On Saturday, Oct. 13, the North Central College Latinx Student Association hosted the Hispanic Heritage Celebration in Wentz Concert Hall. Attendees enjoyed live music by a mariachi band, ballet folklórico performances, food from different Hispanic cultures and student-created displays about several Spanish-speaking countries.
The event marked the culmination of Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from mid-September through mid-October. According to Dr. Jelena Sánchez, Hispanic Heritage Month takes place during this time because “it coincides with the meeting of two worlds.”
“Years ago, different countries and cultures decided to change the focus of the (Columbus Day) celebration and turn it into a month-long celebration of different Hispanic contributions to society,” said Sánchez.
Dr. Sánchez has a specific goal for NCC’s celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. She wants to eliminate Hispanic misconceptions.
“Sometimes institutions tend to just choose one event that represents all of Hispanic society, and that’s unfortunate because it really waters down the complexity of all our different societies and all our different contributions to the whole world,” said Sánchez. “I try to make sure that we offer many different events that touch on politics, language, science, math, music and art… so that people can learn about the different nuances and contributions of the different countries in our world today.”
Cynthia Ramos, ’20, LSA president, hopes that attendees come away with an understanding of the diversity within the Hispanic community.
“It’s assumed that we are a homogeneous group and that we have the same food and the same music and things like that. When really, you can see that we have a variety and a spectrum of different things,” said Ramos. “…Considering the recent things that have been going on politically, Latin American countries are mentioned more so it’s just important to raise awareness that every Hispanic person has different roots.”
The decorations in Wentz Concert Hall had colorful papel picado, an abundance of food and song and dance. “Seeing everything set up and everything decorated was just awesome,” said Ramos. “A big part of it, too, is just seeing people enjoying themselves and dancing and experiencing something new.”
