This article was published in the EMU WeatherVane, a student newspaper.
The Latino Student Alliance marked the start of their annual Latino Heritage Month on Monday, Sept. 15.
The ideal guiding this year’s heritage month is “Marcando Nuestra Huella,” or “Leaving Our Footprint.”
Sophomore Fernanda Hernandez and Junior Paola Diaz, who have been with LSA for two years, explain that the alliance attempts to have a new theme every year.
“So last year,” Hernandez says, “…was, ‘One Land, Many Nations.’”
Diaz adds that the group wanted “to hit the point of diversity and appreciating our differences and difference of cultures, and not just focus on Latinos, but also try to include everybody.”
Moving forward, LSA aims to strengthen the goal of Latino Heritage Month.
Hernandez said, “This year, ‘Leaving our Footprint’ is more of our impact, and the challenges that we face, or any minority faces.”
One such way LSA hopes to make an impact is by hosting a forum chapel tomorrow in Lehman auditorium.
Senior Ana Cruz, who is also in her second year with LSA, explains, “We have an opening chapel; that’s pretty much the thing that’s always been there.”
While chapel has been integral to Latino Heritage Month in the past, serving as either an opening or an ending to a celebration of heritage and culture, she adds that this week’s chapel will be different from previous years. The chapel forum will explore LSA’s theme and focus on reflections from current graduate student Boris Ozuna.
Cruz explains, “We’ve always had in mind to kind of do something different for chapel. Something Latino-ish, not something that’s just standard.” This notion is evident in the rest of LSA’s planning.
On Oct. 3, the annual formal banquet will be held at 6 p.m. While the location has yet to be determined, LSA notes that this event has quickly grown in popularity since its introduction last year.
Diaz said, “I’m looking forward to the banquet; that’s kind of one of the big things people have started to look forward to. We started it last year. It was just a way for everybody to get dressed up and come out and support a cause.”
As a result of this success, as well as students’ requests for a salsa night, LSA will host a small dance following the banquet. Hernandez notes that this will provide students with a chance to continue to socialize and celebrate Latino culture once the banquet is over.
Following this event, Latino Heritage Month is currently slated to culminate in a showing of “Instructions Not Included,” which follows the struggles a man and his daughter face when the girl’s biological mother returns to their lives. The film is scheduled to show in Common Grounds on Oct. 15 at 8 p.m.
While the group has discussed adding more events – they are supporting and may sponsor rides for Harrisonburg’s International Festival on Sept. 27 – the current roster exemplifies the growth LSA has experienced.
Hernandez, Diaz, and Cruz state that the alliance has quickly expanded since their initial involvement.
Cruz explains, “It was us three, and then [Mario Valladares and Natasha Hartzler] got pulled in.” In that time, they have also experienced increased response, and this support has come in surprising ways.
“Oddly enough,” Hernandez states, “we get more response from non-Latinos than Latinos during our events.”
She credits this dichotomy to the fact that many Latino students commute to campus, making it difficult for them to fully participate in on-campus activities.
Despite this, Diaz and Cruz stated that LSA’s main goal has remained constant: to foster the inclusion of Latino students.
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