noted some particular points of interest for readers.

“Hispanic Heritage Month showcases the way Hispanic-Americans have enriched the United States, and I’m proud that we can recognize and honor the various cultural backgrounds of many of our citizens and residents,” he said.

First and foremost, one reason why everyone should particularly celebrate this month is with the start on the job of Edward Guzman as City Manager on October 1, the first Hispanic administrator in the city to enter that role. Guzman, the former Assistant City Manager and Assistant Clerk, has worked in a number of roles within the city.

Second, Cedartown has a growing Hispanic population and business culture in past years.

In this year’s proclamation, Foster noted the city had some 3,759 out of 9,997 people who are of Hispanic or Latino descent who identify as Hispanic living within Cedartown’s limits, and 44 businesses that are Hispanic-owned call Cedartown home. That is just over 37% of the city’s entire population.

National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated annual from September 15 through October 15, falling in line with a number of Latin American countries who celebrate their Independence Day from Spanish colonial rule.

It was proclaimed and begun in 1968 under President Lyndon Johnson and expanded under President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover the 30-day period of mid-September to mid-October to celebrate the heritage and culture of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

“The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September18, respectively. Also, Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, which is October 12, falls within this 30 day period,” per the National Hispanic Heritage Month website.