Mark Linn – News editor
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It’s the midpoint of National Hispanic Heritage Month, which takes place between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15 and celebrates the contributions of Hispanic and Latino citizens.
Hispanic Heritage Month was originally conceived as Hispanic Heritage Week, which President Lyndon B. Johnson launched in 1968, according to the National Hispanic Heritage Month website, which is maintained by the Library of Congress. It was expanded to its current date and length in 1988 by President Ronald Reagan. Sept. 15 is a significant date because it marks the anniversary of the independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Additionally, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence on Sept. 16 and Sept. 18, respectively. Columbus Day, also celebrated as Dia de la Raza (“Day of the Race”) occurs on Oct. 12. Dia de la Raza has often served as a time of mobilization for Latino activists, and the first Hispanic March on Washington occurred on the date in 1996.
There have already been several celebrations of Hispanic culture going on throughout UAB, and even more are planned for around the Birmingham community in the months of October and November.
One such campus event was the Nuestra Independencia (“Our Independence”) celebration on Sept. 24, which featured Latin American food and dancing and was hosted by Sigma Lambda Gamma, a Latina-based multicultural sorority. The Nuestra Independencia was started last year as a means of raising awareness.
“One of the principles we were founded on is cultural awareness. This is our second annual Nuestra Independencia. What we’re trying to do is try to get out here and let the campus know that there is a Latino presence on campus,” said Maria Cruz, the Vice President of Marketing for the sorority. “We’re small but we’re here and we’re growing. And we want to bring our culture, our food, our dance to the UAB student body.”
Sigma Lambda Gamma is a national sorority that started in 1990 at the University of Iowa. The UAB chapter was officially recognized in January of 2014.
“We hope to continue [the sorority], because there was nothing like this before here at UAB and we wanted to start something where the Latinas would fit in, too,” said Mayra Flores, one of the founding members of the sorority. “It offers such a good
opportunity to a lot of girls. Not just Latinas or Hispanics, but like I said, it’s multicultural.”
UAB’s Hispanic population is growing, in fact. In the most recent annual report released by UAB’s Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Analysis, which compiles various facts and figures including enrollment demographics, of UAB’s 8,297 undergraduate students enrolled this fall, 364, or 3.2 percent, were identified as Hispanic/Latino. In 2010, it was 220 out of 8,204, or 2 percent. In 2007, which was the first year Hispanic students were identified separately, it was 156 out of 7,833, or 1.4 percent.
Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated in the United States, Canada, and Latin America. As such, it represents many things to different members of different Hispanic communities. For some, like Flores, it’s a chance to celebrate their origins and identity in a location where the Hispanic population is a smaller minority than it is nationally.
“To me, living here in the United States for the majority of my life it means a whole lot. Especially here in Birmingham, we don’t have a large Hispanic population, so when things like this come up I take a lot of pride,” said Flores, who was born in Guerrero, Mexico. “I haven’t gone back to my country in a long long time, [so]it brings back my roots, it brings back traditions, it brings back family members that I’m not able to see any more. So it brings back memories and good feelings
For others, like Cruz, it’s a chance to issues that affect the Hispanic community to the forefront.
“For myself, coming from an immigrant family–I’m a first generation student here–So being Latino, our month means a lot to me, because it gives us a chance to voice our opinions,” said Cruz.
“There’s many social justice issues going on now that I’m very passionate about, and this gives me a chance to go out there and make people aware of issues like immigration, and discrimination and stereotypes against the Latino community.”
One way part of the UAB community is tackling the problems of discrimination and stereotypes is to try to change the language that facilitates them. The “Think before you Speak” campaign is the brainchild of the Multicultural Council, and seeks to change some of the terminology being used in the national debate over immigration.
“We decided to focus on immigration and the negative stigmas and stereotypes often connected to the Latin community and this issue,” said Cortney Johnson, the Senior Coordinator of Multicultural and Diversity Programs in an e-mail. “In particular, we wanted to challenge the campus to stop using the term ‘illegal alien’ and instead say ‘undocumented immigrant’. Using the terms ‘illegal’ and ‘alien’ to refer to a person can be offensive, dehumanizing, and disempowering. Changing our language can help us change our framework, meaning if we stop using dehumanizing language we may begin approach this issue with more empathy and action—perhaps change some minds. It is a small step, but it’s something!”
Another event marking Hispanic Heritage Month was one of the Multicultural Council’s monthly film screenings, which are each tied to a specific history or heritage month. For September, the movie was “Love, Women, and Flowers,” a documentary about the hazardous working conditions for women who work in Columbia’s flower industry. Columbia is the supplier for the majority of the cut carnations sold in the United States. Many women are subjected to hazardous working conditions that can lead to serious health issues and earlier deaths.
Palomitas, UAB’s Spanish and Latin American film club, also had a showing of “Como agua para chocolate” (“Like water for chocolate”), based on a popular Mexican novel, on Sept. 24. Their next showing will be on Oct. 5 with the PBS documentary “Caribbean Latinos” at Sterne Library.
There are still several large celebrations planned in the Birmingham area. The 13th annual Fiesta, which bills itself as “Alabama’s largest celebration of Hispanic heritage and culture” will be held on Saturday, Oct. 3 in Linn Park. The stated goal of Fiesta is to educate the public about the many different Hispanic countries and their cultures through the presentation of Hispanic art, food, music, and dance. UAB’s Student Multicultural and Diversity Programs is sponsoring a “Cultural Excursion” for students to the Fiesta. Admission to the Fiesta is $8.00 in advance and $10.00 at the gate, while children 12 and under get in free.
Another celebration is planned on November 2 at First Ave. South in Birmingham to celebrate Dia de los Muertos, the Mexican Day of the Dead. The holiday, which takes place on Oct. 31-Nov. 2 to coincide with Allhallowtide, which includes Halloween. The holiday focuses on family and friends gathering to pray and remember loved ones who have died.
Information on the upcoming festivities can be found at fiestabirmingham.com and barehandsinc.org.
