MANAGING EDITOR – SOPHIA KUSSEL
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT 4, 2023
St. Mary’s University started celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with its annual kickoff event in the University Center (UC). It’s a long-standing celebration of Hispanic culture and history.
Before National Hispanic Heritage Month, there was only a commemorative Hispanic Heritage week, which was hardly enough time to celebrate all Hispanic contributions. The week was introduced in June 1968 by California congressman George E. Brown, a Quaker, civil rights activist and anti-war protester. Congressman Brown represented portions of East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley, regions that contained large Hispanic populations in California. The creation of the celebration stemmed from the momentum of the 1960s civil rights movement and the push for Hispanic recognition in the U.S.
On Sept. 17, 1968, congress officially recognized the commemorative week, establishing Sept. 15 and 16 as the start of celebrations. In 1988, during the Reagan administration and thanks to legislation sponsored by Representative Esteban Torres, a full month was dedicated to establishing and celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month.
St. Mary’s University participates in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month each year, with events happening on campus nearly every week until Oct. 24. The Hispanic Heritage Month Kickoff Event is the first event and occurs on Sept. 14 annually. During this event, multiple conferences that discuss St. Mary’s role as a Hispanic-serving institution are held.
This year’s event hosted two talks. The first was Building a Hispanic-Serving Institution Through Title V Initiatives, featuring Jason Pierce, Ph.D.; Margaret Alarilla, Ed.D.; Gary Ogden, Ph.D.; Betsy Smith, Ph.D.; and Jennifer Zwahr-Castro, Ph.D. The second was The Past Present and Future of St. Mary’s as a Hispanic Serving Institution, featuring Margaret Cantu-Sanchez, Ph.D.; Gerald Poyo, Ph.D.; Stella Silva, Ph.D.; Arturo Vega, Ph.D.; and Belinda Román, Ph.D.
The first session covered the complexities and benefits of Title V and its availability for St. Mary’s students. Title V was originally given to schools in the 1990s that had large populations of Hispanic students. The Title V Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans (PPOHA) Program Grant was awarded to St. Mary’s University in 2014 by the Department of Education, providing much needed assistance for prospective graduate students. The University was given six grants in total. St. Mary’s PPOHA program aims to tackle the University’s shortcomings in providing support for its large Hispanic student body and underprivileged postbaccalaureate students, to help them achieve their goals without obstacles. Speaking about promoting Title V, Dr. Zwahr-Castro, stated, “PPOHA is designed to remove barriers.”
The second talk discussed the history and progress of St. Mary’s as a Hispanic-serving institution. Being a Hispanic-serving school is integral to St. Mary’s identity. Though the university is a Hispanic-serving school, it is often not discussed, specifically among students. The panelists argued that the university should lean into the Hispanic identity and not be reluctant to be proud of it. Being a Hispanic-serving institution has been a deep part of St. Mary’s history since the 1950s. According to Dr. Vega, individuals need to think about attending a Hispanic-serving institution in terms of intentionality, what it should mean and produce for the school’s future.