Today marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month, a national celebration honoring the culture, contributions, and influence of the vibrant and diverse Hispanic community in the United States.

Once a weeklong observance first declared by President Lyndon Johnson 1968, this celebration has since expanded to a month-long observance. Beginning September 15 and continuing through October 15, we recognize the generations of Hispanic Americans with origins in Spain, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. September 15 also coincides with the independence of five Central American countries¬—Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. On September 16 and 18, Mexico and Chile will celebrate their independence days.

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, ULI is excited to celebrate its Latino/a and Hispanic members, staff, and contributors to the real estate community. In the coming weeks, we will spotlight members and projects with outstanding impact and during this month, our ULI community will have numerous opportunities to learn more about the history, heritage, and cultural traditions of Hispanic communities. If you are interested in learning more about Hispanic Heritage Month, we encourage you to explore Read, Watch, Listen & Act with ULI SF, a curated list of resources developed by ULI San Francisco.

ULI is committed to pursuing unrelenting efforts to shape the built environment toward diverse, equitable, and inclusive communities. We continue to believe that current and future industry actions can—and must—remedy the impact of exclusionary practices that have affected the Hispanic community in the real estate industry and thereby create access and foster unity.

We urge ULI members to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and follow along with us across our platforms for more related content and education in the coming weeks. For additional information about diversity, equity, and inclusion at ULI, contact [email protected].

Sincerely,

Gwyneth Jones Coté
President, Americas

Sonia Huntley
Senior Vice President
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion