Office Activities for Hispanic Heritage Month in September
Office Activities for Hispanic Heritage Month in September
Hispanic Heritage Month takes place between September 15 and October 15, honoring the histories, cultures, and contributions of citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month at work is a fantastic opportunity for your team learn about and celebrate Hispanic and Latinx culture and history. Here are some Hispanic Heritage Month celebration activity ideas to get you started!
Important Things to Remember when Planning Your Hispanic Heritage Month Events
- Celebrate the Diversity of Hispanic Culture – There are dozens of Hispanic nations and even more Hispanic cultures. Try to look at the bigger picture to better understand the Latinx experience and heritage.
- Think Beyond the Stereotypes – There is so much more to Hispanic culture than just Mexico, so don’t limit your celebration to sombreros and margaritas. Always approach the celebration with curiosity and respect.
- Be Inclusive – Your Hispanic Heritage Month celebration should be for everybody, not just employees of Hispanic ancestry. After all, Hispanic Heritage Month is an opportunity for education and awareness for everyone.
Plan a Company Potluck featuring Hispanic Cuisine
A company potluck is always a fun way to get your whole team involved and an even better way to enjoy an amazing meal. Put together a shared spreadsheet and break down menu items into categories like appetizers, main dishes, desserts, and beverages. This ensures that you won't have multiple people bringing the same dish to share or a potluck of only one menu category.
For company potlucks you should always allow your coworkers to prepare a dish that they are comfortable with and excited to make. However, for a Hispanic Heritage Month themed potluck, you'll want to make sure that the menu items fit the occasion. Here are some suggestions for your potluck menu, along with the Hispanic country of origin.
Hispanic Dishes to Cook for Hispanic Heritage Month
- Argentina – Chimichurri Asados
- Brazil – Feijoada Black Bean Stew
- Chile – Baked Lamb Empanadas
- Colombia – Pandebono Cheese Bread
- Costa Rica – Arroz Con Pollo
- Cuba – Ropa Vieja
- Ecuador – Ceviche
- Guatemala – Jacón Chicken Stew
- Honduras – Plantain and Cheese Empanadas
- Mexico – Pork Carnitas
- Paraguay – Sopa Pinto
- Puerto Rico – Arroz Con Gandules
- Spain – Choco Flan
- Venezuela – Crispy Plantain Arepas
Play National Hispanic Heritage Month Trivia
Brush up on your Hispanic and Latin American trivia and get ready for a fun and easy team event that can be enjoyed in the office over some Hispanic cuisine or virtually. If you're planning to make your own trivia some ideas for categories include Hispanic culture, history, geography, music, and art. There are also plenty of resources online that have questions and answers already prepared for you. You can even schedule a fully hosted 1 hour long virtual National Hispanic Heritage Month Trivia.
Watch a Hispanic Film with Your Team
Some of the best films and movies ever made tell Hispanic stories or were made by Hispanic writers and directors. That's why hosting a Hispanic movie night (or afternoon) is such a great way to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Plus, this event is probably the easiest event to put together on our entire list! We recommend creating a survey with some Hispanic films for your team to vote on. Here are some ideas...
Hispanic Films to watch for Hispanic Heritage Month
- In The Heights
- Selena
- Roma
- Coco
- Real Women Have Curves
- Like Water for Chocolate
- Thereabouts 3: Discovering Colombia
- The Book of Life
- West Side Story
Play Lotería, a Traditional Hispanic Game
Lotería is a Mexican card game similar to bingo that's fun and easy for teams to play together. To play you'll need to purchase gamecards and provide tokens to use for marking spaces on the gamecards. Dried pinto beans are traditionally used as markers. Check out this guide for a full breakdown of the rules. If your team is remote, you can also play Lotería online with your whole team.
Pick a Hispanic Author for Your Company Book Club
If your company already has a book club why not select a book that tells a Hispanic story or a book by a Hispanic author for your book of the month? This is a great way to educate yourself and gain some perspective. Since this is more of a take-home activity, this can be done in addition to another Hispanic Heritage Month event. Here are some book ideas to get you started!
Hispanic Books to Read for Hispanic Heritage Month
- The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
- One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
- Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
- How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
- The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henríquez
- The Devil’s Highway: A True Story by Luis Alberto Urrea
- The Poetry of Pablo Neruda
Participate in a Virtual Hispanic Cooking Class
Here's a fun alternative to the company potluck for remote teams! With a Hispanic virtual cooking class not only will you get to eat some delicious Latin cuisine, you'll also acquire a new skill! To get started, check out this list of online group cooking classes that will provide you and your team with an instructor and all the ingredients necessary to make a culinary masterpiece. Next, make sure that your participants all have access to a kitchen and the required materials. Once that's taken care of just schedule your class and send out the invitations!
Play Hispanic Music at the Office
Here's an activity that you can participate in all month long during work and during your Hispanic Heritage Month activities. You can play the playlist 50 Latin Classics from Spotify in the background throughout the month and we recommend all the songs on Billboard’s 50 Greatest Latin Songs of All Time for your parties and events! You might even discover your new favorite musician!
Donate to a Hispanic-Focused Non-Profit
Show that your business supports the Hispanic community by donating to or volunteering for a Hispanic-focused nonprofit organization at some point during Hispanic Heritage Month. Have your team research the non-profits below and decide which cause they want to support. This is also a great way to learn about the Hispanic community and the challenges they face.