CSUB celebrating Latinx Heritage Month

Several events planned to recognize Latinx culture, campus contributions

By California State University, Bakersfield

September 15^th, 2021

National Hispanic Heritage Month kicks off today, and California State University, Bakersfield is one of many universities that will provide programming to celebrate the occasion.

CSUB’s festivities come with a twist this year, however. Campus Programming has decided to change the name of the celebration to Latinx Heritage Month starting this school year. It will be held from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 in conjunction with Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Week, which runs Sept. 13-19.

“We’re trying to be more inclusive,” said Campus Programming Coordinator Afaf Aldhulay. “The consensus was that it would be better to change it to Latinx to include more of the Latin American countries as opposed to just the Spanish-speaking countries.”

Festivities will begin with a kick-off event today at 12 p.m. on the Student Union patio. Dr. Jorge Moraga, assistant professor of interdisciplinary studies, will speak at the hybrid in-person and virtual event, which will also include live music from the group Las Calíope and free food from El Pollo Riko.

Dr. Gina Ann Garcia, an associate professor in the department of Educational Foundations, Organizations, and Policy at the University of Pittsburgh, is the keynote speaker for the Latinx Heritage Month.

Dr. Garcia will provide a presentation titled “Transforming Hispanic Serving Institutions” on Oct. 1, during which she will discuss opportunities for colleges and universities to better serve their Hispanic populations.

Dr. Garcia has made several presentations at national conferences and co-authored multiple publications in top journals, including American Educational Research Journal, The Review of Higher Education and Journal of Diversity in Higher Education.

She is also the author of “Becoming Hispanic-Serving Institutions: Opportunities for Colleges & Universities,” for which she won an American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education Book of the Year Award in 2020.

Dr. Gina Garcia, associate professor in the department of Educational Foundations, Organizations, and Policy at the University of Pittsburgh.

Aldhulay said she hopes students, faculty and staff will take the time to participate in some of the activities and that they will be culturally enriching for them.

“I hope that our campus community feels like there is a place for them and that their culture is being celebrated,” she said. “There’s educational, social and cultural events dedicated to them, to celebrate them and their contributions to this campus.”

Here’s a look at some of the Latinx Heritage Month events being held over the coming weeks:

Sept. 15: Latinx Heritage Month Kick-Off, 12 p.m. at Student Union patio.

Sept. 16: Brown Bag Discussion: Conceptualizing Rasquachismo/a/x featuring Dr. Tim Monreal at 12 p.m. via Zoom. Attendees will receive a $15 gift card to Panera Bread. Expression Nights: La Noche De Estrellas will be held at 7 p.m. on Stockdale Room Patio. Attendees will receive free pre-packaged ice cream. Registration is required for those who are interested in performing.

Sept. 21: Group X: Spanish Yoga Night at 5:30 p.m. in the Solario Room of the Student Recreation Center.

Sept. 29: Teacher Read Aloud at 4 p.m. via Zoom. CSUB alumna Ana Cornejo will read “Dreamers” by Yuyi Morales.

Oct. 1: “Transforming HSIs” presentation by Dr. Gina Garcia at 12 p.m. via Zoom.

Oct. 4: Loteria Lunes: Millennial Loteria at 12 p.m. on the Student Union patio. There will be Loteria-themed prizes and free food will be provided.

Oct. 7: “The Mixteco Kid” at 3 p.m. via Zoom. The director of the film, Miguel Orozco, and one of the actors will discuss indigenous communities in Latin America and the issue of cultural appropriation.

Oct. 8: UndocuAlly Training at 10 a.m. via Zoom. This training aims to cultivate a more supportive environment for undocumented students by educating the CSUB community on the history, polities and current realities of the undocumented community. Registration is required.

Oct. 13: Rompiendo el Silencio: Domestic Violence in the Latinx Community panel at 4 p.m. via Zoom.

Oct. 15: Paint Night at 7 p.m. via Zoom. This is only open to CSUB students, faculty and staff. The first 60 people to sign up will receive a free paint kit for themselves and a friend.

In addition, work published by CSUB’s Latinx community will be on display all month long at the Walter W. Stiern Library.

For the full schedule, as well as Zoom links, visit the Campus Programming website.

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Footnotes

Story by Joseph Luiz, writer/marketing and communications specialist; Feature photo by Juan Rodriguez, photographer/videographer

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FootNotes

Story by Joseph Luiz, writer/marketing and communications specialist; Feature photo by Juan Rodriguez, photographer/videographer

Migrant education champion shaped thousands of students’ futures

CSUB celebrating Latinx Heritage Month

Several events planned to recognize Latinx culture, campus contributions

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