By Jacie Sellars, Print Editor in Chief
Banners and traditional decorations filled the hallway, and students crowded around tables. Music played as vendors sold Mexican corn and pupusas, a stuffed flatbread from El Salvador and Honduras. Lile Hall had been converted into a plaza as part of a series of celebrations across campus for Hispanic Heritage Month.
Hispanic Heritage Month is observed across the nation from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 each year. Its goal is to celebrate the history and culture of people with Hispanic and Latino descent. This year, the Spanish department worked to bring these celebrations to Ouachita’s campus.
Spanish professor Jerusa Carvajal wanted to have these events in part to honor the Hispanic students and faculty at Ouachita. “There are many students on our campus that come from Hispanic families or have Spanish-speaking parents,” Carvajal said. “We want these students to feel pride in their Hispanic heritage.” Although representation is one of the goals of Hispanic Heritage Month, Carvajal hopes that each event will help everyone on campus to better understand Hispanic culture. “It’s important that everyone on campus gets to know, at least on a small scale, our cultures,” Carvajal said. “The music, the food, the dress- it’s all distinct.” The celebrations began with a kick-off lunch on Sept. 15 where the dining hall served popular foods, including fajitas, quesadillas and churros.
Next, Spanish faculty showed a documentary on Sept. 17 entitled “Hispanic Myths and Challenges.” This showing helped students to gain cultural understanding and learn more about the history behind Hispanic Heritage Month.
Celebrations continued with the Plaza Latina on Sept. 21. This event took place in Lile Hall and attempted to replicate a traditional marketplace. Different faculty members set up tables of decorations from their countries. Student artists sold artwork and handmade jewelry, and local vendors sold food. Senior Elizabeth Hahn, president of the Sigma Delta Pi Spanish Honor Society, said that she was very pleased with the event. “Looking back on the Plaza Latina, I’m so thrilled with how it turned out and the number of people who showed up,” Hahn said. “We had music, dancing, amazing vendors and tables with items from several Spanish-speaking countries. The event brought so much culture and life to Ouachita’s campus and really represented the spirit of Hispanic Heritage Month.”
According to Carvajal, the plaza event provided an opportunity to connect with the wider Spanish-speaking community through outreach to local vendors. “We want to open these events for the community, for people who want to come here,” Carvajal said. “It’s important to be integrated because we are part of this community. We can serve them, and we can also bring them here for these experiences.”
Next, the Spanish department partnered with the School of Natural Sciences to host a conversation about “Science Beyond Borders.” The event took place at Dr. Jack’s coffeehouse and featured guest speaker Dr. Patrycja Krakowiak-Valdivia.
Krakowiak-Valdivia spoke about how to work with linguistic and cultural barriers in medicine and research, showing students the practical benefits of understanding more than one language and culture. Fernanda Carillo, Ouachita’s campus visit coordinator, has helped to plan the events and believes that each one has increased student awareness of different backgrounds. “Everyone has been very receptive,” Carillo said. “We’ve talked about traditional food and dancing, for example, and people are interested.”
The celebrations will continue with several events focused on fun ways to bring historical education and cultural immersion to campus. The history department will host a History of Hispanic Heritage Month celebration on Sept. 25 in Lile Hall. The history faculty aim to teach students more about Hispanic culture.On Sept. 29, a game of lotería, or Mexican bingo, will take place in Lile Hall. Students are invited to build community over a new game. The Spanish department will host a cooking class in the Ouachita Commons on Oct. 6. Participants will learn how to prepare arepas, a corn cake commonly served in Venezuela and Colombia.
The final event of Hispanic Heritage Month is La Alabanza. This time of worship in Spanish will be held in Berry Chapel on Oct. 15. Carvajal said that she believes this event has the potential to deeply resonate with students. “For me, this event is very important,” Carvajal said. “When students sing in English and praise in their own language, that’s one thing, but I want them to know that for Spanish-speakers and other cultures, we sing and praise the same way in our own languages.”
At the heart of each event is the desire to welcome every student to learn more about Hispanic heritage, regardless of background. Carvajal hopes that attendees can better understand the many different countries and cultures represented. “It’s very important to understand other cultures during the difficult times we are living in,” Carvajal said. “Every culture is singular, and it’s important to bring each culture to campus.” Carillo hopes that the events will increase compassion and understanding, further connecting the student body. “Everyone is welcome at these events,” Carillo said. “Just showing a little bit of interest will mean a lot to Hispanic and international students.”
Through music, food and thoughtful discussions, these events have joyfully highlighted diversity on campus and brought forth unity among all of those who call Ouachita home.
