By Donald Gilpin

Starting in September and lasting into mid-October, Hispanic Heritage Month will celebrate the histories, cultures, and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

The Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund (LALDEF) will be hosting a joint Heritage Month celebration and health fair event at St. Mary’s Cathedral, 151 Warren Street in Trenton, on September 9 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. LALDEF will offer free food, prizes, COVID-19 vaccines, flu and other back-to-school vaccines, and breast cancer screenings, as well as information on resources such as WIC (women, infants, children) services, health insurance enrollment, mental health services, and family support services.

“We invite all residents of Mercer County to join us on September 9 for this wonderful celebration, where our community comes first,” said LALDEF Executive Director Cecy Jimenez-Weaast. “We hope that you will join us in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month.”

A LALDEF press release notes that the organization’s mission is to “promote the rights of all immigrants (with a focus on the Latin American community in the Mercer County area); facilitate access to health care, education, and legal representation; advocate for the integration of immigrants; and foster intercultural communication that strengthens our communities.”

Hispanic Heritage Month started in 1968 as Historic Heritage Week and became a full month, September 15 to October 15, in 1988. September marks the anniversary of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico celebrates its independence day on September 16, and Chile on September 18.

On October 8, as part of Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations, a Festival Cultural Latino will take place at the Princeton YMCA from 1 to 5 p.m. The event will feature the richness and diversity of Latin American culture through music, local artists and artisans, traditional food, and arts and crafts activities, including the community piñata.

Mi Pueblo Lindo, the Princeton YMCA, Princeton Public Library, Princeton University, the Arts Council of Princeton, McCarter Theatre, and La Lupita grocery store are co-sponsoring the event, which is free and open to the public.

On Saturday, September 16 from 2 to 4 p.m., at the Suzanne Patterson Center on Stockton Street, the Princeton Senior Resource Center (PSRC), along with Princeton Human Services, will be hosting Loteria — Mexican Bingo. Loteria will be called in Spanish and English, with prizes for winners and refreshments for all.

Other PSRC events to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month will include a Spanish Book Club on September 6, 13, 20, and 27, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. The chosen book is Como aqua para chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate) by Laura Esquivel.

For more information on PSRC events or to donate prizes to the Loteria, email human services@princetonnj.gov or email Johanna Peters at PSRC at jpeters@princetonsenior.org.