Every year from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) recognizes and celebrates the many contributions, diverse cultures and extensive histories of the American Latine community. The 15th of Sept. is significant because it marks the independence anniversary of Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Furthermore, Mexico and Chile each have independence days on Sept. 16 and Sept. 18, respectively. Also included in this 30-day period is Columbus Day, also known as Día de la Raza, which is celebrated on Oct. 12. 

There is a lot of controversy with the word “Hispanic,” as it centers on Spanish ancestry, undermining the historical anti-colonialism and the righteous independence of these countries. The term excludes Latin American ethnic groups without a history of Spanish conquest, like Brazil or Haiti, which is why the word “Latine” should be used instead of Hispanic. It has become the preferred term amongst youth and academics to subvert patriarchal supremacy in the Spanish language, and provide an inclusive, gender-neutral term for non-binary or gender nonconforming people.  

Within La Sociedad they have provided a space for students to learn about the diversity of the Latine community and redefine what it means to be a member of the Latine community. With Latine heritage month, members of the club look forward to sharing and teaching others about their culture to St. Lawrence University as it is a predominantly white institution, and many people use this as an advantage to keep in touch with their culture and acknowledge the history Latines made an impact on America.  

Xitlali, who is Mexican American says “it is important to acknowledge our history of colonization by looking at our states like Calif. and Texas were once owned by Mexico before the United States took over. It’s important to learn about history in general and being that representation in America. Especially since its built on the backs of immigrants who live in America, and many were Latines, which is important to acknowledge too. In a place like a predominantly white institution, we get to express that representation as well because we’re still lacking a lot of representation at SLU.” 

Rafael Escoto, who is Dominican expresses how “Attending a PWI is easy to forget where you come from sometimes and the things that remind you of home, so its good to have a month strictly where you see Latine representation and a community. This is a PWI so its an unfortunate expectation to normalize that while attending a PWI, your culture would not be put out there and celebrated the same way achievements are celebrated for other students. It is very disappointing, as we are in the year 2022, and what more can you expect from people.” 

Members feel it is important to incorporate Hispanic Heritage Month, as SLU fails to acknowledge it as many domestic students, international students and some faculty members come from Spanish speaking countries or come from a background. Especially since there are many historical Hispanic figures has made an impact in several different movements in America.  

Sarath, the President of La Sociedad, says “it is important to embrace who we are (Latine) at a PWI because we go by and pass-through people who are not aware who we are and where we come from and things that are very important to our identity, its distressing that SLU hasn’t acknowledged about it because it shows our white counterparts that they don’t have to care.”  

La Sociedad encourages anyone to attend the events they have planned for Latine Heritage Month to learn more about Latine culture and educate themselves. Last week, they hosted a Latin music night at pub 56, which was a successful event. This Saturday they plan to host an empanada cooking class at La Casa at 2 p.m. Look out for more events hosted by La Sociedad on the Instagram page, @lasociedad_lacasa_slu.