Hispanic Heritage Month began on September 15 and runs through October 15. This year, the theme is “Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation.”  

The National Council of Hispanic Employment Program Managers announced the theme, which is designed to “reinforce the need to ensure diverse voices and perspectives are welcomed in decision-making processes, thereby helping to build stronger communities and a stronger Nation.”  

The City of Alexandria has a long history of strong immigrant communities and diverse voices. This includes Hispanics who moved here from Mexico, as well as Central and South America. In the 1980s, a large community from El Salvador settled in the neighborhood we now call “Chirilagua,” after the city in El Salvador of the same name. 

To honor Hispanic Heritage Month, Alexandria’s Office of Communications & Public Information is uplifting voices in our City through video interviews, including: 

• Councilman Canek Aguirre 
• Camila Olivares, Senior Communications Officer, Department of Transportation & Environmental Services 
• Police Officer Richard Sandoval 
• Luis Labra, Assistant Director, Alexandria Library 

The national observation of Hispanic Heritage originally began with a week in 1968 under President Lyndon Johnson. President Reagan expanded it to a month in 1988.