Mid-September is a lively time of year as Utah State University and its statewide campuses celebrate the heritage of Latinx culture by flying flags and hosting festivities.   

Latinx Heritage Month is an annual celebration throughout the nation. It spans from Sept. 15 to Oct.15 and gives Latinx people the opportunity to show pride in their culture, heritage and traditions.  

Central American countries such as El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala declared their independence from Spain on Sept. 15 of 1821, hence the starting date of Latinx Heritage Month.   

The first celebration took place in 1968 and was observed for one week. Two decades later, the United States honors Latinx culture for a full month to honor those with roots in Mexico, Spain, Central and South America, the Caribbean, Portugal and other Latin countries.  

Numerous events were held on the Logan campus this month, including a flag festival, a theatrical performance about the Black Latina experience and a parade.  

This year, Logan’s chapter of Latinos in Action has adopted the motto, “Stand 4 More.”  

For the president of Logan’s branch of LIA, Annely Avila, this phrase is a call for leadership in the Latinx community.  

“Our new theme this year means being a leader, not just for ourselves, but being able to represent others beyond USU,” Avila said. “One of our goals is to make our presence known within the community.”  

Latinx Heritage Month unites students attending all of USU’s campuses across Utah.   

Shari Linares, the historian of Logan’s branch of LIA, said Latinx Heritage Month is an important part of her life and the lives of many other students attending USU’s campuses.  

“It gives us a chance to celebrate our culture,” Linares said. “It gives us some time to be prideful.”  

Nohemi Benitez, Linares’s co-historian, agreed. She said the Latinx Cultural Center has helped many minority students feel more confident during their college experience.  

“It’s been helpful to have a place like the LCC that feels like home,” Benitez said. “Everyone’s more than welcome, and they include you in anything that they’re doing.”  

The LIA hosts numerous activities throughout the year to engage members and bring the community together. Some of the events include a paint slip-and-slide, a LinkedIn workshop and various mentoring programs.  

Meladie Hernandez, the secretary of Logan’s branch of LIA, says that many of the organization’s activities present not only fun community-building opportunities, but also valuable resources to the participants.  

“We’re a little different in the fact that our organization doesn’t just focus on the social part of college,” Hernandez said. “Socializing is a huge part of our organization, but we try to go deeper than that. We provide resources to our club members.”  

At 15% of the population, the Latinx community is the largest minority group in Utah.  

“This community has enriched the fabric of the U.S. as a nation in terms of our cultural contributions — economic, and historical,” said Celina Wille, the associate director of the Latinx Cultural Center. “It is the fastest growing demographic in the US. By the year 2065, one out of every five will be Latino.”  

One of the goals of the LIA and the LCC is to increase the university enrollment of people of Latinx heritage.  

“In the United States, our demographics are not represented throughout higher education and in graduation rates,” Hernandez said. “Highlighting a different variety of people who are successful and where we come from is super important.”  

While the members of the Latinx community are excited to celebrate their cultures, many warn against appropriation.  

“I find that people will celebrate Latinx Heritage Month by watching the movie Coco,” Hernandez said. “Now, don’t get me wrong, that is a great movie. But we are so much more than just that. Our culture is a big part of who we are, but it doesn’t define us. We are so much more. We are smart and independent and hardworking. And we’re Latino, but we’re not only Latino.”  

The members agreed that there are many ways to celebrate Latinx heritage month — including making flags, trying new foods from different cultures and meeting new people within the community.  

“It’s important to be informed of the different cultures on campus because there’s such a wide variety,” Benitez said. “When you’re able to go to events hosted by these organizations, you really get to know about them and what motivates them. It helps motivate you to keep going.”  

One way to get involved with the Latinx Heritage Month at USU is to attend events run by LIA and the LCC.  

Everyone is welcome at the Latinx Cultural Center, whether or not they have Latinx heritage. Members encourage others to stop by for snacks or a place to study where they can get to know the community.  

Victor Nguyen, the treasurer of Logan’s branch of LIA, said he feels proud to be an officer of Latinos in Action.   

“They showed so much pride in their history,” Nguyen said. “And for me, being one of the only Asian kids in this whole city, they were able to show off their pride in their history and their heritage. It brought a lot of pride in myself, even if I wasn’t technically a part of the community.”  

For those who want to get involved in Latinx Heritage Month or Latinos in Action, LIA members said the best way is to visit the Latinx Cultural Center and take part in the events.  

“I would always recommend people join these kinds of cultural related clubs, no matter what your culture is,” Nguyen said. “It really doesn’t matter where you come from. It matters what you do to make sure that the culture you’re supporting is given a light that may have never shone in this area in the first place.”     Categories AllLifestyles Previous Article USU Blanding establishes new CNA program Next Article Guest Column: Learn that We are One There are no comments Add yours Cancel reply You must be logged in to post a comment.

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