National Hispanic Heritage Month
Each year between September 15 and October 15, National Hispanic Heritage Month recognizes and celebrates the history, culture, and diverse experiences of Latinxs in the United States. First commemorated by President Lyndon Johnson in 1968 as “Hispanic Heritage Week,” the celebration was later expanded to a month by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. The month-long period features the independence day celebrations of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, all of which gained independence on September 15, 1821. Three other Latin American countries also celebrate their independence days during this period: Mexico (September 16), Chile (September 18), and Belize (September 21). The many contributions that Latinxs have made to the United States are commemorated during National Hispanic Heritage Month in numerous ways, including festivals, concerts, and museum exhibits.
Hispanic Heritage & NIU
This year, we are celebrating Latinx culture and history here at NIU, with a spotlight on the Latino Resource Center and the Center for Latino and Latin American Studies.
Campus Events
Latinx Faculty Invited to Community Art Project Reveal
Wednesday, September 15 at 5:00PM to 6:00PM, Latino Resource Center
The art project features a quote from Pedro Albizu Campos: "Aquel que no está orgulloso de su origen, no valdrá nunca nada, pues comienza a despreciarese a si mismo." The event will be held outdoors.
De Que Parte Eres!
Friday, September 17, 2021 at 7:00pm. CLLAS Building
Hosted by Lambda Theta Phi
Adela de la Torre Latino Honor Society (ATLHS) Induction Ceremony
Sunday, September 19 at 12:00 PM/ Holmes Student Center, Carl Sandberg Room.
La Fiesta De la Catrina
Monday, September 20, 2021 at 5:30 PM. Latino Resource Center.
Hosted by the Latino Student Alliance
"Separated: Family and Community in the Aftermath of an Immigration Raid" William D. Lopez, Ph.D.
Thursday, September 23 at 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM (Virtual Event)
Professor Lopez is a clinical assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and faculty director of Public Scholarship at the National Center for Institutional Diversity. He is the author of the book, Separated: Family and Community in the Aftermath of an Immigration Raid.
As a clinical assistant professor, William teaches "Health Impacts of Immigration Law Enforcement in the U.S." This class focuses on the violence of immigration enforcement on the individual, family and community levels, and asks what we, as researchers and advocates, can do to address it.
Co-sponsored with Undocumented Student Support.
Banderas y color
Monday, September 27, 2021 at 5:30PM. Latino Resource Center.
Hosted by the Latino Student Alliance
Fulbright Teacher Exchange Encounter
Tuesday, September 28, 2021 at 5:00PM. Latino Resource Center.
Hosted by the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Grant
Guest Speaker Julissa Arce
Wednesday, September 29, 2021 from 5:00PM-6:00PM. Via ZOOM
Hosted by De Mujer a Mujer, LRC, CLLAS, GSRC, SGA, Office of Undocumented Support
Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodriguez
Tuesday, September 28th, 2021 at 6:00PM. Carl Sandburg Auditorium
Hosted by the Office of Undocumented Support, LRC, CBS, GSRC, CLLAS, CSGWS & Department of English
14th Annual Passport Kermes
Tuesday, September 28, 2021 from 7:00PM -10:00PM. Campus Life Building.
The Womyn of Alpha Sigma Omega LSI co hosting with Kappa Pi Beta Fraternity Inc. would like to invite you to our Annual Passport Kermes. This event consist of bring awareness towards Hispanic Heritage Month. We Womyn of ASO and the gentlemen of KPiB will showcase four different counties of Latin America, play games and eat delicious food.
Beta Tamales
Sunday, October 3, 2021 from 4:00PM-7:00PM. Latino Resource Center.
Hosted by Sigma Lambda Beta
LGBTQ+ Unidos
Monday, October 4, 2021 from 3:00PM-4:30PM. Holmes Student Center.
