On Sept. 15, the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Hispanic Heritage Foundation announced details of the 34th annual Hispanic Heritage Awards, which will be broadcast on Friday, Oct. 8 on PBS. The release revealed who will be the event's main honoree, who will host the event and the event's performers.

The awards show is dedicated to celebrating the legacy of our Hispanic/Latino culture. 

The Hispanic Heritage Awards were created by the White House in 1988 and are produced by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation. The objective was to commemorate the establishment of Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States. Today, it is one of the most important ceremonies by Latinos for Latinos. This year's edition will recognize Mexican actress Salma Hayek with the Hispanic Heritage Arts Award.

In addition, awards will be presented to stars such as Carlos Santana, who will recieve the Legend Award; and Puerto Rico's Ivy Queen, who will be honored with the Vision Award. The acclaimed Kali Uchis will receive the Inspira Award, while Ron Rivera will receive the Sports Award.

Finally, NASA Engineers Clara O'Farrell, Christina Hernandez, and Diana Trujillo will be honored with the STEM Award.

During the ceremony, segments filmed on location in the United States and Latin America will be showcased. The program will be hosted by Colombia's John Leguizamo, who will introduce performances celebrating the richness and diversity of Latino culture. The event will feature live performances by Cimafunk, Dominican actress and singer Leslie Grace, Kali Uchis, Gabriella Reyes and The American Pops Orchestra.

According to the Census Bureau, there are currently aporoximately 62.1 millon Hispanics living in the United States, or 18.7% of the U.S. population. Celebrating each other as one people is one more way to show the contribution of our culture in building the United States into what it is today.