{"id":216062,"date":"2021-09-16T11:19:31","date_gmt":"2021-09-16T15:19:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/?p=216062"},"modified":"2022-01-19T15:56:44","modified_gmt":"2022-01-19T20:56:44","slug":"a-celebration-of-hispanic-heritage-and-hope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/2021\/09\/16\/a-celebration-of-hispanic-heritage-and-hope\/","title":{"rendered":"A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage and Hope"},"content":{"rendered":"

With poetry, a parade, pride and joy, the University ushered in Hispanic Heritage\/LatinX Month on September 15 with a flag-raising ceremony celebrating Hispanic heritage and hope.<\/p>\n

Speakers recognized the strength drawn from Montclair State\u2019s diverse community. \u201cOur university would not be what it is if not for Latina, Latino and Latinx students. Your presence, your dedication, your belief \u2026 aspirations, joy and style make this institution what it is,\u201d said Latinx\/a\/o Caucus President and English Professor Johnny Lorenz.<\/p>\n

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This year\u2019s theme, “Esperanza: A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage and Hope,” explained the event\u2019s organizer LASO Advisor Carmen Reyes-Cuevas, assistant director for Educational Opportunity Fund Program, \u201cinvites us to celebrate Hispanic heritage and to reflect on how great our tomorrow can be if we hold on to resilience and hope.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Montclair State enrolls more Hispanic and Latinx undergraduates than any other New Jersey higher ed institution \u2013 30 percent of this year\u2019s freshman class identify as Hispanic \u2013 and the University is nationally recognized as an Hispanic-Serving Institution.<\/p>\n

The designation reflects the University\u2019s commitment \u201cto creating an environment where you can feel you belong, where you succeed, and where you thrive,\u201d said Associate Provost for Hispanic Initiatives and International Programs Katia Paz Goldfarb.<\/p>\n

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Associate Provost for Hispanic Initiatives and International Programs Katia Paz Goldfarb, front right, leads students, faculty and staff in a parade to mark the beginning of Hispanic Heritage\/LatinX Month.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThese past 19 months have been a test of our resiliency and strength,\u201d Goldfarb said, a nod to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its disprortionate health, economic and academic toll on the Hispanic and Latinx communities. \u201cHope is the last thing we should lose. But hope alone is not enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Jaileen Murillo, a junior Anthropology major, recites Tato Laviera’s poem Spanglish. \u201cI truly felt the \u2018orgullo\u2019 or pride of the Latinx community on campus,\u201d she said.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Geraldo Jimenez, a senior repairer for Montclair State Facilities, recited poetry in Spanish.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Students draped themselves in colorful flags in respect to the histories, cultures and contributions of their families from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. They listened to poems recited in Spanish by Geraldo Jimenez, a senior repairer in University Facilities, and in Spanglish by Jaileen Murillo, a member of the Latin American Student Organization (LASO) and junior Anthropology major.<\/p>\n

In a proclamation read by Vice President for Student Development and Campus Life Dawn Soufleris said the \u201crichness and vitality\u201d of the Latin American and Spanish cultures \u201chave had a profound and positive influence\u201d on the campus and more broadly throughout the country.<\/p>\n

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Members of the campus community proudly displayed flags in respect to the histories and cultures of their families.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The dates of National Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 \u2013 October 15, are significant, as the time period includes independence day celebrations in many Latin American countries, an opportunity, said LASO President John Jimenez, a senior majoring in Marketing, for a month-long celebration \u201cinclusive of all the cultures, their dances, their spices, their colors.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The flag-raising ceremony was the first in a series of in-person and virtual events planned.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The opening event was organized by the Latinx\/a\/o Caucus, The Office of Hispanic Initiatives and International Programs, and LASO. Other special events will include:<\/p>\n