In 1988, Latiné Heritage Month was enacted nationwide as a month-long observation of Hispanic history and culture in the United States. It celebrates the contributions and experiences of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

With the help of the UNIDOS affinity group, La Salle highlighted Hispanic culture and experiences throughout the thirty-day period — which ended on Wednesday, Oct. 15 — with an assembly held on Friday, Sept. 26. 

Planned by Director of Equity and Inclusion Mr. Mario Garza, the student leadership team, and UNIDOS leaders, the assembly included the performance of multiple cultural dances by Mestizos Dance Group PDX, such as a salsa. 

For Mr. Garza, that assembly showcased the importance of celebrating Hispanic culture at La Salle. 

Though general awareness of Hispanic heritage has increased over the years, he said that it’s crucial for people to be exposed to more than what they might know already. 

“It’s more than pop music and going to get tacos on a weekend. It’s really understanding more about the various cultures that make up this thing that we use this umbrella term of Latin with, or Hispanic with,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to learn more about other people.”

It’s essential to Mr. Garza that La Salle recognizes the ways people of color have been marginalized and the impacts that has had, both on the country and the school community.

“That’s important because … our country hasn’t always done a great job of including different perspectives and different histories of the people that make up our country,” he said. “This is an opportunity to kind of shine a light on that.”

Echoing Mr. Garza’s perspective, junior Rebeca Rodriguez said that Latiné Heritage Month is a chance to recognize what’s important to the Hispanic community. For her, that’s traditions within her family, which were taught by her mom and practiced at a young age.

The role of the affinity groups, she said, is to bring these traditions and cultural elements to the larger group. 

As clubs, they “strive to represent their cultures — putting posters up, doing assemblies, and selling their food,” she said, specifically noting the altar, marigolds, and photos on the yearly Día de los Muertos display.

For Mr. Garza, the attitude of most students and staff at La Salle encourages an environment that is conducive for people to learn and share about their culture.

“The vast majority of our students are very, very open and inclusive of kids of other backgrounds,” he said. “But again, La Salle is a reflection of the rest of the world. We’re not a perfect place … The world is not a perfect place.” 

Though Mr. Garza acknowledged that there’s often a lack of empathy and respect in broader societal discourse surrounding people’s identities and history, he feels that the Lasallian mindset the school community strives to embody allows it to mainly steer away from that. 

Core values and banners emphasizing compassion, inclusion, and universal respect are key to keep in mind throughout the month, he said, and the entire year. 

“One of the things that I appreciate about this place is that [at] La Salle, I think we live what we say,” he said. “People want to be part of this community, but at the same time, they want to be part of this community on their terms, not having to change for someone else. And I think La Salle allows people to be who they are.” 

Celebrations like the heritage assemblies play a big role in that for Rebeca Rodriguez. 

It’s an opportunity to highlight more than just one side of their heritage, she explained, so that the student body has a better understanding of the nuance that lies under the umbrella term of “Hispanic.”

“When people say Hispanic, they think of Mexico — they don’t really think about the other South American countries,” she said. “That’s why we brought Colombian dancers.”

Another aspect of heritage is the history behind it.

“It shows our culture, but it also acknowledges the struggles we went through when first arriving here,” junior Elena Rodriguez said. For example, she mentioned that this celebration gives the opportunity to spotlight important figures to Hispanic culture like Cesar Chavez.

Mirroring Elena Rodriguez’s point, Mr. Garza explained how understanding history is also crucial to forming personal identity. 

“If you don’t know where you’ve been, you can’t know where you’re going,” he said. “I think it’s very important for people to have an understanding of their histories, whether it’s their history here in this country or histories of their ancestors in different countries.”

To Elena Rodriguez, the cultural spotlight during Latiné Heritage Month is a way to expose other people to her culture and share her pride in it. Rather than a personal change, it’s a way for others to “recognize the community,” she said. “It doesn’t really change [for me], because I am Hispanic every single day of my life.”

In addition to the assemblies, she mentioned that she’d like to see more advertisements from La Salle for affinity group-led events like La Posada, increasing engagement from all students.

“I just want to see more people that are not Latinos or Hispanic to come to the events and do the activities,” Elena Rodriguez said. “I don’t want them to feel like it’s really exclusive to Hispanic people — I want them to also come and enjoy and learn from it.”

La Salle’s student body is composed of many different cultures, and the goal of heritage events is to bring each of those cultures to the spotlight, Mr. Garza said, and recognize how different minorities have shaped American history and society over time. 

“The United States, we’ve incorporated all these various cultures throughout the world to create this unique American culture,” he said. “Eating tacos, that’s part of American culture. Listening to rap music, which is a traditional Black music, that’s part of American culture. All these things are part of American culture.”

Latiné Heritage Month, he explained, is a chance to acknowledge that and the different, nuanced pieces of what it means to be American. 

“Sometimes we don’t always recognize that, you know, we’re more than hamburgers and hot dogs,” he said. “We are all these different things that, over time, all spun into this … beautiful tapestry of what America is.”