Latine/x Heritage Month
Latine/x Heritage Month takes place from September 15th to October 15th in the U.S., a time period in which contributions and cultures of the Latine/x community are uplifted. Historically, this month commemorates the independence anniversaries of several Latin American countries, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, on September 15th, as well as Mexico’s independence on September 16th and Chile’s on September 18th. In Puerto Rico, the Grito del Lares, a large-scale rebellion against Spanish colonists occurred on September 23rd.
At Macalester, we take this time to bring us all together to center Latine/x stories, celebrate community, and build awareness of the Latine/x community here at Macalester. This month provides us an opportunity for members of the college to engage in meaningful dialogue and learn more about the complexities and narratives of Latine/x cultures.
If you would like to have your event and/or program featured please submit it via our online form.
Please note that the events below are coordinated by different organizations and departments at Macalester. Use the links below for further information or directly contact the event host with questions.
Paleta Social (Welcome Event)
Sat., Sept. 7 | 5:00 p.m. | Meet in front of Kagin Commons
RSVP Form
Hosted by: Latinx Student Union | lsu@macalester.edu
Meet the Latinx Student Union (LSU) board and members in front of Kagin Commons and walk over to La Michoacana. LSU will treat you to paletas and get to know one another!
Spanish & Portuguese Ice Cream Social
Wed., Sept. 18 | 4:45–6 p.m. | Casa Hispana (196 Vernon St.)
Hosted By: Spanish & Portuguese Studies
Dr. Tara Yosso –Reflections on Community Cultural Wealth and Chicana/o Education: Reclaiming Our Past, Reimagining Our Future
Mon., Sept. 23 | 6:30 p.m.–8:00 p.m. | John B. Davis Lecture Room (Campus Center)
The Kurth-Schai Education and Advocacy Lecture is presented by the Educational Studies Department
Cosponsored by: Office of the Provost, Institutional Equity, Latin American Studies, Jan Serie Center for Scholarship and Teaching, Media and Cultural Studies, American Studies, Lealtad-Suzuki Center for Social Justice, Psychology
Dr. Tara Yosso is Professor in the School of Education at the University of California Riverside. In this talk, Yosso will reflect on her community cultural wealth model (CCW), which she introduced in her book Critical Race Counterstories along the Chicana/Chicano Educational Pipeline, and in her renowned article “Whose Culture Has Capital?” almost 20 years ago. The CCW model has been received nationally and internationally as a paradigm shift for the ways we have traditionally thought about schooling structures, practices, and discourse. On the eve of this anniversary, Dr. Yosso will ask us to consider how we take up the CCW model fostering a critical historical perspective of the communities we aim to serve. Her timely insights aim to encourage us to draw on the ingenuity and courage of those who have come before us in the struggle for justice and to support our efforts cultivating a community of praxis at Macalester.
Latine/x Heritage Month Community Luncheon
Tue., Sept. 24 | 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. | Kagin Ballroom
RSVP Form
Hosted by: Institutional Equity | equity@macalester.edu
Food. Culture. Connection
Institutional Equity invites you to join us for our annual Latine/x Heritage Month Community Luncheon. This community luncheon is will be an opportunity to center the stories and experiences of Latine/x students, staff, faculty, administrators, and alumni.
As a space to build community, this year’s luncheon will be an opportunity to have a conversation about how food fosters and continues to build culture and connection. There will be prompted community conversations for people to share their local favorite restaurants or memories of food and shared meals.
To attend, please RSVP.
Latine Heritage Month Christian Meet Up
Wed., Oct. 2 | 12:30 p.m. | Weyerhaeuser Chapel, Lower Level
Hosted by: Center for Religious and Spiritual Life | Sorrel Hester (shester@macalester.edu)
Are you part of the Latin American diaspora? Want to meet other Christians who are part of this community? Mark your calendar for a meet up on October 2nd! This will be a casual space where we will get a chance to meet other Latine/Latinx Christians. Come with stories, facts, dreams, and snacks that you want to share! Snacks will be provided!
Artivism with Ricardo Levins Morales
Fri., Oct. 4 | 5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m. | The Loch (Campus Center)
RSVP Form
Hosted by: Latinx Student Union and Institutional Equity | equity@macalester.edu
Cosponsored by: Racial Justice Project Fund
Ricardo Levins Morales is an artist and organizer based in Minneapolis. He uses his art as a form of political medicine to support individual and collective healing from the injuries and ongoing reality of oppression.
