This month, Latinx Heritage Month kicks off — virtually — with a wide variety of events and speakers presented by the Latinx Cultural Center and the Multicultural Student Center from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15.
The theme, Connecting Our Roots, will emphasize the importance of the past, present and future of the Latinx community. The celebration strives to emphasize that community members “are not only seeds within the institution [UW-Madison], but thriving networks of pride, justice and love.”
The Keynote Speaker is Dr. Aurora Chang, a professor at Loyola University Chicago. Dra. Chang is a “Queer, Multiracial, Chicana/Latina, Feminist and Activist Scholar” and author of "The Struggles of Identity, Education, and Agency in the Lives of Undocumented Students: The Burden of Hyperdocumentation."
Chang will speak on Oct. 15 from 6-7:30 p.m. through an online keynote presentation.
The month is marked with many notable events. Starting off with the fourth annual March on Bascom Kickoff — through Instagram Live — on Tuesday, Sept. 15, hosted by the ChiLaCSA, which will offer the opportunity to learn more about the March on Bascom, the annual start to Latinx Heritage Month where students march up Bascom Hill with flags from the countries they identify with.
Other events include a guided conversation addressing anti-Blackness in the Latinx community, a discussion concerning mental health and the Latinx community and a Latinx alumni and student networking event.
There is also a boxing seminar, a drag performance and Q&A with Latinx Drag Queen, Persephone B. Diamond and a community conversation about the Latinx community and COVID-19.
Other notable speakers and facilitators participating in the month’s events include Johanna Fernandez, the author of "The Young Lords, A Radical History" and Tess Arenas, co-author of "Somos Latinas."
The next event is an Instagram Live Carne Asada Kick Back on Friday, Sept. 18, at 6:00 p.m. hosted by @uwlatinxcc, where representatives will talk about their favorite local restaurants, share their carne asada experiences and discuss creating community on campus. More information about specific events and dates can be found here.
Sophia Vento is a former editor-in-chief of The Daily Cardinal. She previously served as the college news editor. She has covered breaking, campus, city, state and sports, and written in-depth stories about health, culture and education. She previously interned with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Any newsroom would be lucky to have Sophia on staff. Follow her on Twitter at @sophiasvento.
