Loyola University Chicago

National Hispanic Heritage Month is a national recognition of the culture, contributions and heritage of Hispanic Americans. The national observance was first established by Public Law 90-498, Approved September 17, 1968, by the 90th Congress. Public Law 90-468 authorized the President to proclaim National Hispanic Heritage Week each year. On August 17, 1988, the 100th Congress enacted Public Law 100-402, which extended the observance from a week to a month. The annual observance is now a 31-day period from September 15 through October 15.

The September-October period covers a wide range of Independence Days for Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua celebrate their independence on September 15th. Mexico celebrates its independence on September 16th, Chile on September 18th and Belize on September 21st. El Dia de la Raza (Columbus Day) is observed on October 12th.

The term Hispanic, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, refers to Spanish-speaking people in the United States of any race. In 1997, the term Latino was officially adopted by the United States, replacing Hispanic as the official term. On the 2000 Census form, people of Spanish/Hispanic/Latino origin could identify themselves as Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, or "other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino."

Planning for Latino Heritage Month begins at the end of the academic year for the upcoming year. Contact Benjamin Harris at bharri7@luc.edu for information about how to get involved.

Latino Heritage Month Events 2009   

Life Sciences Building, Room 142 (LSC), 7:00-9:00 P.M.
Lisa Sullivan is the Latin American Coordinator for School of the Americas Watch, the grassroots organization committed to closing the SOA/WHINSEC.  She has worked for 32 years in Latin America, 23 of them in Venezuela, where she did community organizing while raising her three children in a barrio of Barquisimeto.  Lisa took part in the School of the Americas Watch visit with President Chavez, leading to a withdrawal of Venezuelan troops from the SOA.  Lisa was also a part of recent delegation that met with grassroots organizations in Honduras struggling to respond to forced removal of the country's president in a June 2009 military coup led by graduates of the SOA."

Wednesday, September 16
Latino Heritage Month Kickoff
ROSH HASHANAH MANZANAS Y MIEL (Apples & Honey)
Centennial Forum Student Union Lobby (LSC), 11:00-2:00pm
Join us for this year’s Latino Heritage Month Kickoff.  Apples and Honey are the traditional food of Rosh HaShanah the Jewish New Year.  The apples and honey symbolize the wish for a sweet New Year. This day is also a celebration of Mexico’s Independence. Come out and enjoy this Jewish and Latin collaboration with food and live music from one of Chicago’s favorite Mariachi groups.

Thursday, September 17
"Aquellos" Film Screening
Zips (CFSU Lower Level), 7:00pm
Aquellos is a documentary film that covers the resistance to gentrification in the Chicago neighborhood of Humboldt Park via the Humboldt Park NO SE VENDE Participatory Democracy Campaign. There will be a discussion following the film. 

Monday, September 21
Social Justice Dinner Dialogue Series w/ Javier Cervantes
"The U.S. is Browning: Contemporary Issues of Latino Immigration"
Crown Center Lobby (LSC), 5:30- 7:00pm
The US Political pundits have noted that the fabric of the U.S. is changing. It is transforming from a culture of WASP’s to a multicultural, multiethnic, and multiracial society. It has become popular over the last decade to associate the United States’ social ills on undocumented immigrants—specifically Mexicans that immigrate to the US. In this dinner-dialogue session, participants will explore the contemporary issues that surround these complexities and how the US is a willing collaborator. Mr. Cervantes is the Associate Dean of Students and the Director of the Department of Student Diversity & Multicultural Affairs.

Thursday, September 24
Latin Poetry Jam w/ Oveous Maximus
Zips, Lower Level CFSU (LSC), 7:00-9:00pm
Our host and guest poet for the evening will be Oveous Maximus who is an award-winning spoken word poet. He has been featured on Showtime at the Apollo and HBO’s Def Poetry. He will also be joined by some of Chicago’s premier poets. The performance stage will also be open to students, faculty, and staff. For more info, contact Benjamin Harris at bharri7@luc.edu or 773-508-3929.

