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Now that Labor Day is past, schools, libraries and other cultural organizations in Dorchester are slowly beginning to roll out their offerings for Hispanic Heritage Month.

Mes de la Herencia Hispana doesn’t get nearly the attention that Black History Month gets, partially because it falls awkwardly between two months (September 15 to October 15). Hispanic Heritage Month, whose roots go back to 1968, begins each year on September 15, the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico, Chile and Belize also celebrate their independence days during this period. The controversial Columbus Day (which many Latinos prefer to celebrate as Día de la Raza) falls on October 12.

Locally, UMass Boston kicks things off with a forum on Restitución de Niños: A Conversation with Las Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo on Thurs., Sept. 19 from 2 to 4 p.m. The event which is free and open to the public will take place on the 5th floor of the school’s  Healey Library.

One of Argentina’s most renowned human rights organizations, Las Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo (Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo) exposed the systematic abduction of children and falsification of their identities as a tactic of the “Dirty War.” Since the restoration of democracy in Argentina, the Grandmothers have continued to press to bring human rights abusers to justice. Their search has located scores of their missing grandchildren and restored their identities. The Grandmothers’ commitment to identity as a human right has inspired rights organizations throughout Latin America and the world.

The university will welcome Estela Barnes de Carlotto, president and a founding member, and Buscarita Roa, assistant treasurer, from Las Abuelas to speak about their important work. Light refreshments will be served. Please RSVP by emailing library.archives@umb.edu
Next up on Friday, Sept. 27 from 12:30pm to 1:30pm, the Grove Hall Branch of the BPL will host a classical guitar performance by Michael Nigro, Professor of Music at Southern Vanguard University in California. He will play selections from new recording, “A Journey Through Latin America.” The concert will showcase the compositions of works by South American and Spanish composers. If you miss this presentation which is part of the BPL’s celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, you can catch Nigro at the Dudley Branch on September 30.

Finally, as a big finish to the month the JFK Library’s monthly Celebrate! series will present “Veronica Robles - El Esplendor de México” on October 14 from 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. Robles and her Mariachi band are among the best known of the region’s purveyors of this romantic brass and strings genre.

Mariachi music is trending at the moment as this musical tradition is at the heart of “Qué Bonito Amor,” a telenovela that has been running through 2013 on the Spanish language broadcaster Univision. This July Univision for the first time edged ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC to become Número Uno among viewers ages 18 to 49, the audience most coveted by advertisers. Robles has a 10 a.m. Saturday morning information, education and entertainment show on Telemundo, a Univision rival station. The Celebrate! series is free but reservations are required at 617-514-1644.