Monday, September 15, 2025
National Hispanic Heritage Month begins
The observance begins on Sept. 15 each year
The Postal Service will observe National Hispanic Heritage Month, a celebration held each year from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.
Approximately 14 percent of USPS employees identify as having Hispanic ancestry.
The annual observance begins in mid-September because this period holds a number of meaningful dates throughout much of Latin America.
Sept. 15 marks the independence anniversaries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on Sept. 16 and Sept. 18, respectively.
Toward the end of Hispanic Heritage Month, on Oct. 12, is Dia de la Raza, or Day of the Races. This holiday acknowledges the hardships brought by colonization and celebrates the multicultural, multiethnic societies that evolved as a result.
The Postal Service has honored Hispanic peoples and cultures with many stamps throughout the years.
Recent releases include Mariachi, a celebration of the Mexican musical tradition; Day of the Dead, which marks the Nov. 1 holiday that combines Indigenous and Roman Catholic elements; and Piñatas!, four vibrantly colored stamps depicting the traditional Mexican party favorite.
Heroes
He answered a cry for help
This employee responded to the pleas of an injured woman who had fallen
Letter Carrier Cecil Cloyed was delivering mail in Kerrville, TX, recently when he heard a faint call for help coming from inside a home.
Cloyed called 911 after he was unable to enter the residence to check on the customer.
The Postal Service employee waited there for paramedics to arrive. They found the woman, who had fallen on her face and twisted her left arm, unable to move.
The customer was taken to a nearby hospital and treated for her injuries.
Employees featured in “Heroes” receive letters of commendation through the Postmaster General Heroes’ Program. The nomination form is available on Blue.
Here’s how to keep your emergency plans up to date
USPS offers tips for National Preparedness Month
To help mark National Preparedness Month in September, the Postal Service is encouraging employees to take steps to be ready at a moment’s notice.
Employees should:
• Update their emergency contact information.
• Be familiar with the USPS National Employee Emergency Hotline (888-363-7462). Employees can call the hotline after an emergency to report their condition and check for changes in their scheduled work reporting status.
• Review posted emergency procedures and evacuation routes.
The Postal Service’s Personal Preparedness Blue page and the Ready.gov website have more information.
Week in Review
Here’s what Link covered Sept. 7-13
A new text message scam and Inspection Service hiring made news
Link encouraged readers to stay alert for smishing scams on USPS-issued devices last week.
Smishing is a type of cyberattack that uses text messages to trick people into providing sensitive information or taking harmful actions.
In the latest scam, cybercriminals are impersonating Postal Service leadership and asking for personal data by sending text messages.
The bottom line: If you receive a text like this, it’s probably fake and you should report it.
In other news, Postmaster General David Steiner toured nine USPS facilities in Colorado and Texas, discussing his priorities for the organization and meeting with employees; the Postal Inspection Service announced that its hiring portal for postal inspection jobs is open from Sept. 8-17; and we shared reminders about TSP webinars, and the two exemptions to FOIA requests that USPS frequently uses.
Link also highlighted the release of the Holiday Cheer and William F. Buckley Jr. stamps, as well as the Buckley stamp dedication ceremony; and we informed readers about the latest “Mailin’ It!” podcast on security in the digital age.
In “Heroes” we spotlighted Cecil Cloyed, a letter carrier who called 911 and waited for paramedics after a customer who was locked in her house called for help; and “People” shared the stories of two employees — Telyna Hope Jenkins and Mia Gabriel — who are part of the organization’s 250th anniversary celebrations in different ways.
Jenkins is the postmaster of the Glendora, NJ, Post Office, one of 60 offices that are offering a special pictorial postmark, while Gabriel, a letter carrier in San Diego, is featured on the 250th anniversary USPS workplace poster.
Finally, “On the Job” spotlighted Lisa Arcari, the USPS domestic package pricing director, who stressed the importance of delivering good customer service.
“Being reliable is invaluable to how we price because you can’t price poor service low enough. The better value we have, the better competitive position we have,” she said.
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National Hispanic Heritage Month begins
The observance begins on Sept. 15 each year
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Heroes
He answered a cry for help
This employee responded to the pleas of an injured woman who had fallen
-
Here’s how to keep your emergency plans up to date
-
Week in Review
Here’s what Link covered Sept. 7-13
A new text message scam and Inspection Service hiring made news