Understanding the importance of sharing and accurately portraying how the achievements and sacrifices of Hispanic Americans crafted notable chapters of U.S. history, leaders within the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana have already begun strategizing multiple events and presentations for America’s semiquincentennial in 2026.
Working cooperatively with the National Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and several other regional cultural organizations, the HCCL is determined to contribute to ‘America250’ – a nonpartisan initiative implemented to engage every American in participating in the country’s 250th anniversary.
“Our mission is to highlight Hispanic figures, the milestones they achieved, and how their contributions shaped our nation’s story,” HCCL President and CEO Mayra Pineda says. “Living in the world we’re living in right now, that recognition is more important than ever. Our story as a people – be it locally here in what we do in Louisiana, or on a national level – is a key part of the national narrative, so we have to shape that narrative and ensure that all these groups of different migrations that settled in New Orleans made Louisiana what it is today, and the country what it is today.”
“The First Spanish Period in Louisiana was from 1762 to 1803,” says Maria Isabel Page, the Honorary Consul of Spain in Louisiana, who is a citizen of both the U.S. and Spain. “The Second Spanish period is occurring right now. New Orleans has the strongest ties with Spain and the American Revolution via Galvez. New Orleans should be the focus of attention for America250 in 2026.”
Focused on commemorating our nation’s past and looking ahead to its future, the ‘America250’ initiative will stage celebrations and parades of various themes and cultural significance, hold art and essay contests for elementary, middle school, and high school students, and accept nominations for written and visual storytellers to construct pieces that will be formatted into a collective, ‘Our American Story.’
To learn more about the campaign, visit america250.org.
