Awards presented at Heritage ceremony

Kicking off this year’s National Hispanic Heritage Month, the City of Bloomington Commission on Hispanic and Latino Affairs organized its third annual Latino Leader and Organization/Agency Awards Saturday at the Monroe County Public Library.

During the ceremony, four awards were presented, recognizing those who have helped the Latino community through service during the past year.

The nominees were reviewed for their work and voted on by the Commission.
The event was also organized by La Casa Latino Cultural Center and El Centro Comunal Latino.

Daniel Soto, Latino outreach assistant for Bloomington’s Latino Programs and Outreach division of the Community and Family Resources Department, said many of the nominees at the ceremony were high school seniors.

Melissa Britton, associate director at the IU Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, received the Latino Leader Award.

Soto said this award is given to someone who’s involved and works with the Latino community to help improve the environment. Britton has helped organize Latino community events and programs.

“She’s done a lot for our community,” Soto said.

The Commission’s criteria for nominations include demonstrating leadership skills and showing initiative to advocate for issues that promote the inclusion of the Latino community.

“We want to recognize those who help our community without being paid,” Soto said. “It’s to show our appreciation and give them recognition. Even being nominated for an award is wonderful.”

Britton previously worked for the city’s Latino Programs and Outreach Division. She said the award was a generous recognition of the work she’s done for the city. Britton recently took on the position as associate director with the
IU CLACS.

“It’s a very wonderful place to work,” Britton said. “I’m fairly new, but so far everyone’s real nice, and it’s been a good time.”

Other events the Commission organized at the library throughout the day included crafting activities for children, a Latino-themed play and a musical performance by the Mariachi Band of Indianapolis featuring Hispanic folk songs.

Throughout the rest of the month, more events and performances will be featured in Bloomington to honor National Hispanic Heritage Month. Events include Spanish exhibits at the IU Art Museum, a documentary at the IU Cinema about Mexican painter Rufino Tamayo and the eighth annual Fiesta del Otoño Fall Cultural Festival at the Bloomington Farmer’s Market this Saturday.

With more than 2,000 residents of Bloomington identifying as Latinos and Hispanics, Soto said this year’s Heritage Month is expected to be a successful celebration and representation of the Latino community’s culture.

“Many people call themselves Hispanic, or many others call themselves Latino, but we’re all one group,” Soto said.

National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated throughout the U.S. from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, and recognizes the contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans, as well as their heritage and culture.

The month’s start date celebrates the anniversary of Independence Day for the five Latin American countries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and
Nicaragua.

Follow events and culture reporter Brett Frieman on Twitter @brttfrmn.