Hosted by the LRC & GSRC
"Learning to be Latino: How Colleges Shape Identity Politics," Dr. Daisy Verduzco Reyes
Wednesday, October 13 at 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM (Virtual Event)
Dr. Daisy Verduzco Reyes, Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of California Merced, will be giving a talk centered on her book: Learning to be Latino: How Colleges Shape Identity Politics.
This is a co-sponsored event with the Latino Resource Center.
This virtual speaking engagement will be moderated by Dr. Christina Abreu (CLLAS) and Dr. Simón Weffer (Sociology/CLLAS)
Kahoot! Game Night
Friday, October 15 at 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM (Virtual Event)
Get your game on! It's Kahoot night with the Center for Latino and Latin American Studies.
"The Politics of Care: Puerto Ricans, Citizenship, and Migration after 1917" Dr. Emma Amador
Wednesday, October 20 at 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM (Virtual Event)
Dr. Emma Amador is an Assistant Professor of History and Latina/o, Caribbean, and Latin American Studies. Her work focuses on Puerto Rico, Puerto Ricans, and U.S. Latina/o/x History with an emphasis on women, gender, and race.
She is currently completing a book manuscript, Contesting Colonialism: Puerto Ricans and the Politics of Welfare in the 20th Century that explores the history of welfare, territorial social citizenship, and struggles for social rights in Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rican diaspora. This project examines how the U.S. welfare state became a site where Puerto Ricans have fought for social justice, labor reform, and decolonization.
With funding support from:
The Graduate Colloquium Program
Sones de Mexico presents A Musical Geography of Mexico, with Banda NIU
October 28, 2021. Banda NIU plays at 12 noon. Sones de Mexico starts at 12:30
Sones de México Ensemble is the country’s premier folk music organization specializing in Mexican ‘son’, including the regional styles of huapango, gustos, chilenas, son jarocho, and more. Their mission is to promote greater appreciation of Mexican folk and traditional music and culture through innovative performance, education, and dissemination. They will be performing their program called Beyond the Music: A Musical Geography Of Mexico, in the Founders Library Gallery. Let the Grammy nominated Sones de Mexico Ensemble be your guide in this special program on Mexico’s musical geography. They will be joined by Banda NIU, a student group performing the banda music of the Mexican state of Sinaloa. Sponsors: Friends of the NIU Libraries, the Center for Latino and Latin American Studies, the Office of Undocumented Student Support, and the Latino Resource Center.
Treinta y tres - Sustainability, Conservation, and Environmental Justice
Friday, November 19, 2021 from 8:00AM-6:00PM (Virtual event)
The Center for Latino and Latin American Studies at Northern Illinois University annual conference.
The Center for Latino and Latin American Studies at Northern Illinois University invites you to submit proposals for its annual conference, “Treinta y tres,” to be held on Friday, November 19, 2021. This year’s theme is “Sustainability, Conservation, and Environmental Justice” in relation to both Latinx and Latin American experiences. We welcome proposals from faculty, graduate students, and advanced undergraduate students that engage approaches and methodologies from across the arts, humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: sustainable food systems, energy studies, water, conservation of natural habitats, environmental racism, environmental discourse and ideologies, and environmental health issues.
The deadline to submit proposals (150-300 words) for papers, panels, performances, or workshops is September 15, 2021. Proposals should include a title, brief abstract, and contact information for each participant. Please also indicate if you prefer a virtual or in-person session. We will do our best to accommodate preferences, but flexibility on format will be appreciated. We are planning for a hybrid conference with both virtual and in-person activities, pending updates or changes to university Covid-19 guidelines. Email latinostudies@niu.edu with any questions or for more information.
Chicagoland & Illinois Events
- Mural Unveiling Event to Honor Hispanic Heritage Month
Saturday, September 18, 2021 at noon.
This year’s Hispanic Heritage theme is “Esperanza: A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage and Hope.” The theme invites us to celebrate Hispanic Heritage and to reflect on how great our tomorrow can be if we hold onto our resilience and hope. It encourages us to reflect on all of the contributions Hispanics have made in the past; and will continue to make in the future. It is also a reminder that we are stronger together.
