The Colorado Civil Rights Division (CCRD) celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month. Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and countless contributions of Hispanic Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. The observance begins in the middle of September to coincide with the national independence days of Belize, Chile, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua.
This year’s national observance theme “Latinos: Driving Prosperity, Power, and Progress in America”, celebrates the contributions of Hispanics to America’s economic, political, and social growth.
We acknowledge the contributions of historic Colorado Hispanic Civil Rights leaders, such as Cesar Chavez, Guadalupe Villalobos Briseño and Rodolfo Gonzales, and continue to celebrate the generations of Hispanic Americans who have consistently helped make our state strong and prosperous.
Here in Colorado, Hispanic Americans are the largest and one of the fastest growing ethnic groups throughout the state. Roughly one out of every five Coloradans is Hispanic. As the first and the largest group of non-natives to settle in Colorado, their contribution to the civic, economic, and cultural vitality of Colorado residents, making the Centennial State an exciting place to work, live and play continues to grow. Latinos are currently the second largest racial or ethnic group in Colorado, at 22% of the population.
Did you know that under the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA), there are protections from employment discrimination based on accent, language fluency, and implementing English-Only Requirements? The law states that: Because an individual's primary language is often an essential national origin characteristic, workplace policies requiring employees to speak only English on the job are discouraged and are presumed to create a discriminatory environment based on national origin, with some exceptions. Attend our Employment 101 webinar to learn more!
To help ensure language is not a barrier to accessing protections covered under the CADA, we are pleased to announce that our website is now available in over 144 different languages, including Spanish. We are also continuing to host educational webinars in Spanish, and are available to present to industry and community-based organizations Spanish as well. Please continue to check our website to find and register for all of our online webinars.
To learn about your Civil Rights and protections from discrimination under the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act ("CADA"), visit the Colorado Civil Rights Division