Observed between September 15 and October 15 each year, National Hispanic Heritage Month, also known as Latino Heritage Month, commemorates the achievements and contributions of the Hispanic community to US history and culture.
Throughout the next month, the Hispanic Student Association at the University of Georgia is making it a priority to celebrate and represent Hispanic culture on campus.
Elisa Fontanillas, an HSA co-president, said she is excited about the organization’s plans for the month, with more programs planned than any other time of the year.
“I think Hispanic Heritage Month here at the University of Georgia gives us the opportunity to really understand what it means to us to be Hispanic at a PWI,” Fontanillas said. “I think it’s so important that we have so many things going on during this month and it’s also just fun to have so many events going on.”
A kick-off event on the first day of Heritage Month kicked off the celebrations, followed by several programs such as Dance Week, which will be held throughout the coming week, starting with a Folklore Workshop on September 19.
There will also be a guided tour of the Latin American Ethnobotanical Garden on September 28 to give students the opportunity to learn more about the garden, and a garden clean-up event is planned for October 1.
Fontanillas said several collaborative events are also planned, with partnerships with the Muslim Student Association, the Native American Student Association and the Filipino Student Association.
The finale and one of the biggest events, Noche Latina, will be held on October 22 at the Tate Grand Hall to close out the month, according to Fontanillas.
“Our goal this year is to drive as much visibility across campus as we can,” Fontanillas said.
Yamilet Anariba, a sophomore music education major, has been a member of HSA since coming to UGA her freshman year. She said she got information from the organization before the school started welcoming her to the university and decided to get involved.
Anariba is the daughter of a Hispanic immigrant. She said heritage month is an important time for her to remember and preserve her family’s culture and heritage and to embrace diversity within the Hispanic community.
“The month is really important because it allows people to see what other heritage there is within the Hispanic community. There are all kinds of traditions, different cultures, and we’re not all just one Hispanic blanket, we’re diverse and very broad,” Anariba said. “It just means a lot to me to know that my mom, but the other generations have not been forgotten either”.
Anariba said she wants to use this time to advocate and encourage more Hispanic representation, especially in the fields of music and music education.
“I believe that we should be more present and represented, especially in music”, said Anariba.
Fontanillas said HSA’s main goal on campus is to highlight Hispanic students and what makes the community special. Hispanic Heritage Month offers the organization a chance to further honor the community by embracing what makes it unique.
“This month is an opportunity for us to do as much as possible for ourselves, but also for our community,” Fontanillas said. “To show what our culture is and how diverse being Hispanic and Latino really is.”
More information about upcoming HSA events will be posted on the UGA Involvement Network and on their Instagram over the next month.
Upcoming Hispanic Heritage Month Events
| event | date | time | location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Folkloric workshop | September 19 | 7-8 pm | intersection |
| HSA Zumba class | September 21 | 7-8 pm | Herrick Lake Pavilion |
| Dance choreography workshop | September 23 | 7-8 pm | Adinkra hall |
| HSA General Body Meeting | September 27 | 8-9 pm | Zell B. Miller Learning Center, Room 248 |
| Tour of the Ethnobotanical Garden of Latin America | September 28 | 9-9:45 am | UGA Latin American Ethnobotanical Garden |
| International Coffee Hour | September 30 | 11:00-13:00 | Memorial Ballroom |
| Cleaning the ethnobotanical garden | October 1 | 09:00-13:00 | UGA Latin American Ethnobotanical Garden |
| “Latinos becoming Muslims” event. | October 3 | 7-8 pm | Zell B. Miller Learning Center, Room |
| Race day | October 10 | 5-7 pm | Tate Plaza |
| HSA General Body Meeting | October 11 | 8-9 pm | Zell B. Miller Learning Center, Room 248 |
| football party | October 14 | 5-9 pm | Jack Turner Softball Stadium |
| Latin Night | October 22 | 6-9 pm | Tate’s Great Hall |
