From book launches to readings to discussions about immigration and the border, the Pitt community can celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month through programming planned by a University-wide committee.
Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated annually from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 to acknowledge the history, culture and contributions of Americans whose ancestry can be traced to Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Spain.
Visit the Hispanic Heritage Month website.
Chaired by Gina Garcia, assistant professor in the Department of Administrative and Policy Studies in the School of Education, and the Latino Student Association (LSA), the committee includes faculty, staff and students from across the University (including regional campuses) committed to bringing awareness to Pitt about the Latinx community. They have developed activities that advance LSA’s core cultural, educational, social and advocacy principles.
Diversity in the Latinx community
This is the second year the Pitt community has celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month. Garcia, who also chaired the committee during its inaugural year, called working with such a committed group a great experience, highlighting a series of videos created last year to highlight the diversity of the Latinx community.
“Last year, we talked a lot about how we wanted the events to be more than cultural celebrations, and instead focus on educational programs that create awareness of the complexities of being Latinx in the U.S. in 2019,” she said.
Included among this year’s programming are a Latino Leaders Gathering, with representatives from Pitt Global, the Center for Latin American Studies, the Hispanic/Latinx Professional Association and the Latinx Student Organization; a launch of Garcia’s book “Becoming Hispanic-Serving Institutions: Opportunities for Colleges and Universities,” co-sponsored by the School of Education and Center for Latin American Studies; and film screenings and social activities at Pitt–Greensburg.