Join us at South Chicago Learning Center (3055 E. 92nd), Saturday, September 18th, at noon as we embrace this theme in a FREE mural unveiling event to celebrate the rich Hispanic culture that makes up the Olive-Harvey South Chicago Community.
Following the unveiling, a community event will take place at SkyArt (3026 E 91st St).
Please share with friends, family, and your professional network. We look forward to kicking off Hispanic Heritage month with you!
- Rick Najera’s Latino Thought Makers Series at Morton College Kicks-Off Hispanic Heritage Month with Multi-Award Actor Luis Guzman
Friday, September 24, 2021 at 6:30 PM
Latino ThoughtMakers Live Interview Series Featuring Latino Innovators in Media and Entertainment moderated and hosted by award-winning writer, producer, author and comedian Rick Najera. We invite you to join the conversation and listen to the insights, stories, and perspectives on issues facing the Latino community!
- Hispanic Heritage Celebration
Sunday, September 19, 2021 from 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Sponsored by the People's Center for Cultural & Contemporary Arts.
Come celebrate Hispanic Heritage month as PCCCA students showcase their hard work after completing Summer Arts Camp! All proceeds to go to keep our arts classes affordable and accessible to all youth going into the fall quarter. We hope you can join us in celebrating and contributing to our mission.
Our mission is to prepare the innovators of tomorrow through guided exploration of cultural & contemporary arts and provide professional development to equip students in making relevant connections to their personal and career goals.
- Naperville Hispanic Heritage Festival
Saturday, September 18, 2021 at 11:00 AM
The Naperville Sister City Commission is hosting our first annual Hispanic Heritage Festival in downtown Naperville on September 18th. There will be a host of events celebrating music, art, food, and cultural activities scattered through downtown Naperville and concluding with music in Central Park. Please see our website at www.napervillehispanicfest.com for a complete list of events.
- Sonido 18 Fest
Saturday, September 18, 2021 & Sunday, September 19 from 2:00PM-10:00PM
Join us on September 18th and 19th for a two-day indie music festival. Sonido 18 Fest features local Pilsen sounds and beyond! Saturday’s line-up includes performances by local favorites like: Abel, Eleeza Silva, CEDEÑO, and international artists Girl Ultra, Zemmoa, Mi Sobrino Memo, and Sussie 4. Sunday’s line-up brings a dose of dusties, oldies and rockabilly featuring performances by local artists Jose Alfredo, Jesus Ramos, and Sonorama along with our guests from the west coast: Malik Malo, Cota & Like the Morning, Sarah “La Morena,” and Gizzelle. Sunday’s event will also feature lowriders on display!
This event will take place outdoors in Harrison Park.
This event is FREE. Please consider registering for your preferred date so we can keep you informed of any changes to the schedule.
This program is partially supported by the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events with funding from the Walder Foundation and by the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
Latinxs in the United States: A Reading List
Harvest of Empire by Call Number: E184.S75 G655 2011ISBN: 9780143119289Publication Date: 2011-05-31A sweeping history of the Latino experience in the United States- thoroughly revised and updated. The first new edition in ten years of this important study of Latinos in U.S. history, Harvest of Empire spans five centuries-from the first New World colonies to the first decade of the new millennium. Latinos are now the largest minority group in the United States, and their impact on American popular culture-from food to entertainment to literature-is greater than ever. Featuring family portraits of real- life immigrant Latino pioneers, as well as accounts of the events and conditions that compelled them to leave their homelands, Harvest of Empire is required reading for anyone wishing to understand the history and legacy of this increasingly influential group.
