Community, campus coordinate for Hispanic Heritage Month kick-off

In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month — a celebration of the histories and cultural traditions left by the ancestors of Hispanic and Latino Americans — local organizations are kicking off the celebration today.

The reception will at 4 p.m. in the Grand Hall of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center and is sponsored by the new City of Bloomington Commission on Hispanic and Latino Affairs, the IU Latino Studies Program, the Latino Faculty/Staff Council and La Casa Latino Cultural Center.

“The reception is an opportunity for people to come together and celebrate the contributions the Latinos have made,” said Lillian Casillas, director of La Casa.

Casillas said the celebration is also an opportunity to display the city’s support of this national event. Mayor Mark Kruzan will read the official proclamation at the reception.
“The message is that we are not just doing it here on campus, but also bringing in the city as a whole,” Casillas said.

At the reception, the new City of Bloomington Commission on Hispanic and Latino Affairs will also recognize the contributions made by individuals and organizations to the Hispanic and Latino community in Bloomington with two awards.

“They have an individual award and organization award,” Casillas said. “They are given to those who have advocated for Latinos.”

Casillas said the reception is important because it is a way of marking the heritage month and also a good chance for the various Latino organizations on and off campus to work together.

“Ideally, people should learn about Latinos all year round,” Casillas said. “But in this month, people should really be focused on making that extra effort. I think that’s the importance of this reception.”

The evening will start with music, followed by welcome speeches as well as the awards presentation.

This year’s celebration is also marked by visits from civil rights and education activists, with each event taking place during the 30-day period.

Award-winning author Vicki L. Ruiz, who has written books on Hispanic and Latino subjects, will give a speech titled “Citizen Restaurant: American Imaginaries, American Communities,” at 4 p.m. Thursday in Ballantine Hall room 310.

At 7 p.m. Sept. 20 in the Indiana Memorial Union, Sylvia Mendez — who was involved in a school segregation court case in her childhood — will talk about the ruling of her 1946 case “Mendez v. Westminster” and how it helped end racial segregation by law in California as well as its future legal influence. Mendez will also speak on the changes in Latino student education the following day, Sept. 21.

“One thing we tried to do with our calendar was combine serious discussions that address some issues with fun activities that allow people to learn about Latinos,” Casillas said. “It’s an opportunity for people with different tastes to get involved.”

Casillas said even for Latino students at IU, the Heritage Month is important because they might not be well-versed on their own background and it is a chance for them to learn and know that people have an interest in them and the issues they face.

And although National Hispanic Heritage Month is an opportunity for Hispanic and Latino Americans to celebrate the traditions of their ancestors, it spreads a message beyond borders and to the whole Hispanic/Latino world.

Sandy Britton, director of the Leo R. Dowling International Center, said the celebration provides a good chance for the center to help promote cultural diversity.

“The International Center recognizes and supports the importance of this great celebration through collaborative programming with La Casa,” Britton said,  “We help to promote the month’s events among the international students, and particularly students from Latin America.”