He was born into the anti-colonial movement in his native Puerto Rico and was drawn into activism in Chicago when his family moved there in 1967. Ricardo left high school early and worked in various industries, and over time began to use his art as part of his movement work. This activism has included support work for the Black Panthers and Young Lords and participating in or acting in solidarity with farmers, environmental, labor, racial justice, antiwar and other struggles for peoples empowerment. He was a founding member of the Northland Poster Collective (1979-2009).
He also leads workshops on creative organizing, social justice strategy and sustainable activism, and mentors and supports organizers. The worker members of RLM Art Studio are represented by the Newspaper and Communications guild/CWA. Ricardo’s work is widely used by grassroots movements, organizations and communities. (Ricardo Levins Morales Art Studio)
Twin Cities Connections: Ricardo’s Art Studio and Mercado Central
Fri., Oct. 5 | 11 a.m.–2p.m.
RSVP Form (Limited Space)
Hosted by: Institutional Equity | equity@macalester.edu
Institutional Equity will be providing free transportation to visit Ricardo Levins Morales’s Art Studio (RLM Art Studios) and Mercado Central in Minneapolis. For logistical details and information please review the RSVP form.
- Ricardo Levins Morales Art Studio – Both an art studio and storefront, RLM’s Art Studio is an opportunity for a closer look at his creative process.
- Mercado Central – Mercado Central is a thriving marketplace of 35 Latine/x owned businesses at the corner of Lake Street and Bloomington Avenue in Minneapolis.
Film Showing – Profe
Mon., Oct. 7 | 5:30 p.m. | Humanities 226
Hosted by: Educational Studies
Ed Studies will be showing a local PBS documentary film, Profe. The film is 1 hour long and a panel discussion featuring educators featured in the film will follow.
- In Minnesota, the Latine community burgeons amidst a vast opportunity gap. Two charter schools, rooted in decades of struggle, champion equity through decolonized, bilingual education. PROFE delves into this educational revolution, blending history and contemporary narratives to illuminate its profound impact. (PBS)
María Isa in Concert
Thu., Oct. 10 | 8:30 p.m. | Mairs Concert Hall
Hosted by: Music Department | musicdept@macalester.edu
In partnership with Perfect Noize Entertainment and supported by the Eugene C. Pulliam Endowed Fund for Music.
The Macalester Music Department welcomes Boricua singer, songwriter, and hip-hop artist Maria Isa and her band to the Mairs Concert Hall stage at Macalester College. Maria Isa is the only hip-hop artist to also serve as a Minnesota State Representative. She is the founder, producer, and co-host for the Latina Theory: Spanglish Podcast, and CEO of her independent label SotaRico.
Caribbeans at Macalester Welcome Event
Sat., Oct. 12 | 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Cultural House
Hosted by: Caribbeans at Macalester | cam@macalester.edu
Interested in learning more about Caribbean culture? Come and join us over food with Caribbeans at Mac leaderboard and students. For this event, we are highlighting a Latin Caribbean country, Coastal Colombia, for Latine/x Heritage Month. Colombian brunch from Maria’s Cafe will be served!
Latine/x Heritage Month Showcase
Sat., Oct. 12 | 5:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m. | Kagin Ballroom
Dinner RSVP | Fashion Show Form
Hosted by: Latinx Student Union | lsu@macalester.edu
The Latinx Student Union is hosting its annual Latinx Heritage Month Showcase celebrating and highlighting expression through different forms of art. It is a time for students, faculty, and community to come together to see and enjoy Latinx heritage.
Past Events and Programs
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Welcome Event
Fri., Sept. 8 | 4:45–6 p.m. | Shaw Field
Hosted by: Latinx Student UnionJoin the Latinx Student Union for our first gathering of the academic year and get to know the Latinx community on campus while playing games and hanging out. This is a low-stakes event, with an emphasis on welcoming first-year students and new Latinx staff/faculty to campus. We’d love to see the Latinx community show up in support of these faces.
Spanish & Portuguese – Ice Cream Social
Wed., Sept. 13 | 4:45–6 p.m. | Casa Hispana (196 Vernon St.)
Hosted By: Spanish & Portuguese StudiesLatinx Employee Affinity Group: Welcome Back Luncheon
Fri., Sept. 15 | 12–1:30 p.m. | DeWitt Wallace Library – Harmon Room (133)
Hosted by: Latinx Employee Affinity GroupLatinx Student Union’s Annual Cook-Out/Carne Asada
Sat., Sept. 16 | 5:30–7:30 p.m. | Spanish House
Hosted by: Latinx Student UnionLatine/x Student Union is back with its annual carne asada, the first event of Latinx Heritage Month! Join students, staff, and faculty in this awesome celebration of culture! This event will serve as an introduction to the LSU board and provide a basis for what the rest of the heritage month will look like. We have family cookout games, lots of food, and many more surprises for you. Hint hint: Taquero at Macalester alert! Be there!