Inventing Latinos by ISBN: 9781595589170Publication Date: 2020-08-25In an unprecedented demographic shift, Latinos will comprise a third of the American population in just a matter of decades. While their influence shapes everything from electoral politics to popular culture, many Americans still struggle with two basic questions: Who are Latinos, and where do they fit in America's racial order? Laura E. Gomez, a leading expert on race in America, argues that it is only recently that Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Dominicans, Central Americans, and others are seeing themselves (and being seen by others) under the banner of a cohesive racial identity.
Latinos, Inc by Call Number: Ebook CentralISBN: 9780520274693Publication Date: 2012-09-01Both Hollywood and corporate America are taking note of the marketing power of the growing Latino population in the United States. And as salsa takes over both the dance floor and the condiment shelf, the influence of Latin culture is gaining momentum in American society as a whole. Yet the increasing visibility of Latinos in mainstream culture has not been accompanied by a similar level of economic parity or political enfranchisement. In this important, original, and entertaining book, Arlene Dávila provides a critical examination of the Hispanic marketing industry and of its role in the making and marketing of U.S. Latinos.Dávila finds that Latinos' increased popularity in the marketplace is simultaneously accompanied by their growing exotification and invisibility. She scrutinizes the complex interests that are involved in the public representation of Latinos as a generic and culturally distinct people and questions the homogeneity of the different Latino subnationalities that supposedly comprise the same people and group of consumers. In a fascinating discussion of how populations have become reconfigured as market segments, she shows that the market and marketing discourse become important terrains where Latinos debate their social identities and public standing.
An African American and Latinx History of the United States by ISBN: 9780807005934Publication Date: 2018-12-11An intersectional history of the shared struggle for African American and Latinx civil rights. Spanning more than two hundred years, An African American and Latinx History of the United States is a revolutionary, politically charged narrative history arguing that the "Global South" was crucial to the development of America as we know it. Ortiz challenges the notion of westward progress, as exalted by widely taught formulations such as "manifest destiny" and "Jacksonian democracy," and shows how placing African American, Latinx, and Indigenous voices unapologetically front and center transforms American history into the story of the working class organizing against imperialism. In precise detail, Ortiz traces this untold history from the Jim Crow-esque racial segregation of the Southwest, the rise and violent fall of a powerful tradition of Mexican labor organizing in the twentieth century, to May 1, 2006, International Workers' Day, when migrant laborers-Chicana/os, Afro-Cubanos, and immigrants from nearly every continent on earth-united in resistance on the first "Day Without Immigrants." Incisive and timely, An African American and Latinx History of the United States is a bottom-up history told from the viewpoint of African American and Latinx activists and revealing the radically different ways people of the diaspora addressed issues still plaguing the United States today.
Borderlands / la Frontera by Call Number: PS3551.N95 B6 2012ISBN: 9781879960855Publication Date: 2012-06-12Literary Nonfiction. Poetry. Latino/Latina Studies. LGBT Studies. Fourth Edition. Rooted in Gloria Anzaldúa's experience as a Chicana, a lesbian, an activist, and a writer, the essays and poems in this volume profoundly challenged, and continue to challenge, how we think about identity. BORDERLANDS/LA FRONTERA remaps our understanding of what a "border" is, presenting it not as a simple divide between here and there, us and them, but as a psychic, social, and cultural terrain that we inhabit, and that inhabits all of us. This twenty-fifth anniversary edition features a new introduction by scholars Norma Cantú (University of Texas at San Antonio) and Aída Hurtado (University of California at Santa Cruz) as well as a revised critical bibliography. "The emotional and intellectual impact of the book is disorienting and powerful...all languages are spoken, and survival depends on understanding all modes of thought. In the borderlands new creatures come into being. Anzaldúa celebrates this 'new mestiza' in bold, experimental writing."--The Village Voice "Anzaldúa's pulsating weaving of innovative poetry with sparse informative prose brings us deep into the insider/outsider consciousness of the borderlands; that ancient and contemporary, crashing and blending world that divides and unites America."--Women's Review of Books
