4 / 6
4
Diego Rivera (1886-1957):Dance inTehuantepec (Baile inTehuantepec),1928.Oil on canvas.
©
Collection of
Clarissa and Edgar Bronfman Jr.
©
Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo MuseumsTrust,Mexico,D.F./ DACS.
NATIONAL
HISPANIC
HERITAGE
M O N T H
I
n the United States the period from September 15th to Octo-
ber 15th is National Hispanic Heritage Month. It was approved
by former United States President Lyndon Johnson. It was
expanded to a month by President Ronald Reagan and enacted
into law in 1988. National Hispanic Heritage Month begins on
the anniversary of the independence of Nicaragua, Honduras, Guate-
mala, El Salvador and Costa Rica. It is also meant to celebrate the long
history of Latino and Hispanic Americans in North America, as well as
their heritage.
In honor of the National Hispanic Heritage Month, we celebrate two
anointed Hispanics that are making a difference in their culture and
community they represent.
Rev. Samuel Rodriguez
As president of the largest Hispanic Christian organization in the nation, Rev. Samuel Rodriguez is likely
the most well known of Hispanic evangelicalism’s leaders. He blends the evangelistic vision of Billy
Graham with the social justice activism of Martin Luther King, Jr., the result being a number of National
Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC) ministries like Free Indeed, which aims to mobilize
“born-again” Christians to join the movement to end human trafficking, and Imago Dei, a social media
campaign committed to “recognizing that we are all made in the image of God, without exception.” CNN
named Rev. Rodriguez “the leader of the Hispanic Evangelical movement.” The
Wall Street Journal
identi-
fied him as one of America’s seven most influential Hispanic leaders and the only religious leader on the
list.
Charisma Magazine
identifies Rev. Rodriguez as America’s most influential spirit-filled Christian Leader
in the political sphere.The Reverend is an Assemblies of God ordained minister and serves as Senior Pastor
of New Season ChristianWorship Center in Sacramento, CA. He resides in California with his wife of 22
years, Eva, and their three children.
Minerva G. Carcaño
The first Hispanic woman to be elected to the episcopacy of The United Methodist Church (UMC), the
second-largest Protestant denomination in the United States. She was elected in 2004 and her first as-
signment was as Bishop of the Phoenix Episcopal Area of Desert Southwest Conference of the UMC. She
currently serves as Bishop of the Los Angeles area, California-Pacific Conference for the UMC. She serves
as the official spokesperson for the United Methodist Council of Bishops on the issue of immigration.
Carcaño was raised in Edinburg,Texas. Her early years of humble economic circumstances influenced her
life-long commitment to persons who face poverty and discrimination. Her ministry has included work
with the poor, farm workers, immigrants, and refugees – including community organizing through the
Industrial Areas Foundation.