Maria Isa Pérez-Vega
Pa’La Raza: From the Hip-Hop Barrio Cyphers to the House of Representatives
“A conversation & performance about cultural identity, hip-hop and politics”Tue., Sept. 19 | 6 –7:30 p.m. | The Loch
Hosted by: Institutional Equity
Co-Sponsors: Latinx Student Union, Latin American Studies, Lealtad-Suzuki Center for Social Justice, Music Dept., Political Science, Center for Religious & Spiritual Life, Dept. of Spanish & PortugueseInstitutional Equity invites you to join us for our Latine/x Heritage Month keynote speaker with Maria Isa.
Maria Isa is a Boricua singer, songwriter, actress, rapper, activist and international recording artist born in Minnesota and raised on St. Paul’s West Side barrio. Isa was raised by the influences of many different rhythms of Afro-Latino Indigenous culture and channeled it into performing arts and activism at a very early age. Since 2009, Maria Isa serves as CEO for her independent label SotaRico, distributing 13 of her albums bridging her music mix and upbringing of Minnesota and Puerto Rican culture into a fusion of sound.
María Isa is also a Minnesota State Representative and currently directs the mentorship program for the Twin Cities Mobile Jazz Project, which empowers young people through music and a cultural curriculum. She also serves on the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board Public Engagement Advisory Task Force, working to ensure the Capitol is a welcoming space for the community.
Master Class with Professor Alfonso Cervera in Folclórico
Fri., Sept. 22 | 4:45–6 p.m. | Fox Dance Studio, THDA 120
Hosted by: Theater and Dance DepartmentThis class will highlight particular regions of Mexico’s cultural dance practice known as Ballet Folklorico.
Through foot syncopation and choreography, students will embody movement aesthetics that are both traditional and contemporary that are in relationship to storytelling and or historical knowledge from Mexican communities.
Latine/x History Month Community Luncheon
Tue., Sept. 26 | 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. | Kagin Ballroom
Hosted by: Institutional EquityThis luncheon will be an opportunity to connect, celebrate, and reflect on the stories and experiences centering Latine/x students, staff, faculty, and alumni. While in community we hope you will be able to build a network with one another based on academics, interests, passions, and careers.
Latin American Studies – Open House
Tue., Sept. 26 | 4:45–6 p.m. | Weyerhaeuser Boardroom
Hosted by: Latin American StudiesLSU x Adelante! Event
Fri., Sept. 29 | 7–8 p.m. | The Great Lawn
Hosted by: Latinx Student Union x Adalente!Join Adelante! and Latinx Student Union for a collaboration during Latine/x Heritage Month! We’ll be playing games and drinking some mock-tails to continue building community at Mac We hope to see you there!
MNI Guest Speaker Felipe H. Lopez
Zapotec Poet & WriterTue., Oct. 3 | 4:45–6 p.m. | Weyerhaeuser Boardroom
Hosted by: Spanish & Portuguese and Linguistics DepartmentDr. Lopez is a teacher, poet, and writer of the indigenous language Zapotec. He will share his poetry and reflections on being a Zapotec poet:
Writing Dizhsa (San Lucas Quiaviní Zapotec) poetry, for me, is a self-determined initiative to express my identity in form, process, and content. My poetry is both language preservation and cultural resistance. Becoming a Zapotec writer has meant navigating multiple layers of challenges, including ideologies that restrict what Native poetry “should be about” and having to create an orthography. Most Indigenous Mexican poets also practice self-translation, as do I, and are writing for a readership that is still nascent. In this talk, I will read several of my poems in Dizhsa and share not only the cultural context of the poetry, including the life of a Zapotec migrant in Los Angeles, but also reflect on the realities of Zapotec language activism through poetry.
Latinx Heritage Month Showcase
Fri., Oct. 13 | 5–8 p.m. | Kagin Ballroom
Hosted by: Adelante! and Latinx Student UnionWe hope to see you all at Latinx Student Union’s annual Latinx Heritage Month Showcase! It’ll be a night filled with performances from local speakers, dance groups, and more! We’ll also have a chance to share some food and conversation at the end of the night.