National Hispanic Heritage Month at Brandeis
Sept. 19, 2023
Dear Brandeis Community,
We are excited to announce our recognition and celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month at Brandeis!
According to the Library of Congress: "Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on Sept. 15 and ending on Oct. 15. The day of Sept. 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on Sept. 16 and Sept. 18, respectively. Also, Día de la Raza, which is Oct. 12, falls within this 30-day period."/p>
We have some exciting student club programming and resources in our library that we encourage you to explore.
- The Brandeis Latinx Student Organization will be hosting the following events:
- Taste of Latin America — 6-8 p.m. Sept. 23 in the Intercultural Center Swig Lounge
- Culture Trivia — 7-8 p.m. Oct. 4 in the Intercultural Center Swig Lounge
- The annual showcase Incendio will be held from 7-9 p.m. Oct. 22 in the Levin Ballroom. More details will be shared as they become available. You may also follow the Brandeis Latinx Student Organization on Instagram @blso98 for more information.
- Online resources maintained by the Brandeis Library include:
- Databases in Hispanic Studies and i Latin American, Caribbean and Latinx Studies, the HAPI: Hispanic American Periodicals Index | UCLA (login required)
- University Archives and Special Collections is home to a range of materials documenting the experiences of Latinx students at Brandeis, including a video from a 2021 panel celebrating the 50th anniversary of Latinx students at Brandeis
- The activities of GRITO, a student organization that worked to increase and support the Latinx population both at Brandeis and throughout the Waltham area, are documented in Student Activism and other collections
- A 15-minute film created by Maria Rodriguez ‘75 and her son Dioni Gomez
- Several faculty collections, most notably the papers of Denah Lida and Lawrence Fuchs
To learn more about how Latino History is American History, we also encourage you to check the virtual exhibit "¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States" by the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino.
Muchas gracias,
Tere Rodriguez
Senior Associate Director of Admissions
DEI Staff Fellow
Brandeis International Business School
Lee Bitsóí
Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion