Rice University’s Grand Hall was boisterously filled with students, music and festivities as the university began its many celebrations as part of Hispanic Heritage Month. Themed “Latine Heritage Month,” the festivities include programming across campus through Oct. 17 that spotlight the pride, passion and progress of Latine communities while also acknowledging the ongoing work toward greater recognition, representation and empowerment.
Monday’s kickoff celebration featured trío music by Grupo Viento as guests perused information tables from affinity groups like the Hispanic Association for Cultural Enrichment at Rice (HACER), Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), First-Gen Legal Collective and Rice Votes.
Luziris Pineda Turi, associate vice provost for diversity, equity and inclusion, associate teaching professor of Spanish and co-chair of Latine Heritage Month, commenced the ceremony by welcoming more than 200 attendees.
“Attempting to bring together people from different countries on the American continent and in the Caribbean through one heritage month is not an easy task,” Pineda Turi said. “Our histories are complex, our racial and ethnic identities are intersectional, and while there are certainly instances of harmony amongst all of these countries, the undeniable link that ties us, the Spanish colonization, can bring about tensions and questions.
“Yet, here we are in the United States living, working, educating, being educated, growing, thriving, fighting for justice, voting and seeking what we all seek: peace and happiness. So let this month be an invitation to relish in the joy of our diverse cultural heritage, to learn and grow from the pain and injustices of this same cultural heritage, and to reflect on the progress made while looking forward to new opportunities and a commitment to do better.”
Leslie Contreras Schwartz ’02 and Isabella Gonzalez ’23 read poems that spoke to Latine heritage.
“The poem [I read] was titled ‘Cooking a Language,’ and that was specifically related to my relationship with Spanish,” Gonzalez said. “I don't know Spanish, but I'm of Latin heritage, and so it was essentially to describe how I still feel a part of the Latin community even though I don't speak Spanish.”
“I think it's a wonderful way to celebrate our own culture and also show other people the kind of elements of what it means to be Latin, what it means to be Hispanic. I think especially at Rice, it's so important to celebrate and bring together this sense of community that is already here and to show other people what it means to be Latin in that community.”
The ceremony continued with Afro-Cuban drummers and dancers from Featuring Latin American Music and ART, a ¡RITMO! preview by students Cielo Reyes Reyes and Tracy Olea-Cervantes and a performance by Los Búhos del Norte while they snacked on aguas frescas and Mexican sweet bread donated by Rice Housing & Dining and dinner provided by Churrascos Steakhouse.
Ulises Hubbard, a member of Mariachi Luna Llena, which entertained audiences as they ate, summed up how this ceremony and Latine Heritage Month are good for the Rice community.
“It's good because this month gives people an opportunity to really experience [Hispanic] culture,” he said. “You don't really experience it until you come to one of these events. It's a good way to get a little snippet of the cultures that you're less familiar with.”
For a full list of events, visit the Latine Heritage month website.