Reflecting as we begin Hispanic Heritage Month

Did you know that Sept. 15 – Oct. 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month? It’s a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and share our achievements as Latinos – our culture, our achievements, and our contributions to this country.

I’m reflecting on how things have changed since my family immigrated here. When my grandfather, a baker from Chihuahua, Mexico, came to Nevada to pursue the American Dream, the Latino community was pretty small.

As my father grew up, the community grew too, and he started regularly getting together with a key group of Latinos in Southern Nevada to discuss how to promote Latino businesses, education, and workers.

That was 40-50 years ago. Today, Latinos make up one-third of the population in Nevada. I’m proud to represent us, and all Nevadans, as our country’s first (and so far only) Latina Senator. I think it’s incredible – and uniquely American – that just two generations separate a baker born in Mexico and our country’s first Latina Senator.

But I don’t want to be the only one– I want to be the first of many as we continue to give more people a seat at the table and elect lawmakers who are truly representative of the communities they serve. I want little girls to look at me and think, I can do that. I can lead and serve my community, too.

I certainly didn’t have that as a model growing up - the first woman wasn’t elected to Congress from Nevada until I was already in college. That is why now I make a point to visit schools and youth centers and host young people at my offices in Nevada and Washington, D.C., as much as I can and show them opportunities they might not have even known were available to them.

This is especially important in 2026 because with Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans running Washington, we’re going backward in a lot of ways. The president’s mass deportation agenda is targeting hard-working, tax-paying immigrants, sowing fear, intimidation and violence in our communities. It’s heartbreaking and unfair. What’s more, Trump’s cruel agenda is hurting everyone in this country as he ignores our basic rights and freedoms to pursue mass deportations.

That is why our work to take back the Senate this November is so important. Together, we can end the Trump administration’s inhumane agenda and start putting families first.

Latinos have shaped the American story since its inception. We will not allow the Trump Administration’s ignorance and cruelty to undermine the vibrancy of our country’s Hispanic heritage.

I will always honor the stories of those who came before me and stand up for future generations of groundbreaking Latinos. To me, that means fighting to grow our economy so more families can have an opportunity to get ahead. It means helping families afford their everyday needs. And it means working to protect the rights and freedoms that belong to every American. That’s my mission, and you can count on me to fight for it.

Thank you for reading. If you can, I hope you’ll take some time this month to seek out a Hispanic Heritage event in your community, read a book, listen to music by a Hispanic artist or celebrate in whatever way feels right to you.

¡La lucha sigue! The fight continues!

Catherine

A personal note from Catherine Cortez Masto:

I am the product of my parents’ American dream: the granddaughter of Mexican and Italian immigrants, the first generation in my family to graduate college, the first woman elected senator in Nevada and first Latina senator in the entire country.

I have always believed that if you’re willing to work hard and play by the rules, you should have every opportunity to succeed.

But that’s gotten harder and harder. Thanks to Donald Trump and the GOP majorities in Congress, we are paying more for less. Critical programs our families rely on, like Medicare and Social Security, are at risk. Our fundamental rights are under attack and so are many of our communities.

I’m not giving up. I never will, and I hope you won’t either. This fall, we have a chance to win a Senate majority for Democrats and finally gain the power to block Donald Trump’s harmful agenda. I know we can do it, but I also know it’ll take ALL of us working together.

So please, if you’re with me, will you chip in now to help flip the Senate?

DONATE

Subscribe now