National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs in the U.S. from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, is a celebration of the many contributions, diverse cultures and extensive histories of the American Spanish-speaking community.
Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) was originally observed for one week beginning in 1968, which was expanded to a month 20 years later. This followed the rise of the civil rights movement and encouraged a growing awareness of multicultural identities.
HHM is typically celebrated through a variety of events, such as festivals, art shows and community gatherings. Also included within the scope of HHM are the anniversaries of independence of several Latin American countries, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.
This recognition of diverse ethnicities also extends to the Latinx community within the university.
The organization Students of Latinx Affinity (SOLA) serves as the university’s hub for HHM-related activities. This Hispanic Heritage Month, SOLA plans to host several events to help incorporate awareness of Latinx culture into campus life. Some events, like Sabor Latinx, will center on cultural cuisine, while others will focus on different aspects of culture, such as holidays like Los Muertos.
Through these events, SOLA hopes to create a more informed community on campus, part of which means upending stereotypical assumptions about Latinx culture.
“I’ve always been mistaken as, like, Mexican, and I feel a lot of what people think of Latinos are like, ‘Oh, they’re all from Mexico,’” said Maria Torres Alaniz, SOLA’s social media chair. “So, I want people to be aware of the different types of people that are a part of the Latinx community, not just Mexicans.”
In addition, National Hispanic Heritage Month should not simply focus on the bright and sunny pieces of Spanish-speaking cultures, but also on the hardships faced by Spanish Americans.
“Too often the focus is on the musical contributions or dancing or other happy artforms,” said Mario T. Garcia, professor of Chicana and Chicano studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in an interview with NPR. “But we also need programming that reflects historical problems … because you can’t assume that Latinos already know about the lynchings in South Texas in the 1910s…”
Michelle Fermin, SOLA treasurer, shares the experience of her emigration to the U.S. when she was 13-years-old and the sacrifices made to achieve her goals that many are unaware of.
“[SOLA wants to communicate] upbringings that a lot of like, Hispanics, and not even just me just being, you know, an immigrant […] a lot of the stuff they do is not given to them […] a lot of them, they had to work to get here. At least, I know my family didn’t expect me to go to college,” Fermin said.
In addition, SOLA, whose executive board contains members of Mexican, Argentinian and Dominican heritage, wants SOLA to act as a place where Spanish-speaking students can feel seen.
“During the organization fair […] I met this specific girl who is from Brazil,” said Alaniz. “And you could tell that she was really into it. And I think things like that are really nice to see in people, just to make make them feel included in this community, that so they share something with someone else.”
