Before decorating the halls with scarecrows and Jack-o-Lanterns, Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) is cooking tacos and hanging piñatas in preparation for Hispanic Heritage Month. Starting Sept. 17, TAMUK will hold a variety of events based on Mexican-American traditions and celebrations.
The Hispanic Heritage Committee at TAMUK has been planning the events since Spring 2018. The committee consists of university students, advisors and professors. Many departments from the university, including the TAMUK mariachi band and Taco Taco restaurant have agreed to participate in the activities.
Several renowned guest speakers are scheduled to come to TAMUK, many of whom have made contributions to Mexican-American communities or have knowledge of Hispanic culture. Guests include Armando Ibanez and Eliseo ‘Cheo’ Torres.
Monica Izquierdo, intercultural student assistant at the office of student activities, is confident students will enjoy the diverse activities planned by the Hispanic Heritage Committee.
“What we had in the back of our mind was ‘we want to make these events fun and also educational for students. We want to make them appealing so that we have a good audience but at the same time we want to focus that it is for Hispanic heritage,” Izquierdo said.
Some of the events have become a tradition at the university. For more than 10 years, students and teachers at TAMUK have gathered at the pavilion to read, write and sing music in celebration of Día de la Raza. Darlene Arriaga, lecturer in Spanish, remembers reading a page from the book Don Quixote in Spanish. Arriaga explains that Día de la Raza is held every year as a way for students and teachers to express themselves artistically and linguistically.
“It’s about inviting students to participate and read in Spanish because it’s Hispanic pride. Pride in your language. To feel proud about it and be able to express themselves in their own language,” Arriaga said.
The Hispanic Heritage Committee is not the only one who is hosting events. Marco Iñiguez Alba, director of Sigma Dela Pi and TAMUK Spanish teacher, plans to host a number of events for the following three months. On Sept. 3, Alba will host a Literary Calaverita workshop, at which students will learn how to create comedic poems.
On Sept. 21, Ricardo Backal, Mexican-Jewish activist, will come to the TAMUK South Texas Archive to speak about the books donated by his family. The event will highlight a “hidden history” about South Texas, explains Alba.
“We will talk about the themes of Jews in the Americas and the books they left behind…That’s the project. We will show the public the digitalized books and invite researchers to study them,” Alba said.
For more information about the events, contact the office of Student Activities at (361) 593-2760.
