Every Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM), Hispanic voices get more visibility: Executives appear in business outlets, professionals take the stage, entrepreneurs share their journeys across platforms and experts are invited to discuss culture, identity and representation. But once Oct. 15 passes, communicators should ask who will still be quoted on Oct. 16 and throughout the rest of the year.
Hispanic people make up 20% of the U.S. population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. But visibility doesn’t always translate into recognition as an expert. A 2025 UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute analysis of 13 million English-language newspaper articles published between March 2020 and October 2023, the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, found that more than 80% of articles mentioning both COVID-19 and Hispanic people included no Latino source.
PR professionals can’t control whom journalists quote, but they do influence whom they know, who gets pitched and who ultimately speaks in front of a camera or audience. That gap is ours to fix.
Expertise Is Not Seasonal
Hispanic professionals work in every industry, and their expertise doesn’t follow a 12-month calendar. Heritage may shape their perspectives, but it doesn’t limit the topics they’re qualified to address. A communications executive, for instance, can offer insight on reputation and crisis management rather than being approached only for commentary on culture.
The Diversity Action Alliance’s 2024 Race and Ethnicity in Communications Benchmark Report found that Hispanic and Latino professionals made up only 8% of the communications workforce at participating organizations and 5% of senior leadership. That underrepresentation persists. To close the visibility gap, communicators need to look beyond the usual names on the spokesperson list.
Build the Expert Pipeline
Most organizations lean on the same executives for interviews, commentary and thought leadership. Those experts gain more opportunities and media experience, which makes them even more visible. The goal is to identify Hispanic experts and give them a path to high-profile placements.
- Identify Hispanic experts—Start with your own organization or agency. Finance, technology, research, operations and human resources all have people worth getting to know. Go past job titles and ask who has real knowledge to bring to industry conversations.
- Build a Hispanic expert database—Record each person’s areas of expertise, professional experience, languages spoken, media experience and topics they can address with confidence. Provide media training and opportunities to develop their brand voice through communications and thought leadership channels.
Don’t Wait for a “Hispanic Story”
Hispanic experts shouldn’t have to wait for a heritage month, immigration, diversity or a Latino human-interest story to get a phone call. When news breaks or an industry trend takes off, ask who can add something credible. Call the Hispanic economist when the Fed makes a major announcement, the technology leader when AI disrupts business again or the HR specialist when workplace expectations shift. Practitioners write the bios and pitches, prepare the speakers and make the introductions that decide who enters the public sphere.
Audit Who Gets Quoted
Hispanic Heritage Month is also a chance to examine a brand's own pipeline. The audit should ask:
- Who did the organization pitch to the media?
- Who conducted press interviews?
- Who contributed to articles, blogs and bylines?
- Who appeared on panels, summits and other thought leadership events?
- Who received media training?
- Which topics were Hispanic experts invited to discuss, and on what platforms?
The answers will show this is about more than representation. Closing the Hispanic expert visibility gap means creating chances for experts to contribute based on their knowledge, accomplishments and sector expertise.
For 2026, the Hispanic Heritage Month theme is “Unidos, Somos Más” (“Together, We Are More”). It’s a reminder that collective strength grows when more voices, experiences and expertise join the discussion. Unidos, nuestras voces tienen más fuerza. Together, our voices are stronger.
Yesenia Reinoso is the Founder and Principal Owner of Y Communicate.