Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month

Wednesday marks the start of Hispanic Heritage Month.

To kick things off, Acting Mayor Kim Janey of Boston will join Boston’s Latinx Employee Resource Group at 6 p.m. for a special celebration at City Hall that will include music and a lighting ceremony. It will be Janey’s first public appearance since losing Tuesday’s preliminary election.

City officials say Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, is a time to celebrate Bostonians whose ancestry can be traced back to Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

“The month highlights the importance of our city’s residents,” the city’s website states. “We showcase their diverse histories and contributions to public life, culture, language, and identity.”

The Latinx Employee Resource Group, a network of Boston city employees, will be holding additional events throughout the month.

On Sept. 18, Boston Children’s Hospital will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by hosting “A Night of Milagros para Niños,” a fundraiser event that will showcase Latino performers and patient stories and will make its TV debut on Telemundo at 6 p.m., on NBC10 at 7:30 p.m. and again on Sept. 25 on NECN at 7:30 p.m.

The history of Hispanic Heritage Month goes back to 1968, when it started out as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson. It was later expanded to 30 days by President Ronald Reagan in 1988.