Lacey City Council proclaims Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month 

Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month is being recognized in the City of Lacey.  

The Lacey City Council proclaimed a monthlong observance to recognize the community’s contributions and promote public awareness of its history and culture. City council members presented the proclamation at their meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 15. 

The observance runs through Oct. 15. It began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under then President Lyndon B. Johnson before federal law expanded it to a 30-day period in 1988 under then-President Ronald Reagan.

The law called on public officials, educators, librarians and the public to commemorate the period through activities and programs. 

Hispanic people account for 14.2 percent of the state of Washington's population and 12 percent of Lacey's population, according to the proclamation. Council members noted their role in the military, education, agriculture, business and public service. 

This year's theme, "Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together," highlights innovators in science, arts, politics and activism. The proclamation notes that the Latinx identity includes people who speak Spanish and descend from more than 26 Latin American nations, along with Indigenous, Black, African, Asian and queer communities. 

The meeting also included a reading by Lacey Poet Laureate Sonya Wohletz. She selected Gabriela Mistral’s poem, “The Teller of Tales,” for the observance. Mistral, a Chilean writer who lived from 1889 to 1957, was the first Latin American writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. 

Following the reading, Paulette Perez Burgos and Gustavo Del Castillo Ramirez accepted the proclamation on behalf of the Hispanic Roundtable of South Sound.

The nonprofit formed in 2002 to improve access to community resources, services, economic development, education and employment for Latinx people in the region. 

Youth summit 

One of the organization’s programs is the annual Latinx Youth Summit. The event serves more than 500 high school students from five counties and has been hosted on rotating college campuses. Sessions address college readiness, career exploration, and health and wellness. 

For the 2025-26 school year, organizers changed the summit from an in-person event to a virtual format. Del Castillo Ramirez explained the reason for the change. 

“This was in response to the difficult political and social climate in which the Latinx students and families we serve have been targeted for harm right here in our own community,” he said. “Their safety remains and has always been our highest priority.” 

Perez Burgos also invited the public to attend a community cultural forum on Oct. 16 and support local businesses. The Hispanic Roundtable is seeking new board members and volunteers to support its activities.