Monday, September 28
From the "Holler" to the "Hood": The Real Cost of Coal
Life Sciences Building, Room 142 (LSC), 7:00-9:00 P.M.
From the mountains of Appalachia to Latino neighborhoods in Chicago, our nation’s continued use of coal is devastating lives and polluting our environment.  It’s time to blow the lid off from the myth of “clean coal”.
With special guests, Lorelei Scarbro of Coal River Mountain Watch,  Sam Villasenor of the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization and Dorian Breuer of the Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization. This will be an Eco-Awareness and Action Event. 

Tuesday, September 29
An Evening w/ Dr. Roberto Gonzales
“Learning to be Illegal: Undocumented Youth and the Confusing and Contradictory Routes to Adulthood”
 Life Science Auditorium, Room 142 (LSC), 5:30pm
By drawing from three and a half years of fieldwork and 102 life histories with adult children of undocumented immigrants in Southern California, Dr. Gonzales work seeks to address the complicated realities of contemporary immigration by examining the experiences of undocumented youth in the larger community context.  In doing so, it provides both a different lens with which to view this population, and a roadmap for policy makers and community actors for working effectively with an increasingly vulnerable segment of the immigrant community. He is the author of “Left Out but Not Shut Down: Political Activism and the Undocumented Student Movement,” “Wasted Talent and Broken Dreams: The Lost Potential of Undocumented Students,” and “Young Lives on Hold: The College Dreams of Undocumented Students.” He is also an Assistant Professor at the University Of Washington School Of Social Work.

Thursday, October 15
Afro Latin Dance Project
Simpson Hall, Multipurpose Room (LSC), 6:30-8:00pm
The drums, dances, voices, and costumes of this ensemble fill large spaces with the exuberant colors, movements, and sounds which developed in Latin America as a direct result of the African presence there. The irresistible energy of the Afro-Latin Project celebrates the powerful African influence found in the music and cultures of Latin America, an influence which has spread throughout the world.

Sunday, October 18
“Misa de la Hispanidad”
Madonna della Strada (LSC), 10:30am
This annual mass is hosted by the Loyola University Latino Alumni Board. This service is open to the entire Loyola and surrounding community. There will be a reception following the service.

Thursday, October 22
An Evening w/ Dr. Jose Orosco
“Cesar Chavez and the Common Sense of Nonviolence”
Life Science Auditorium, Room 142 (LSC), 4:30pm
Cesar Chavez has long been heralded for his personal practice of nonviolent resistance in struggles against social, racial, and labor injustices. However, the works of Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. have long overshadowed Chavez's contributions to the theory of nonviolence. Jose Antonio Orosco seeks to elevate Chavez as an original thinker, providing an analysis of what Chavez called "the common sense of nonviolence." By engaging Chavez in dialogue with a variety of political theorists and philosophers, Orosco demonstrates how Chavez developed distinct ideas about nonviolent theory that are timely for dealing with today's social and political issues, including racism, sexism, immigration, globalization, and political violence. Dr. Orosco is the author of, “Cesar Chavez and the Common Sense of Nonviolence.” He also serves as a faculty advisor to the Centro Cultural Cesar Chavez and is a founding member of the OSU Faculty and Staff for Peace and Justice at Oregon State University.

Saturday, October 24
Latin Ball
Kasbeer Hall (WTC), 8:00pm
Join us in downtown Chicago at Loyola’s Water Tower Campus for an elegant night of dancing. The evening celebration is a Loyola tradition and an opportunity for Loyola students to enjoy wonderful foods and live Latin music from the Salsa Mambo All Stars. This is a semi-formal event.

Latino Heritage Month 2009 is brought to you by: The Department of Student Diversity & Multicultural Affairs, Latin American Student Organization, Hillel, University Ministry, Wellness Center, LU Latino Alumni Board, Lambda Upsilon Lambda, Sigma Lambda Gamma, Alpha Psi Lambda, Gamma Phi Omega, Lambda Theta Alpha, Omega Delta Phi, Latin American Studies, Urban Studies, Student Environmental Alliance, Eco-Justice Collaborative and Topless America.

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