In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Weber States University’s diversity offices will come together to put on events for students with the hopes of educating them about diversity, inclusivity and sacrifice.
Hispanic Heritage Month is a month-long celebration, falling between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15, to honor and remember the cultural values and histories of Latin/Hispanic citizens and immigrants in the U.S.
Originally beginning as Hispanic Heritage Week during 1968, the event evolved into a 30-day celebration 20 years later under President Ronald Reagan and was enacted August 17, 1988, according to hispanicheritagemonth.gov.
One of Weber State’s biggest events will be the Dolores Huerta film screenings, happening at Davis Campus on Sept. 10 and then the Ogden campus on Sept. 13 and 14, respectively.
“Huerta is an icon for labor rights. She was a co-founder of the United Farmworkers Movement along with Cesar Chavez,” said Andrea Hernandez, coordinator for diversity and inclusive programs.
Hernandez referred to both Huerta and Chavez’s work as advocates and organizers for farmer’s rights. Chavez’s film, “Cesar’s Last Fast,” was shown during the fall 2017 semester.
Huerta’s film screening will show her struggle of leaving her family behind to become a leader and icon for labor rights and how her journey continues today.
These film screenings give students and community members the opportunity to understand who Huerta is before her keynote address on Sept. 25, but they’re not the only events to happen during Hispanic Heritage Month.
The Library Committee and the Hispanic Area Council came together to organize a Hispanic exhibit in honor and celebration of both Huerta and Hispanic Heritage Month. This exhibit will feature art from Hispanic students and their portrayals of Frida Kahlo and Andean women, to name a few. The work will be available for viewing in both the Stewart Library and the Shepherd Union.
These events, while promoting and embracing Hispanic heritage, also want to spark conversations between students. This is done by events such as Taboo Talks and the topic of immigration, which takes place Sept. 12.
The overall goal of any diversity event is to create an inclusive campus.
“I think it’s super important that when we’re trying to create an inclusive campus, an inclusive environment and inclusive workplaces or even an inclusive world, we need to be learning about these different histories so we become knowledgeable and we’re not stuck in the bubble of, ‘I didn’t know about this,” said Hernandez.
For a list of dates, times and locations for each event, visit weber.edu/diversity/upcoming-events.
